The 2016 FIA F3 rookie champion Joel Eriksson stays with Team Motorpark for his second campaign in the series.
Joel Eriksson, brother of Jimmy Eriksson, started his racing career in 2014 in ADAC F4, of which he finished 5th in his first campaign and 2nd in 2015. In 2016, he joined Team Motopark in the European Championship of F3, as well as he joined the BMW junior programme.
With one victory at Spa in the regular championship and a victory in the Masters of Zandvoort and a strong end of the season, he finished fifth overall and rookie champion ahead of Ralf Aron, Anthoine Hubert and Ben Barnicoat. He comments:
“I’m excited to return to the FIA F3 European Championship this year. I learned so much last season, enjoyed the format, and managed to achieve my target of winning the rookie title. It was a good first year, and based on the results we achieved and the pace we had – especially during the second half of the season – I’ll be heading into 2017 with the aim of winning the championship. It will be extremely tough with a lot of strong teams and drivers already lined up, but it’s not supposed to be easy. I’ve been racing with Team Motopark for all of my single-seater career, we showed our potential last year, and I can’t wait to meet this challenge together with them.”
Motopark team principal Timo Rumpfkeil adds:
“We are extremely delighted to have Joel leading our 2017 FIA F3 European Championship campaign. He has been driving with us for four years now. He is not just a tremendously fast driver, but also has that inherent race craft that can make all the difference.”
Joel Eriksson is the first Motopark driver to be confirmed for 2017 and places himself as a challenger for the title.
