P1 Motorsport has announced a rookie pairing of British Formula 3 championship runner-up Walter Grubmuller and 2009 Le Mans Series title-winner Jan Charouz for the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 championship.

For the past three years, 22-year-old Charouz has focused his efforts on sportscar racing in the LMP1 class of the LMS. Prior to this, the Czech driver also found success in single-seater racing, winning the 2006 F3000 International Masters series.

Charouz acquainted himself with Formula Renault 3.5 machinery by sampling RC Motorsport’s car during testing at Motorland Aragon and Barcelona at the conclusion of the 2009 season.

“We don’t think the tests Jan did were representative of his ability,” P1 Motorsport team boss Roly Vincini told AUTOSPORT. “He was about a second off, but he thinks, and we feel, there is much more to come.”

Speaking about his upcoming season, Charouz said: “P1 Motorsport is an excellent team and very professional – I’m looking forward to the experience I will gain in the World Series by Renault. I hope to get accustomed to single-seater racing again, so that I can achieve some good results in 2010.”

Austrian Grubmuller joins the team after a competitive third season in British F3, during which P1 Motorsport assisted with the development of the 20-year-old’s Hitech Dallara.

“This marks a new stage and challenge in my career, as I believe the World Series by Renault is the best feeder series to F1, having produced drivers such as [Sebastian] Vettel and [Robert] Kubica,” said Grubmuller.

Vincini added: “With Walter, we considered pairing him with an experienced World Series winner to help him develop, but what’s the point? At some time he has to stand on his own two feet.

“If he can drive the way he did in Formula 3 at Oulton Park last year, I’m sure he will do a good job.

“While we will be targeting podium finishes for both drivers, as the season progresses we can hopefully begin to compete for race wins.”

P1 Motorsport lifted the 2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series title with current GP2 racer Giedo van der Garde. A 2009 title assault with James Walker was disrupted by a fire that gutted the team’s Snetterton premises. P1 has now settled at Hethel Engineering Centre in Norfolk, expanding its operation from one unit to three over the winter.

Federico Leo will remain with Formula Renault 3.5 team Pons Racing for a second season in 2010.

The 21-year-old Italian struggled during his debut season in 2009 but scored his first points in the Aragon finale.

“I’m very pleased that I’m continuing with such a high-calibre team in World Series,” he said.” I expect my improvement to continue and hope that by growing as a driver I will be able to obtain some good results.

“I found last season to be very positive and this year I want to deliver on my potential.”

Although Pons won four Formula Renault 3.5 races last season with Spaniard Marcos Martinez, the inaugural year of FR3.5, in 2005, when Adrian Valles finished runner-up to Robert Kubica, remains the Spanish outfit’s strongest showing.

Team boss Sito Pons expressed his conviction that Leo has all necessary attributes for a competitive season.

“Federico is a very intelligent young driver, who has shown constant progress,” said Pons. “I am convinced that this year he will make a leap in quality and confirm our faith in him.”

The 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 season gets underway at Motorland Aragon on April 17-18.

Recently created Formula Renault 3.5 team KMP Racing has confirmed that Anton Nebylitskiy will be one of its drivers for its debut season.

Russian travel company KMP Group, and Russia’s largest nickel and palladium (platinum) producer Norilsk Nickel, have backed Nebylitskiy from his debut in the series with Comtec in 2009.

The relationship lasted just two rounds, prior to KMP purchasing cars from the mothballed Belgian team KTR and appointing Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Formula 3 team SG Formula to field Nebylitskiy from the Monaco meeting in May onwards. Nebylitskiy completed the season with a solitary point to his credit, the team’s highpoint coming at Portimao in August where Guillaume Moreau mounted the podium.

With KMP and SG Formula parting company over the close season, KMP has now acquired two cars from Ultimate Motorsport.

French racer Bruno Besson, who acted as Nebylitskiy’s racing advisor in 2009, will head the new operation, while former Tech 1 Racing engineer Francois Gagneux has also been recruited.

“We have bought two cars from Ultimate Motorsport, one of their British F3 trucks and some of their spare parts,” Gagneux told AUTOSPORT.

“Even if the team is Russian, the workshop will be located in the south-west of France for logistical reasons. The team’s two race engineers are French and it’s also a rather good location given the numerous travel to Spain imposed by the championship.

“We are still evaluating different facilities for our workshop, which we hope to have sorted in the next two weeks.”

Negotiations with drivers for the team’s second seat are understood to be ongoing, with the intention of being finalised by the end of the month.

Recently created Formula Renault 3.5 team KMP Racing has confirmed that Anton Nebylitskiy will be one of its drivers for its debut season.

Russian travel company KMP Group, and Russia’s largest nickel and palladium (platinum) producer Norilsk Nickel, have backed Nebylitskiy from his debut in the series with Comtec in 2009.

