Prema Racing signs up Jehan Daruvala for new FIA F3 Series 2019
Mumbai, 6 Dec 2018: Jehan Daruvala will step up to the new FIA F3 championship in 2019, with team Prema Racing. The all-new F3 car will be considerably faster than the car Jehan raced in 2017-2018, with a completely new Dallara chassis mated to a 3400cc Mecachrome engine, capable of touching 300 km/hr. The car will also incorporate the halo, a safety mechanism to enhance driver protection which was introduced in F1 this year.
Importantly for Jehan, all races of the new FIA F3 Championship will be support races during F1 race weekends, allowing him the opportunity to learn all the F1 circuits. The new F3 car will also enable racers to get used to F1 features like DRS (Drag Reduction System) & Virtual Safety Car. Pirelli will be the official one make, tyre supplier for all 30 cars on the grid.
As early preparation, the 20-year-old Indian recently tested the outgoing GP3 car in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina F1 Circuit. He dominated the 3 days of testing, posting the fastest time in 4 sessions and the 2nd fastest time in the remaining 2 sessions. Jehan’s pace was obvious, in spite of testing with 2 separate teams – MP Motorsport & Campos racing.
Jehan has been signed up by Prema Racing, one of the most successful Junior Racing Teams ever. Prema has won 6 drivers & team titles, in 7 years of the F3 European Championship’s existence, Mick Schumacher being the current champion. F1 racers – Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Antonio Giovinazzi have all raced with Prema on their way to F1.
“The new F3 series is going to be very exciting and a different experience for me. Driving on an F1 weekend, on Pirelli tyres and an expected grid of 30 drivers, is going to be fun and challenging. I am extremely excited and proud to begin this journey with Prema and I am confident that we can achieve great results together. I would like to thank Prema for having the confidence in me and giving me the opportunity to be a part of this successful team.“ said Jehan.
René Rosin – Team Principal of Prema commented, “Jehan is definitely a promising prospect. We have known and respected each other for a while now and we are happy that all the dots finally connected to start what we expect to be a great relationship. He always impressed when he had the right chance in the past, and our goal will be to put him in the right position to express his full potential. We are confident that he will make great progress while providing us with valuable insight heading into the challenging season ahead.”
Jehan Daruvala won the Indian Karting Championship in 2010, before becoming the first and only Indian to win the Malaysian Yamaha Karting Championship, the CIK FIA Asia Pacific KF3 Karting Championship, and the British Super One Karting Championship. Till date, he remains the only Indian on the podium of any FIA World Championship, when he finished 2nd Runner-up in the 2014 CIK FIA World Karting Championship. He also remains the only Indian to have ever won an official Grand Prix, when he won the New Zealand Grand Prix (Toyota Racing Series). Jehan has also won two races of the FIA F3 European Championship.
The 8-Round (16 Races) FIA F3 Championship kicks off on May 10, 2019, in Barcelona, Spain, when the F1 Championship begins its European races.
