Australian Tommy Smith joins FIA Formula 3 Championship™ in 2023
Friday, 23 December 2022
The Melburnian joins Van Amersfoort Racing.
Van Amersfoort Racing has made their first signing of the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship™ season, signing Australian Tommy Smith to the Dutch team.
The Melburnian made his single-seater career debut in New Zealand’s Formula 1600 Championship in 2017, where he was able to secure a podium finish.
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In 2018, Smith progressed into the Australian F4 Championship, finishing eighth and seventh in the standings. 2019 saw Smith join the 2019 Toyota Racing Series and the F3 Asian Championship.
After a brief appearance in the GB3 Championships in 2021, Smith would complete an entire season in the same series in 2022. He achieved 18 points-scoring finishes in 24 races, with one victory and another podium finish.
The 20-year-old will now turn his attention to the FIA Formula 3 Championships™.
“I am absolutely thrilled about this opportunity. Having raced in both FRECA and GB3 championships, stepping up to the FIA F3 feels like the right next move,” Smith said.
“I’m certainly aware that it will be a challenging season in which I will have to learn and adapt continuously, but I am convinced I am taking on this challenge with the right team.”
“VAR’s achievements already in their first year competing in FIA F3 are a clear indicator of their level of commitment, and I look very much forward to get started with them and the championship!”
For the first time in the series' history, Formula 3® will race in Melbourne as part of the FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2023. In only his second round, Smith will debut at his hometown track, the Albert Park Grand Prix™ circuit, in front of his family and friends.
Van Amersfoort CEO Rob Niessink added: “We are excited to have Tommy as part of our driver line-up. He is new to the FIA F3 Championship, but Tommy’s time spent in FRECA and GB3 will certainly help him to pick up quickly.
“Tommy is very eager to learn and quickly book progress. He showed this positive attitude already in the past and that will help both Tommy and the crew to jumpstart the season. We look very much forward to supporting him in this important next step of his career!”
Tommy Smith will join fellow countryman Christian Mansell on track for the first time in Australia, on Friday, 31 March 2023, in Melbourne, with tickets for Friday still available.
