Australian teenager Alex Peroni will be racing in this year’s 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship campaign after signing with European team Campos Racing. 

Peroni signed with the Spanish team after an impressive three-day test late last year in Abu Dhabi. 

The 19-year-old will now compete in all eight rounds of the new official Formula 1 support category, with the races to put Peroni directly in front of the Formula 1 teams’ talent scouts. 

Following his quick decision to sign with Campos, Peroni was thrilled to be able to make it one step closer to being the next Australian and first Tasmanian to race at Formula 1 level. 

“I felt comfortable immediately with the Campos team in Abu Dhabi,” Peroni said.

“They did everything they could to help me, and good lap times came very quickly. I was very impressed with how hard they worked, and from that moment I wanted an opportunity to drive with Campos in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

“I’m very happy that we have reached an agreement.”

While competing in the new series will be the biggest positive about signing with the already successful GP3 and GP2 team, the Tasmanian will now gain special access to the Campos’ successful academy.

Being part of the academy will allow Peroni to receive physical and psychological training, driver coaching and extensive access to the team’s simulator, training Peroni felt he needed following Abu Dhabi.

“The Abu Dhabi test showed me that the GP3 car was a big step up in performance over the Formula Renault,” Peroni added. 

“It didn’t take long to get used to the nearly double engine power, but the extra aerodynamic downforce made the car more demanding physically on high and medium-speed corners.

“Since Abu Dhabi I’ve been doing additional daily training to ensure I’m fit enough to drive at 100 per cent from start to finish in the FIA Formula 3 Championship races, which are longer than the Eurocup ones.

“I’m very excited to be joining Campos Racing this season. The team has won races in GP3 and GP2, so I’m confident of having the equipment and technical support to fight for good results throughout the season.

“The fact that this year, all FIA Formula 3 Championship teams have to use a new chassis and a slightly different engine tune will give rookies like me a better chance than usual against the drivers with prior GP3 experience.”

For ex Formula 1 driver and team principal, Adrian Campos, the decision to sign the Tasmanian after an impressive three days of testing was an easy one. 

“Alex showed some impressive performances in Formula Renault last year,” Campos explained.

“We believe that he has great prospects, and with the right preparation from Campos Racing he will reach his full potential.

“We were very pleasantly surprised in the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi, getting a quick adaptation and achieving competitive lap times. We expect him to continue his progression, and Campos Racing will put everything at his disposal to grow together.”

The FIA Formula 3 Championship will have three pre-season tests in Spain, France and Hungary before the first official round on 10-12 May in Barcelona.