Carlin is pleased to announce Ferdinand Habsburg as the first driver in their 2017 FIA Formula Three European Championship line-up. Austrian racer Habsburg has enjoyed a stand-out 2016 season racing in the Euroformula Open Championship, in which he finished the season as Vice Champion, and now switches to the FIA Formula Three car for the upcoming season with the team.
Habsburg, aged 19, has been racing single seat cars since the age of 14 and has experienced a vast array of cars in that time. Ranging from Formula Renault 1.6 NEC to the Toyota Racing Series in his early years Habsburg took on a total of four Championships this season. The Austrian opened the 2016 season with an assault on the Toyota Racing Series, finishing fourth overall, before turning his attention to Euroformula Open alongside Formula Renault 2.0 NEC and Eurocup Championship campaigns.
Habsburg has enjoyed race winning success in Euroformula Open this season with two fantastic wins, at Paul Ricard and Barcelona, and an incredible total of 12 podiums on his way to the Vice Champion title. Habsburg’s stand out season as a title protagonist has since seen him compete in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix and he will be experiencing further Formula Three mileage following FIA Formula Three testing with the team at Silverstone last week.
Habsburg said,
“I’m extremely excited about the upcoming season especially after a really good year in F3 Open so coming off the back of that gives me a lot of confidence for a competitive season with Carlin. FIA F3 is the next step for us and I think that a good winter test schedule as well as racing in New Zealand will mean that we’re looking strong from the start. Carlin has a great history in Formula Three so we’ll be going into the season working well together with a great package; everything is looking very positive for 2017.”
Trevor Carlin added,
“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Ferdinand to the team for 2017. We’ve seen first hand Ferdinand’s raw speed and race craft in Euroformula Open where he has been a very tough opponent. Less than two weeks after our victory in Macau, the focus within the team now is very much on 2017. To have everything finalised with Ferdinand so early on will allow us to make the best possible preparations for the season ahead. We’re looking forward to helping Ferdinand reach his potential in the coming months.”
Press Release