Those following my career closely may have noticed that last Friday there was a stunning announcement that the Formula European Masters series would not be continuing for 2019, ending what has been widely regarded as the strongest feeder competitions to F1 stretching back to its beginnings in 2003.
Whilst I am not going to comment on that situation, what immediately became apparent was the amazing pro-activity and action of Fortec Motorsport, Mick Kouros and my support team to move quickly to ensure that my progression was in no way compromised. This allowed me to 100% focus on that which is in my control which in the past week which has been my physical training.
Yesterday we announced that we would be competing in the Euroformula Open Championship which I am very pleased about. This is an exceptional Championship, and is shaping up to be even stronger than it was last year. 8 of the 9 rounds are held at Formula 1 circuits, and many of them the most iconic and challenging on the F1 calendar. Circuits include Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Silverstone, Barcelona and the Hungaroring to name a few. For the first time in a couple of seasons, I will be going into the races with good experience at all but 2 of the circuits and have really strong experience on the Michelin tyre. This is critical in particular for qualifying, so it is a real plus having raced on it not only all of last year in Europe, but also throughout the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand.
So both myself and the team feel confident and prepared to challenge for strong results!
We will soon be continuing pre-season testing in the car, and I am hugely excited about Round 1 at Circuit Paul Ricard on France kicking off on April 25.
