Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
GB3 race-winner Max Esterson will join Rodin Carlin for the next two FIA Formula 3 rounds, starting this weekend at Silverstone.
The 19-year-old will replace American compatriot Hunter Yeany at Silverstone, and will also contest the following round in Budapest later this month.
Esterson knows Silverstone well, having won the Walter Hayes Trophy in Formula Ford 1600 on the venue’s National layout in 2021 as a Team USA scholar. He also finished first on the road at the event in 2022, only to be denied by a post-race penalty, but did triumph at Brands Hatch’s FFord Festival .
He finished seventh in GB3 in 2022 with Douglas Motorsport, with a win at Donington Park being his best result. On his first experience of Silverstone’s full Grand Prix circuit he took a pair of fourth place finishes. Esterson switched to Fortec Motorsports for his sophomore campaign, and sits 14th in the standings having been blighted by incidents and reliability issues.
“Racing at the British Grand Prix this weekend in my FIA F3 debut will be quite surreal,” said Esterson.
“I know jumping into a championship like this with such little experience will be difficult but at least I know Silverstone well and the team proved to be really strong there last year. A big thanks to Rodin Carlin for having me and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve.”
Esterson will join fellow GB3 racer McKenzy Cresswell on the grid at Silverstone, with Cresswell continuing his F3 cameo with PHM Racing by Charouz after making his debut at the Red Bull Ring last weekend.
“We’re pleased to welcome Max to the team this weekend,” said Carlin’s team principal Trevor Carlin.
“He will have a lot to learn very quickly, but he has a great team around him and will make his F3 debut on track he is familiar with. Making progress with every session will be the aim and I look forward to seeing what he can achieve.”