Photo: Renault Sport
Malaysian driver Jazeman Jaafar will race in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2013 for Carlin, the team he has been with since 2010.
After three years of British F3 (the most fruitful of which, 2012, saw Jaafar fight for the title until the very last race, only narrowly missing out against Jack Harvey), the Petronas-backed 20-year-old will move up the ladder with a step up to FR3.5. He has already tested the team’s car late last year.
“I?m very excited to be making the move up to Formula Renault 3.5 with Carlin which is obviously a team I know very well,” said Jaafar. “Making the transition to FR3.5 has been easier because I?ve done it within Carlin and I already feel comfortable in the car.? It?s a big step up from Formula 3 in terms of power and the level of downforce, but it?s a great package and a great car to drive.? There will be a lot to learn next year but I?m confident that we have the potential to make the very most out of it.”
Team boss Trevor Carlin added: “We are delighted and very proud that Petronas have chosen to place Jazeman with us again in 2013.? We?ve had the pleasure of having him as part of Carlin for the past three seasons and we?ve seen him mature and improve with every year.? Jazeman is still very young, but now is the right time for him to make the step up to FR3.5 and based on his performance in testing, I expect him to improve even further in his rookie season in the series.”
In 2012, Carlin ran Kevin Magnussen and Will Stevens in FR3.5, finishing in fifth in the Teams’ Championship at the end of the year.