Alpine quintet aim for peaks
Alpine has unveiled a slimmed-down and renamed Alpine Academy, from which five drivers will compete in the Formula 1supporting FIA Formula 2 and F3 championships this season.
Former Renault F1 Juniors Guanyu Zhou and Christian Lundgaard will remain with Virtuosi and ART Grand Prix respectively as they tackle another season of F2, while reigning FIA F3 champion Oscar Piastri’s graduation with Prema Racing to F2 had already been confirmed.
In F3, 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup champion Victor Martins returns to the Renault/alpine fold after a year out, and is joined by the man he beat to last year’s Renault title, Caio Collet. As predicted last week in Autosport, the duo will line up for Dutch team MP Motorsport.
Max Fewtrell, who abandoned his 2020 FIA F3 campaign mid-season, and Hadrien David, who raced in Frenault last year as the 2019 French F4 champion, are no longer part of the scheme. Fewtrell’s plans for
2021 are still undecided.
Alpine Academy director Mia Sharizman said: “For Zhou it’s his third year in the series and it’s time for him to combine his experience and potential to win the title.
We also have high expectations for Christian who can challenge for the title this year, having shown us all glimpses of his potential last season.”
The confirmations of highly rated Frenchman Martins and Nicolas Todtmanaged Brazilian Collet are among a flood of recent FIA F3 announcements. Alongside them at MP will be yet another Frenault graduate, Dutchman Tijmen van der Helm.
Red Bull-backed Jack Doohan, son of bike legend Mick, switches to Trident after a poor rookie season in the series with HWA Racelab. He will be joined at the Italian squad by Clement Novalak. The Frenchman switches from Carlin, where he won the
2019 British F3 title and scored two podiums in his maiden FIA F3 season.
Carlin, meanwhile, has its second driver on board to join Red Bull Junior and reigning German F4 champion Jonny Edgar. The British team will field Israeli Ido Cohen, who makes the step up after representing the team in Euroformula Open last year. That leaves just six of the FIA F3 seats to fill.