Photo: MP Motorsport
Mari Boya has been announced as MP Motorsport’s first driver for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship, a step up instigated by a mid-season team switch this year.
The 18-year-old Spaniard started his car racing career with MP in his home Formula 4 championship in 2020, and came second in the standings with three race wins.
He then moved up to Formula Regional European Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing, and with only one podium in his rookie season was a lowly 14th in the standings. Joining ART Grand Prix for his sophomore campaign led to improved form, and another podium, but in the second half of the season he left for MP with an eye on making it to F3 with the team.
“It’s a great feeling to know that this winter I will be gearing up for a vital next step in my career, moving up to FIA F3 with MP Motorsport,” said Boya.
“It’s so good to be able to do that together with MP. Having worked so well with the team in 2020 and in recent months, I had no doubts in signing with them for my FIA F3 debut. I’m really looking forward to racing in front of all the grand prix teams, and can’t wait for the first round in Bahrain.”
Boya ended up finishing 10th in the FREC standings this year, scoring points only twice in eight races following his switch. He got his first F3 mileage with MP in the official post-season test at Jerez in September.
MP’s team principal Sander Dorsman added: “Although [Mari] will be new to FIA F3, he is very much a known quantity to us.
“In 2020, his first season in single-seaters with us in Spanish F4 was truly outstanding, and it was good to welcome him back into our FREC team in the course of this season. He already showed much promise during the post-season tests. Now we are eager to use that as a platform to set him up for the strongest possible rookie year in FIA F3.”