Christian Mansell has been rewarded for his good form in the 2022 EuroFormula Open Championship season with a two-round deal in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

The 17-year-old will contest the third tier of the FIA’s single-seater ladder with Czech outfit Charouz Racing System and will debut at the Hungaroring this weekend, before completing another round at Spa late next month.

While Mansell will unlikely be in the running for outright wins, the New South Welshman will benefit greatly from the experience as he gets behind the wheel of the Dallara FIA Formula 3 car and uses the Drag Reduction System (DRS) for the first time.

The deal will also see him race on the biggest stage of all, with the FIA Formula 3 Championship a regular support category for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Having already enjoyed success at both Hungaroring and Spa earlier this year, Mansell was thrilled to be given the opportunity of racing in the category at familiar circuits.   
 
“I’m super excited to be joining FIA Formula 3 with Charouz Racing System,” Mansell said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to pit myself against an incredibly talented grid of drivers and get my name out there racing on the Formula 1 weekends.

“It will be my first time in the car so there will be a lot to learn from the start, but I like both circuits so will be able to hit the ground running with those.

“I’m mega excited and can’t wait to get started this weekend in Hungary.”

Charouz Racing System Team Owner, Antonín Charouz was pleased to give Mansell his F3 debut.

“I’m really happy to welcome Christian in the team and I’m looking forward to see him in the car,” Charouz said.

“He’ll need all of our support to get confident with a single-seater different from the ones he already raced with, but I’m confident that it will happen very naturally and very quickly given how talented he is.

“The fact that he already had experiences at both Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps is definitely an optimum starting point for his debut.

“The team and I are really excited to have him on board, I’m sure that he’s excited too and he’ll show everybody what he’s capable of.”

In making his F3 debut this weekend, Mansell becomes the fifth Australian to compete in the championship since its inauguration in 2019, joining the likes of 2020 champion Oscar Piastri and 2021 runner-up Jack Doohan.

Following on from his exciting two-round F3 tour, Mansell will return to the EuroFormula Open Championship where he currently sits second on the standings.

The FIA Formula 3 Championship takes place at the Hungaroring on 29-31 July before resuming at Spa-Francorchamps on 26-28 August.