Peroni back in the race

YOUNG gun race car driver Alex Peroni is back behind the wheel and will return to the Formula 3 Championship just five months after a horror crash left him in a back brace.

The 20-year-old Tasmanian’s extraordinary comeback will be complete in late March when he returns to racing in Bahrain. Peroni has signed a new one-year deal with Campos racing team and has been secretly training in Spain.

TASMANIA’S Formula 1 hopeful Alex Peroni will return to the Formula 3 Championship next month.

Just five months after a horror crash in the Italian Grand Prix that left him in a full back brace for three months, it was announced overnight the 20year-old has signed a one-year contract extension with the Campos racing team.

It had been feared the dramatic crash – after his car clipped the sausage kerbing at Monza and sent him somersaulting through the air – would be the end of his racing dream. He also needed to fundraise $1.5 million to be able to race again this season.

But a Get Alex Back on Track fundraising drive over summer saw Tasmanians contribute two-thirds of the amount he needed, his dad and manager Piero Peroni told the Mercury.

“It’s thanks to the generosity of Tasmanians that Alex is out on the racetrack again,” Piero said.

Alex has been testing anonymously in Spain in recent weeks to prepare for the upcoming season – wearing a plain black helmet so nobody would recognise him.

Alex said a difficult 2019 taught him valuable lessons he plans to put into action this season.

“I have unfinished business and I’m very keen to get started,” he said.

Piero said they had decided to re-sign with Campos because over the European winter the team had strengthened its engineering capability.

He said Alex needed to finish in the top six through the season to stand a realistic chance of a gig in Formula 2 next year — to open the pathway to Formula 1.

“Alex was immediately quick and at ease behind the wheel,” Piero said.

“Alex is feeling better than ever. His back is fine and at no stage did it impact on his driving.”

Piero said team owner Adrián Campos told him he was shocked that after only a month of training Alex was physically able to complete two long race simulations.

“I think Alex even surprised himself,” Piero said.

“It shows that he was extraordinarily fit at the time of the accident.”

Alex has moved into a flat in Valencia close to a train station so he can get to the Campos workshop and gym every day by train and then electric scooter.

His first race is in late March in Bahrain.

The fundraising has already started for next season, which is expected to cost Alex about $3 million if he moves to Formula 2.