Van Amersfoort Racing has signed Alexandre Bardinon as its first driver for its venture in Euroformula.
The Dutch team, which was a frequent winner in the FIA European Formula 3 championship when it used the Dallara F312//F317, has bought one of the halo-shod 320 successor chassis to run in the continental series.
Both Bardinon and VAR come from competing in the inaugural Formula Regional European Championship season last year, with 17-year-old single-seater rookie Bardinon finishing last in the standings.
?I?m extremely excited about moving up to the F3 Euroformula Open this season,? said Bardinon.
?Last year I learned an incredible lot in FREC and I now feel ready to go head-on into Euroformula.
“I was hooked on the car the moment I left pitlane during my first test at the Red Bull Ring in October last year.?
The Frenchman started his 2019 campaign with his family Mas du Clos Racing Team, but quickly switched to VAR and took a best finish of ninth.
His previous car racing experience included French GT4 with Yvan Muller’s team, and a cameo in the Formula Renault 2.0-based VdeV Single-Seater Challenge where he scored a podium.
?I?m thrilled to be doing this together with Van Amersfoort Racing. I feel very much at home at VAR and of course importantly, they know the Dallara very well.
“Having their knowledge and experience at hand will certainly help me to progress to the next level and be competitive!?
VAR is aiming to sign at least one other driver alongside Bardinon, with purchase of the 320 only being completed once their drivers have been confirmed.
?As a team, we felt the time was right to enter Euroformula and we are very happy to have Alexandre on-board for this new challenge,” VAR’s CEO Rob Niessink said.
“It?s valuable to continue with a driver into a following season since both driver and team grow close during the year. Being able to carry that momentum into a new championship will benefit us all.
?For Alexandre, 2019 was all about learning and that is exactly what he did. During the season he impressively matured both on- and off the track and we look forward to attacking the new championship together with him.
“As always, we will make sure to support him on every possible level!?