Brazilian GT Sport world champion Igor Fraga may currently be leading the Toyota Racing Series, but already his eyes are on the next stage of his motorsport career. This summer he’ll move up to his highest level of competition yet, in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
Fraga’s no stranger to F3 cars. Both the TRS and the Formula Regional European Championship, in which he placed third last year, are F3 championships, using F3-grade cars. However FIA F3 is top of the pile as the only fully international F3 championship, shadowing Formula One as it flies around the world.
The FIA F3 car is also a slightly different animal. In TRS, the competitors use a Tatuus FT-60 F3 chassis, with a 270hp, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. For F3 that’s a 3.4-liter, naturally aspirated V6 good for some 380hp, packed into a Dallara F3 chassis. There’s a small weight difference, but the FIA F3 car is putting down 250hp/ton compared to the TRS’s 160hp/ton.
Fraga will join the experienced Charouz Racing System team, which raced last year under the Sauber Junior Team banner. The Czech outfit runs F3 and F2 cars, and former drivers include ex-F1 driver and Le Mans champion Brendon Hartley.
Charouz will field a three-man team in the 2020 FIA F3 Championship, including a Schumacher. David Schumacher, son of ex-F1 driver Ralf and nephew to Michael, finished one spot behind Fraga in the 2019 Formula Regional European Championship, winning four races. Experienced GP3/F3 and F2 driver Niko Kari takes the third spot.
The racing starts at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 21, and the season will support F1 across nine races until its climax in Russia on September 27.
Thanks to Nismonath5 for the featured image!
See more articles on Formula 3 and Igor Fraga.
