ART signs Lotus F1 junior driver Alex Fontana for 2014 GP3 season
Multiple GP3 title-winning team ART has signed Lotus Formula 1 junior programme driver Alex Fontana for the 2014 season
Fontana was 17th in the GP3 standings with Jenzer last year in his first full campaign in the series following occasional appearances in 2011/12.
The 21-year-old Swiss driver had previously won the 2011 European F3 Open title before racing in Formula 2.
"I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with a team that has topped the championship like ART Grand Prix and I believe that no other team can allow me to better develop my skills," said Fontana, who became a Lotus F1 protege last year.
"My goal is to always be at the forefront and be consistent throughout the season, because it is a crucial factor for the overall championship results."
Frederic Vasseur's squad has won the GP3 teams' title every year since the series' inception in 2010, and took Esteban Gutierrez and Valtteri Bottas to the '10 and '11 drivers' crowns.
But its most recent title protagonists Daniel Abt and Facu Regalia were defeated by MW Arden's Mitch Evans and Daniil Kvyat in the last two GP3 championship battles.
"Alex's first steps with ART Grand Prix in November 2013 in Abu Dhabi [testing] convinced us that he would be an asset to the team in its quest for a fifth consecutive title," said Vasseur.
Max Verstappen could go straight into European Formula 3 for 2014
Blundell protege Camren Kaminsky joins Double R for British F3
Why the Formula 3 benchmark's 2022 season hinges on qualifying
Prema Racing has long dominated FIA Formula 3, taking the teams’ title in two of the past three seasons. But its start to 2022 has been trickier than usual, and the answers lie in its qualifying performance
How the ultra-tight F3 title fight is taking shape
With just five points separating the top five after two rounds, FIA Formula 3 looks set for another thrilling season in 2022. But who stands the best chance of pulling away from that pack, and who are the contenders bubbling under?
The F3 newcomer making good on his unusual career path
Joining the FIA Formula 3 grid as a rookie with a team new to the series could prove daunting for most, but then there aren't many drivers who have the extensive experience Franco Colapinto brings from his time racing sportscars. The Argentinian explains how his LMP2 experience is already helping him in 2022
The British trio hunting for F3 title glory
The 2022 FIA Formula 3 season kicks off this weekend in Bahrain. British trio Zak O’Sullivan, Ollie Bearman and Jonny Edgar have all become proteges of Formula 1 teams, and are talents to watch this year
How an outsider demolished a rank of F1 juniors
His career has been a slowburner but Gregoire Saucy trounced a collection of F1 juniors in Formula Regional by Alpine last year, and now he’s preparing to do it again in FIA F3. Here’s how the Swiss caught the world by surprise in 2021 and how he plans to do it all over again
Ranking the top 10 F2 and F3 drivers of 2021
With a veritable feast of feeder series talent in 2021, FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 produced some of its most exciting racing yet. Although Prema Racing drivers once again dominated the respective series, drivers from other teams also stole the limelight to mark themselves out as stars of the future, or validate their highly-regarded standing
How Prema continued its dominance of F1's junior ladder in 2021
Taking three of the four titles and producing two outstanding champions in the process, Prema Racing remained the team to beat in Formula 1's feeder series in 2021. Team boss Rene Rosin reveals the traits that helped Dennis Hauger and Oscar Piastri to come out on top in Formula 3 and Formula 2
From zero to hero: How F3's 2021 champion bounced back
After a disastrous 2020 in FIA Formula 3 with Hitech, Dennis Hauger began to doubt himself - with the self-belief he had built through success in junior series evaporating. But after regrouping, he stormed to the F3 title in 2021. Here’s how he did it