At only 18 years old, Colapinto has amassed an extensive amount of experience in single seaters, as well as sports cars. In 2021 he ran a double campaign in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and made his LMP2 debut in the Asian Le Mans Series where he was awarded ‘Rookie of the Year’, followed by a full season in the European Le Mans series and entering the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For the 2022 season, Colapinto graduates to the FIA Formula 3 championship, one of the most competitive junior single seater series in the world with Van Amersfoort Racing. Frits Van Amersfoort’s team is the latest addition to the FIA F3 grid, however they have a long history in Formula 3, supporting drivers like Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher in their single-seater career’s.
FIA F3 is part of the Formula 1 support package, allowing the drivers to showcase their talents in front of F1 teams at some of the most challenging circuits in the world, broadcasted worldwide, gaining exposure to millions of people across the globe.
Franco made his FIA F3 test debut during the 2021 post-season test at Valencia, setting the fastest time on the second day of testing and ending up P4 overall.
Franco Colapinto:
“I really enjoyed my first time in the F3 car. It is obviously way more powerful than the FRECA car, but at the same time has surprisingly similar driving characteristics to the LMP2 car; fast and lots of downforce. A significant difference to the LMP2 class will of course be tyre management, but I like that part of racing. I really look forward to joining VAR, racing alongside my fellow Bullet athlete, Rafa Villagomez. They are taking their return to the FIA F3 championship extremely serious, and I am really excited to be part of the journey. The crew is motivated and an absolute pleasure to work with. Pre-season testing at Bahrain is just around the corner and I can’t wait for it to start!. I am extremely grateful to Van Amersfoort Racing, Bullet Sports Management, ROFGO Racing and my home country Argentina for making this possible. Without all of their support, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Rob Niessink, CEO at Van Amersfoort Racing:
“We are excited to have Franco on board for our debut season in FIA F3. Looking at his career so far, he has shown to not only possess a good portion of raw talent, but that he also has the capability to quickly adapt to circumstances. We had our eye on him already as a potential candidate, which was reinforced after seeing him perform during the post-season test at Valencia, early November last year. We have thoroughly structured our F3 team over the winter period and are more than ready to hit the track early March in Bahrain.”
The 2022 FIA F3 calendar consists of nine rounds, with two races each, supporting Formula 1. The season commences in March 18-20 at the Bahrain International Circuit.
