Written by Vyas Ponnuri
The Feeder Series Round-up is back for this week, but in a new theme! With the Formula 3 grid finally full, after weeks of negotiations, the sounds and smells of fresh new contracts being penned, we sum it all up, and give you an overview on what has changed ahead of the 2024 Formula 3 season!
Tsolov becomes the final piece in the 2024 Formula 3 jigsaw puzzle
The thirtieth name has been signed on the 2024 Formula 3 grid, completing a formidable grid of hungry, young drivers, eager to bring the coveted championship trophies back to their team bases at the end of the year.
The final name to be signed was Bulgarian driver Nikola Tsolov, who stays on at ART Grand Prix, partnering sophomore racer Christian Mansell, and rookie Dutchman Laurens van Hoepen, as ART look to push on from an inconsistent 2023, one that saw them achieve only two rostrum finishes all season.
Having tasted championship glory with Victor Martins back in 2022, and their senior Formula 2 outfit winning both drivers and constructors championships last season, ART know what it feels like to taste world championship glory.
However, their trio of Kaylen Frederick, Gregoire Saucy, and Tsolov were unable to fill the Martins-shaped void, and a team known for their knack for producing talented drivers across junior series suddenly found themselves scrambling to score points regularly.
While Saucy notched up 54 of the team's tally of 71 points, Frederick and Tsolov were able to crack into the top ten only a combined five times. The Bulgarian racer notched up six points all season, scoring in the sprint races at two iconic venues on the calendar, Spa and Monza, acquainting himself into his surroundings.
Having made a giant leap from Spanish F4 to Formula 3 in 2023, Tsolov will be looking to make his opportunity count in 2024, with a season of experience under his belt, and aim high this season. The Alpine junior driver knows a thing or two about winning championships, his Spanish F4 campaign a noteworthy example.
The 'Bulgarian Lion' was on double world champion Fernando Alonso's radar when ascending the ranks of junior series, being one of two drivers to have joined the A14 Management programme managed by the Spaniard. This gave him an opportunity to take part in the Spanish F4 series in 2022, one the Bulgarian didn't just grab, he snatched it with aplomb.
This series would turn out to be a significant point in Tsolov's racing career, as he notched up a record 400 points, winning the title as early as one race weekend before the season's conclusion. Barring one blot on his copybook, a 14th position in the opening race of the season, he never finished outside the points, even sitting on an eight-race winning streak just over halfway through the season.
This stunning outing carved the path to the worldwide Formula 3 championship, a massive step up for the young Bulgarian indeed.
After a year in the ART fold, the Alpine junior racer feels at home, and is raring to go in 2024, as he seeks a stronger season for the French outfit:
“I feel very much at home at ART Grand Prix, which is one of the greatest teams ever, so it's a pleasure to continue with them for a second year in F3. I know the team, the circuits, the procedures and, apart from the tyres, I won't have to learn anything new. Winter testing showed that we were consistently at the top of the timesheets, and the main target will be to be at the front at every race weekend.”
ART Grand Prix team principal Sebastian Phillippe too lauded Tsolov's improvement as the season progressed, stating his excitement to see what is in store for 2024:
“Niko has had to take a giant step forward coming from Spanish F4 and, despite the difficulties faced by the team in 2023, his determination and focus have only strengthened. The raw results haven't been there, but we've seen Niko's formidable talent grow throughout the season and the entire team is looking forward to getting off to a good start in 2024 so we can deliver results together in line with our ambitions and our work.”
Final Grid for the 2024 Formula 3 season: Who drives where in the upcoming F3 season?
With that, the 2024 Formula 3 grid is all set, and ready to go! With three days of pre-season testing having concluded around the Bahrain International Circuit, drivers and teams have already joined forces, and gotten their first taste of the 2024 Formula 3 machinery.
Before we go ahead, though, here are some statistics to get you warmed up, and ready for the season ahead.
As you would expect, the 2024 grid features a tapestry of cultures, with drivers coming from various backgrounds — be it in terms of racing or the nationalities they represent. Graduates from the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA), Euroformula series, GB3, or various regional F4 series, and winter series, will all be racing each other across ten rounds in 2024.
There's no shortage of diversity on the grid either, with as many as 18 nations represented on the 2024 Formula 3 grid. The drivers come from far and wide, from as far as Mexico, to Australia, while the grid also features talents from Peru, Bulgaria, and Thailand, along with the presence of a popular Irishman rounding out a starring line-up of drivers.
Some drivers have even been affiliated to Driver Academies of Formula One teams, with four Red Bull Junior drivers, three Alpine juniors, and one Ferrari and Williams junior driver each rounding out this year's grid.
