Christian Mansell is preparing for the biggest race weekend of his career so far this coming weekend (29-31 July) as he makes his FIA Formula 3 Championship debut at the Hungaroring with Charouz Racing System.
An exciting two event deal will see the Australian rising star follow up his appearance in Hungary with a return to the grid at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium next month (26-28 August), with the two guest outings giving him the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic exposure of racing on the Formula 1 support bill for the first time.
Mansell, who resides in Newcastle, New South Wales, will benefit from the considerable experience of the race-winning Charouz team as he get to grips with the Dallara FIA F3 car and the use of its Drag Reduction System (DRS) for the first time.
The 17 year old talent will benefit from having raced at the Hungaroring and Spa already this season, scoring double podium finishes at both venues as he continues to challenge for title honours in the EuroFormula Open with Motopark / Crypto Tower Racing.
Christian Mansell:“I’m super excited to be joining FIA Formula 3 with Charouz Racing System. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to pit myself against an incredibly talented grid of drivers and get my name out there racing on the Formula 1 weekends.
“It will be my first time in the car so there will be a lot to learn from the start, but I like both circuits so will be able to hit the ground running with those. I’m mega excited and can’t wait to get started this weekend in Hungary.”
Antonín Charouz, Team Owner:“I’m really happy to welcome Christian in the team and I’m looking forward to see him in the car. He’ll need all of our support to get confident with a single-seater different from the ones he already raced with, but I’m confident that it will happen very naturally and very quickly given how talented he is.
"The fact that he already had experiences at both Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps is definitely an optimum starting point for his debut. The team and I are really excited to have him on board, I’m sure that he’s excited too and he’ll show everybody what he’s capable of.”
Launched in 2019 as the third rung on the FIA’s single-seater ladder, the FIA Formula 3 Championship is an ultra-competitive proving ground for the open wheel stars of the future, with alumni including current Formula 1 star Yuki Tsunoda and reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri.
Mansell is set to become only the fifth Australian driver to compete in the championship when he joins the grid in Hungary. The BRDC Rising Star and Motorsport UK Academy member will tackle a free practice session and qualifying on Friday, then a 40 minute Sprint race on Saturday and a 45 minute feature race on Sunday.
The races will be televised live on Fox Sports Australia and the Sky Sports F1 channel in the UK, with Mansell competing thanks to the continued support of AJM Transport, Castrol, Vawdrey Trailers, VISA Global Logistics, Infinity Sports Management, Rush Performance, Dexcom, Locker 27, IOR Petroleum, NTI Australia, AMSL Diabetes Australia, Bell Helmets and Gilbert & Roach.
Image from EuroFormula Open.