Ferrari Academy driver Marcus Armstrong gets 2019 Prema FIA F3 seat
Ferrari Academy driver Marcus Armstrong will compete for Prema Racing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship next year
New Zealander Armstrong is the first driver to be announced in Prema's team, after taking fifth in the Formula 3 European Championship in 2018.
The 18-year-old scored nine podiums and one victory as team-mate Mick Schumacher won the title.
Prema won the Teams' Championship in European F3 this year, but the FIA status now switches to a new series which replaces GP3 on the Formula 1 support package with a new car.
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Armstrong will be one of the 30 drivers spread across 10 teams on the grid next season.
"Together we shared a lot of success in recent years, winning the 2017 Italian Formula 4 Championship and fighting for the German [ADAC F4] series title," said Armstrong.
"We had a great 2018 too but I feel there is unfinished business and I'm very excited to get going.
"The new FIA F3 is new for everyone, including us, but I feel confident in our team that we can hit the ground running in 2019."
Team principal Rene Rosin added: "It is great to line-up with Marcus for another season.
"He has huge talent and has been a championship contender in every single series he took part in so far.
"We know we can aim at some outstanding results together and we want to carry our winning legacy into the new era of Formula 3."
Armstrong was expected to join the line-up, with Robert Shwartzman and Jehan Daruvala tipped to join him at the squad.
More recently, Armstrong drove in the post-season GP3 Series tests at Abu Dhabi last week with Charouz Racing System and Trident, as Prema has not had a team in the series.
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