Yet, Formula One teams will be keeping a keen eye on this year's grid. Given Formula 3 runs on the same weekends as Formula One, many team bosses from the pinnacle of motorsport will surely be keeping a close eye on these young talents, as a strong F3 season can make a strong case for an addition to any driver academy affiliated to a Formula One team, much like the case of Gabriel Bortoleto last year.
Here's the full rundown on the 2024 Formula 3 grid, with a look at the teams and their driver line-ups for the upcoming Formula 3 season:
2023's team champions Prema Racing will be eyeing up a repeat of their heroics from last season, with three consistent drivers helping them to the constructors' championship glory in 2023. The Italian team are perennial championship winners, having won all but one championship since the inception of the championship in 2023.
The Italian outfit have given themselves their best shot at the title once again, retaining the incumbent Dino Beganovic for another season, with talented Alpine junior Gabriele Mini, and rising Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad joining the Ferrari Academy driver for 2024.
Having produced the reigning champion of 2023, Trident go into the new season with a rookie line-up, as the talented Leonardo Fornaroli stays on for another season with the other Italian team on the grid. He will be joined by two rookies who competed in FRECA in 2023: French racer Sami Meguetounif, and Mexican Santiago Ramos.
Another team bursting with young rookie talent is MP Motorsport. The team wearing orange are known to be a popular name across junior formulae, and have bred some famous talents in the past. Once again, the spotlight will be on the trio of drivers at their stable, with two popular figures in 2023 Italian F4 champion Kacper Sztuka and 2023 GB3 runner-up Alex Dunne set to be in the limelight in 2024.
They will be joined by Red Bull junior Tim Tramnitz, who finished third in FRECA in 2023, forming an exceptional line-up, and would be an early favourite for the constructors championship.
Another popular name from last season, Campos Racing will be bolstered by the addition of another Spaniard at the wheel of their machine in 2024. Mari Boya switches over from MP Motorsport to a team from his home nation, and he will be joined by Red Bull junior Ollie Goethe, and a former Red Bull junior in Sebastian Montoya, as the team will eye climbing even further up the standings this year.
Luke Browning headlines the trio at Hitech Pulse-Eight. Fresh off a clean sweep at the non-championship Macau GP event in the winter break, and signed into the Williams Driver Academy last season, the Briton will be raring to go big in his sophomore season, and should he replicate some of his form from Macau across the season, there will be no stopping Browning in his quest for ultimate glory.
Browning will be joined by 2023 FRECA vice champion Martinius Stenshorne, and fellow Briton Cian Shields in 2024.
One of the highlights of 2023, Jenzer Motorsport's sixth position finish was their highest in the series, and built largely on the back of Taylor Barnard's stellar showing across the season.
However, the Briton has stepped up to Formula 2 in 2024, and the team have opted for fresh talent, with a young line-up featuring Charlie Wurz, son of former F1 driver Alexander Wurz; Peruvian racer Matias Zagazeta; and American racer Max Esterson, as they look for another strong showing in 2024.
2023's sophomores Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) wound up seventh in the overall standings, and with Rafael Villagomez stepping up to Formula 2, and Caio Collet venturing stateside to race for HMD Motorsports in the IndyNXT series, the team have brought on board Noel Leon, 2023 Euroformula Open Champion.
Leon will be joined by Sophia Florsch, who became the first woman to score points in F3 last year, courtesy a seventh-position finish on a damp track at the mighty Spa-Francorchamps, driving for debutants PHM Racing. Tommy Smith continues at the Dutch outfit for 2024, as he looks to kick on from his inaugural Formula 3 campaign last season.
ART Grand Prix experienced a tough 2023, winding up only eighth in the standings, and have opted for changes in their line-up, with Dutch youngster Laurens van Hoepen stepping up from FRECA, and Christian Mansell moving over from Campos to the French outfit. As mentioned, Tsolov will continue at the team in 2024, looking to put his year of experience to good use when he takes to the track in 2024.
PHM AIX Racing enter the new season with a new name, on the back of a title sponsorship deal with AIX Investment group, and the German outfit have certainly invested in some new talent ahead of 2024, as FRECA racer Joshua Dufek steps up to Formula 3, while Thai racer Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak joins the team in their sophomore season.
Finally, two GB3 racers will partner up at Rodin Motorsport (formerly Rodin Carlin) as 2023 GB3 champion Callum Voisin will race for the team in 2024. He will be partnered by BRDC Young Driver of the Year winner Joseph Loake, who completed his 2023 GB3 campaign in third, earning 417 points across the season.
The duo will be joined by Polish racer Piotr Wisnicki, the Pole returning to the series after a fallout with PHM Racing in 2023 led to Wisnicki suspending his campaign. He was replaced by GB3 racer McKenzy Cresswell, and later Korean racer Michael Shin, as the team wound up their inaugural Formula 3 campaign.