Carlin eyes Arjun Maini for 2016 Formula 3 European Championship

The 17-year-old from Bangalore tested one of Carlin's Dallara-Volkswagens for two days at the Nurburgring on Monday and Tuesday, and is out again with the British squad at Spa for Thursday's running.

Maini, who was runner-up to 2015 Carlin driver George Russell in last year's BRDC Formula 4 Championship, raced for Van Amersfoort Racing in his rookie F3 season this term.

Team boss Trevor Carlin said: "He's a good little kid and a good driver, who ran George hard for the championship in F4, so we know he's as good as George but unfortunately results didn't show that for whatever reason this year.

"In the right circumstances he could be a competitive runner - he did four days' testing with us last winter, at Monteblanco and Valencia, and was in the frame for a seat before we filled up.

"He's a lovely lad - not dissimilar to Narain Karthikeyan in nature; a very charming and well-educated young man."

Maini, who races for T-Sport in this month's Macau Grand Prix, is joined for Thursday's running by 2015 Carlin regular Ryan Tveter, with the American partnered on Friday by Belgian Formula Renault Eurocup race winner Max Defourny.

Meanwhile, Russell continues with new team Hitech GP for both days of the test, once again joined by Russian Formula Renault graduate Nikita Mazepin.

Motopark, as it did at the Nurburgring earlier in the week, is fielding Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara as well as Swede Joel Eriksson, who the team ran to the runner-up spot in German Formula 4 this season.

Motopark is also giving another run to Finn Niko Kari, the SMP F4 champion who had his debut F3 test with the squad last month.

Van Amersfoort Racing once more has Brazilian F3 champion Pedro Piquet along with BRDC F4 runner-up Harrison Newey in action at Spa.

DID YOU KNOW...

The Carlin team's first race win came in F3 with Indian Narain Karthikeyan (pictured below), at Brands Hatch in April 1999 - Maini was one year old at the time.