American Colton Herta will make his BRDC British Formula 3 Championship debut this weekend (16/17 April), as he replaces Carlin’s Lando Norris at Brands Hatch. The 16-year-old will take part in the three races on the Grand Prix circuit for the Surrey-based outfit, as Norris has clashing racing commitments in Europe.
Herta, the son of multiple IndyCar and CART race-winner Bryan, is set to compete in the EuroFormula Open Championship in 2016, but he will now gain experience racing in the UK’s premier single-seater category prior to the first EuroFormula round later this month. He has already driven the new Tatuus-Cosworth this year, having completed a number of days testing for Carlin as he evaluated his options for the season, calling the car “really quick.”
The California native contested his first season in Europe in 2015, taking four wins and a further eight podiums en route to third overall in the MSA Formula championship standings. Prior to racing in the UK, Herta competed in the IndyCar-supporting US F2000 series in late 2014, with a pair of fifth-place finishes his best results, and the Pacific Formula F1600 category in 2013.
Herta said: “I’m really happy to get the racing started this weekend after what has felt like quite a long off season for me. I want to say a big thank you to Trevor for this opportunity and also to Lando – I’m really looking forward to the weekend and getting out there. I’m very familiar with the BRDC car which should mean I can be on the pace straight away. The aim is to finish off what Lando started at the first race and win! We’re pot hunting and I want to keep that trend going.”
Trevor Carlin, Team Principal of Carlin, added: “Colton makes the perfect substitute for Lando, having started season preparations in the BRDC car earlier this year. We know he has excellent pace and I’ve no doubt he’ll be a great asset to the team this weekend at Brands Hatch.”
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