GP3 race-winner Jake Hughes will contest the first round of the new Formula 3 Asian Championship this weekend at Sepang with Hitech.
Hughes raced for Silverstone-based Hitech in European F3 last year, coming fifth in the standings, before returning to GP3 with ART Grand Prix for 2018.
He joins former GP3 and European F3 racer Raoul Hyman and the Asian Formula Renault and Chinese Formula 4 champion Charles Leong of Macau in the Hitech line-up for the opening round.
There are 17 drivers on the entry list for the opening round.
Another former GP3 driver Akash Nandy is entered for Absolute Racing alongside Jaden Conwright.
Reigning South East Asian Formula 4 champion Daniel Cao will drive a single car for Pinnacle Motorsport.
Former BRDC F3 racer Chase Owen will race for his new eponymous squad, which will also field James Yu, who came fourth in Formula Masters China last year.
Billy Zheng Jianian, runner-up to Leong in Chinese F4 in 2017, has joined ZEN Motorsport alongside Yin Hai Tao, while Black Arts Racing has brought in Swiss gentleman racer?Thomas Luedi alongside Louis Prette.
B-Max Racing Team boss Ryuji ‘Dragon’ Kumita will drive a single-car for his own outfit, having won the Japanese F3 national class and then entered the Macau Grand Prix last year.
Asian F3 Sepang entry list
Absolute Racing
Jaden Conwright, Akash Nandy
B-Max Racing Team
Ryuji ‘Dragon’ Kumita
BlackArts Racing Team
Louis Prette, Thomas Luedi
Chase Owen Racing
Chase Owen, Daniel Yu
Hitech GP
Jake Hughes, Raoul Hyman, Charles Leong
MSport Asia
Akash Gowda
Pinnacle Motorsport
Daniel Cao
Super License
Tomoki Takahashi
Takashi Hata
SVC Asia
Jeremy Wahome
ZEN Motorsport
Yin Hai Tao
‘Billy’ Zheng Jianian