Argentina’s Franco Colapinto will complete Van Amersfoort Racing driver line-up for 2022 F3 season.
Having graduated through the karting ladder, Colapinto made his single-seater debut in 2018 as he claimed a win and two podiums from four races in Spanish F4 that season, before proceeding to win 2019 Spanish F4 title with 11 wins, two other podiums and 10 pole positions.
He went on to enjoy third-placed finishes in Formula Renault Eurocup and Toyota Racing Series in 2020, followed by a sixth placed finish in 2021 Formula Regional Euro Championship during which he claimed two wins and two second-placed race finishes.
Colapinto also participated in European Le Mans in the LMP2 category last season, in which he finished fourth with one win at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The 18 year-old Argentinean driver eventually made his F3 debut in the 2021 Post Season Test for MP Motorsport, where he topped the afternoon session on Day Two but has now joined Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) for the 2022 season.
Speaking about that test and the differences to previous cars that he has driven, Colapinto said: “I really enjoyed my first time in the F3 car.
“It is obviously way more powerful than the FRECA car, but at the same time has surprisingly similar driving characteristics to the LMP2 car; fast and loads of downforce.
“A significant difference to the LMP2 class will of course be tyre management, but I like that intelligent part of racing.”
Colapinto though is excited to join VAR for the season as he cited their “strong history” in junior categories as behind his decision to drive for the Dutch outfit, which took Ollie Bearman to a Italian and ADAC F4 double in 2021.
This season also marks VAR’s first campaign in F3 but Colapinto is confident that they are taking their new series “extremely serious” across 2022.
Colapinto also complimented the crew and is excited to get the season underway as he added: “The crew is motivated and an absolute pleasure to work with. Pre-season testing at Bahrain is just around the corner and I can’t wait for it to start!”
VAR CEO, Rob Niessink meanwhile added that the team is “excited” to secure Colapinto for the new season, as he complimented the Argentinean for his “raw talent” plus “capability to quickly adapt to circumstances.”
Colapinto will partner Reece Ushijima and Rafael Villagomez at VAR in F3 this season.