Felix Rosenqvist will undertake a renewed attack on the FIA F3 European Championship title, having signed a deal to join multiple and reigning champions Prema Powerteam for the 2015 campaign.
23-year-old Rosenqvist finished second overall in the FIA F3 European Championship in 2013, and claimed victory in two of the category’s most prestigious events – the Grand Prix de Pau and Macau Grand Prix street races – in 2014.
Rosenqvist’s team-mates at Prema Powerteam will be Frenchman Brandon Maisano, Britain’s Jake Dennis and Canadian Lance Stroll.
“I am highly excited about what I view as a new phase of my career,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “Prema have been the undisputed pace-setters in F3 for as long as I’ve been around. They have won every title since 2011, and now – having visited their facilities in Italy – I really understand why. They are operating at their own level, and I am thrilled to join them at a time when the FIA F3 European Championship is arguably stronger than ever before. The European Championship title is the one thing I’ve got left to win in Formula 3, so I head into this season with a very clear target.”
Formed in 1983, Prema Powerteam have achieved outstanding results throughout the ranks of junior single-seater racing, winning over 20 international titles and a staggering 50 % of all FIA F3 European Championship races since the series was reintroduced in 2012.
“Being able to rely on Felix Rosenqvist for our 2015 FIA F3 European Championship campaign is a great honour,” says team principal René Rosin. “There is something symbolic in all of this. Over the last four years, this quick yet friendly young man has been one of our toughest and most fierce rivals; now, finally, we have got him in one of our cars! Needless to say, for all our drivers and team staff, including the management, the engineers and the mechanics, his experience will be a priceless benchmark in the chase for our fifth consecutive title.”
Ex-Formula 1 driver Stefan Johansson, who acts as an advisor to Rosenqvist, is similarly pleased with what 2015 has in hand.
“Felix has had a number of offers to consider this winter, including several in other single-seater series,” says Johansson. “Looking at his long-term career, however, I am convinced that this is the right way forward. He will get a lot of driving under his belt this year, he will race for the best team in probably the most popular championship of all below F1, and he will strengthen his ties with Mercedes. It is a very positive setup that is in line with his ambitions both now and for the future.”
The 2015 FIA F3 European Championship kicks off at Silverstone in the UK on April 10-12. A further announcement regarding Felix Rosenqvist’s 2015 commitments, not relating to Formula 3, will be made at a later stage.