MP Motorsport have completed their driver line-up for 2021 Formula Three season, as Tijmen van der Helm signs for the Dutch team.
This move sees Van der Helm reunite with MP Motorsport who gave him his single-seater debut in 2019 Spanish F4 season, before parting ways last season as Van der Helm switched to Formula Renault Eurocup where he finished fourth overall with seven podiums.
Speaking on how ‘very happy’ he is to make the step up to F3, Van der Helm said: “This will be a very important step in my career, as Formula 3 is the category where the very best young single-seater talents go head-to-head – exactly the place where I need to show what I’m capable of.”
This season sees the 17 year-old back at MP Motorsport after a season apart, with the teen describing the team as ‘the old nest’, and is confident of potentially creating ‘more good memories’ across the year.
Van der Helm is also excited by the ‘great prospect’ of racing on same weekends as F1 which he hopes will give him a morale boost, saying: “Furthermore, it’s a great prospect to be so close to Formula 1 – seeing and hearing those cars will add something special to each and every race meeting.”
MP Motorsport Team Principal, Sander Dorsman hailed Van der Helm’s return as ‘fantastic news’ as the Dutch teenager completes their F3 line-up, alongside Caio Collet and Victor Martins who were confirmed on Wednesday.
Dorsman therefore is confident of success, saying: “With Tijmen, Victor and Caio, our Formula 3 line-up consists of three very fast and talented rookies who will start the season hungry for success.”
There however is a sense of curiosity as to how all three rookies will click and extract the best out of one another, with Dorsman saying: “I’m very curious to see how they will challenge each other to get the best out of each other. I know one thing for sure – this will be an amazing year.”
This announcement therefore signals a new era for MP Motorsport with Richard Verschoor, Bent Viscaal and Lukas Dunner all departing the team, with Verschoor having driven for the team across last two seasons in which he took just one podium.
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