Russian driver Alexander Smolyar has joined forces with MP Motorsport for a fresh season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The experienced Formula 3 frontrunner is the first of three drivers to team up with the Dutch outfit’s F3 squad, with more announcements to follow soon.
Smolyar joins MP after a successful FIA F3 season that delivered the 20-year-old from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk two wins, four podiums, and two fastest laps, and will now remain in the series with the aim of improving on the strong results he has already gained in the category.
“I’m delighted to team up with MP Motorsport for another season in FIA F3”, said Smolyar. “Last year, I fought many duels with MP’s cars as they challenged for the podium finishes that I was aiming to achieve as well, and now we’re together, hoping to take as many wins as we possibly can. We’ll be preparing ourselves to the maximum before we hit the road for testing and the first round in Bahrain.”
“It’s great news that Alex and SMP Racing have put their faith in MP for this year’s FIA F3 Championship”, said MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman. “Alex is arguably one of the best drivers to stay in the category for another season, and his vast knowledge of the car and the circuits will serve us well as we look forward to a strong season.”
From a highly successful karting career in which he lined up on pole for his final CIK-FIA World Championship appearance in 2016, Smolyar made his single-seater debut in 2017, battling with the MP Motorsport cars in the Spanish F4 Championship to end up second in the final standings with eight wins, 15 podiums, and four pole positions. The Russian immediately graduated to the Formula Renault Eurocup, where a two-year campaign handed him third in the 2019 standings with three wins, ten podiums, and a pole. Smolyar has been in FIA F3 since 2020, taking 11th in the championship in his debut season before taking sixth in the standings in last year’s campaign.
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