Joel Eriksson to contest 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Joel Eriksson will step up to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2016, the 17-year-old Swede having signed a deal to race for German outfit Team Motopark.

Eriksson enters the Formula 3 ranks on the back of a strong 2015 campaign, in which he challenged for the lower-level ADAC Formula 4 title – also with Team Motopark – and eventually finished as runner-up. Eriksson has spent the winter familiarising himself with F3 machinery in a series of unofficial tests in southern Europe, frequently featuring among the quickest rookies.

”This is a great opportunity for me,” says Joel Eriksson. ”It’s a natural step to take, but that doesn’t make it any easier. The FIA F3 European Championship is one of the toughest series out there at the moment, and it will be a major challenge. Having said that, I did learn a lot in winter testing, and I really enjoyed the car. I’m thrilled to be doing this with Team Motopark and I can’t wait for the season to begin!”

The FIA Formula 3 European Championship ranks as one of the strongest junior single-seater series in the world. Approximately 40 drivers from around the globe are expected to make the grid in 2016, with the calendar spanning a total of 30 races across ten weekends in seven European countries.

For Joel Eriksson, the up-coming campaign will feature a mix of well-known circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps, Hockenheim and the Nürburgring, but also a set of brand new acquaintances – including the famous street races in Pau (France) and at Germany’s Norisring.

”There will be a lot of firsts for me this season,” Eriksson continues. ”For example, I have only driven at one of the first five tracks we will visit. I’m particularly excited about going to Pau; that will be my first taste of a street circuit. From mid-summer, we will attend some venues I’m more familiar with, and hopefully by then I’ll be able to fight near the front. It won’t be easy, but so it shouldn’t be at this level! Big thanks to the team for their continued support.”

Team Motopark will enter four cars in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, having won one race in the series last year with Germany’s Markus Pommer. Eriksson is one of three drivers confirmed at the Oschersleben squad so far, alongside Red Bull Junior Team members Niko Kari (Finland) and Sérgio Sette Câmara (Brazil).

”This is a logical move for Joel, given the great success we enjoyed together last year in Formula 4,” says Timo Rumpfkeil (Team Motopark principal). ”We are completely convinced he’s got what it takes; the first tests were extremely promising. He impressed us big time in that he was both quick and consistent straight out of the box. I believe we can hit the ground running and fight for the Rookie of the Year award.“

The FIA Formula 3 European Championship has recently fostered some of the sport’s brightest stars, including Formula 1 trio Max Verstappen (third in F3 in 2014), Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz Jr. The reigning champion is Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist.

Joel Eriksson’s older brother, Jimmy Eriksson, raced in the European Championship’s previous incarnation – the Formula 3 Euro Series – in 2011.  The 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship kicks off at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France on April 1-3.