Alexander Albon has been confirmed as a part of ART Grand Prix GP3 Series squad for 2016.
The 19 year old Thai driver has a lot of experience in the world of motorsport and has already attracted the attention by taking part in young driver programmes such as the Red Bull one in 2012 and the Lotus one since 2013. After finishing fourth of the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup championship in 2014, Albon graduated in European Formula 3 with returnee team Signature which had an accord with Lotus. In 2015, Albon achieved two pole positions and five podiums and finished seventh overall and fourth best rookie. He comments:
“I don’t have any real objectives ahead of the new season. I will have to adapt to the new environment and I hope to do the best possible job so that I might be able to climb onto the podium in the second half of the season and maybe get a few wins, why not? I am extremely proud to be one of the few Thai drivers to reach this level of Motorsport. I am also proud to have been chosen to represent such a prestigious team as ART Grand Prix. I will do my best to bring them the best possible results every weekend as I proudly carry my country’s colours in honour of all those that have helped me get to where I am today.”
Albon tested the ART GP3 car last year during the tests at Abu Dhabi and convinced Sébastien Philippe, ART Grand Prix team manager, to engage him:
“At 19, Alexander already has some good experience of competitive racing because he progressed in some very different championships around Asia and Europe. Throughout his career he has proven that he knew how to adapt quickly and efficiently to a new work environment and that is exactly what he did last December in Abu Dhabi when he tested with ART GP. Last year Alexander showed he had talent when it came to fighting his way up through the pack when he raced in the European F3 championship and this is a quality that will serve him well in GP3. He will be a valuable asset for ART Grand Prix as we aim to retain both titles secured in 2015. “
Albon is the third driver to be confirmed with ART Grand Prix in GP3 after Nirei Fukuzumi and Nyck De Vries. Charles Leclerc is said to be confirmed soon, which would lead to a full rookie line-up for the French team.