The relationship lasted just two rounds, prior to KMP purchasing cars from the mothballed Belgian team KTR and appointing Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Formula 3 team SG Formula to field Nebylitskiy from the Monaco meeting in May onwards. Nebylitskiy completed the season with a solitary point to his credit, the team’s highpoint coming at Portimao in August where Guillaume Moreau mounted the podium.

With KMP and SG Formula parting company over the close season, KMP has now acquired two cars from Ultimate Motorsport.

French racer Bruno Besson, who acted as Nebylitskiy’s racing advisor in 2009, will head the new operation, while former Tech 1 Racing engineer Francois Gagneux has also been recruited.

“We have bought two cars from Ultimate Motorsport, one of their British F3 trucks and some of their spare parts,” Gagneux told AUTOSPORT.

“Even if the team is Russian, the workshop will be located in the south-west of France for logistical reasons. The team’s two race engineers are French and it’s also a rather good location given the numerous travel to Spain imposed by the championship.

“We are still evaluating different facilities for our workshop, which we hope to have sorted in the next two weeks.”

Negotiations with drivers for the team’s second seat are understood to be ongoing, with the intention of being finalised by the end of the month.

Prema Powerteam will withdraw from Formula Renault 3.5 next year, it’s entry slot and equipment has been taken by Fortec Motosport.

Prema finished last in the teams’ classification this year and will focus on the F3 Euro Series and Italian F3 in 2010.

“The European junior open-wheel racing scene is changing these days and Prema is called to refocus and optimise its resources for the future,” said Prema team manager Rene Rosin.

“For this reason, we’re ending operations in Formula Renault 3.5 and concentrating on the F3 championships that we’ve been involved in over the last 20 years. Our stint in the World Series has been great and we leave with several trophies won and some valuable memories.”

British team Fortec ran cars under the Mofaz Fortec banner this year, after a pre-season buy-out of its Formula Renault 3.5 arm by Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy.

Mofaz has recently sought to increase its independence by moving into the former Ultmate Motorsport premises and renaming the team Mofaz Racing prior to the final round at Motorland Aragon.

Fortec’s Jamie Dye, who returned to the team this season following a stint at Red Bull’s Formula 1 operation, has been promoted to team manager.

Team boss Trevor Carlin believes junior-level single-seater racing is in good health, in spite of the affects of the global economic downturn.

Another championship will be added to the catalogue of sub Formula 1 series next year with the introduction of GP3, but Carlin denies that so many categories are diluting the talent pool.

“It’s difficult to a certain extent for everyone at the moment, but that’s largely due to the financial climate and the lack of driver sponsorship,” said the GP3, Formula Renault 3.5 and British F3 team boss.

“The championships that exist all offer something different, and with the emergence of young drivers in F1 over the last 12 months or so, the link to the lower formulas has become stronger.

“That can only be good for general motorsport. I think people are beginning to see the importance of the various feeder championships and drivers are seeing what is possible.”

Carlin has pulled his team out of the F3 Euro Series, but is confident that it can challenge for victory in its three remaining series.

“We believe that all our teams offer a great package and a great opportunity to drivers across a broad spectrum,” he said. “I have no doubt that we will be producing a car capable of winning races in all the championships we compete in next year – British F3, Formula Renault 3.5 and GP3.”

Omar Julian Leal will complete the Draco team’s line-up for the 2010 season in the Formula Renault 3.5 championship.

The 19-year-old will partner French Formula Renault 2.0 graduate Nathanael Berthon in the team next year.

“I am really very happy to have received from Draco the opportunity to compete with them next season WSR and I thank Adriano and Nadia Morini for this occasion,” said Leal, who raced in the series with the Prema team in 2009.

“They deservedly won the Championship and I am in my second year in this category so I want to capitalize on the experience I gathered in this season and at the same time I will use all the weapons that a team like Draco can offer me.

“I am very motivated and I will give my best to achieve the aims I have set, I point in all the races for the positions that really matter.

“After my first season in a well fought and professional category as the WSR and waiting for the new one, I thank first of all my father and my entire family to their support, my manager and especially my sponsors without whom none of this would be possible.

“Finally, once again my new team because it is an honor for me to be a Draco Driver. I hope to repay their expectations.”

Draco Racing has confirmed that French Formula Renault 2.0 graduate Nathanael Berthon will lead the defence of its Formula 3.5 drivers’ and teams’ championships in 2010.

Berthon, who finished sixth in this year’s Formula Renault Eurocup and third in the West European Cup, impressed during extensive FR3.5 testing at Motorland Aragon in October and at Barcelona last month.

Draco team manager Nadia Morini commented: “It was a hard choice, because almost all the drivers that we tested were having their first experience of Renault World Series.

“After the test with Berthon, we knew immediately that he has the qualities that we were searching for and require. We are very pleased to have taken this decision, we will now test at the Cartagena circuit in Spain on December 3rd, before preparing ourselves for the test sessions in January.”

Berthon achieved a lone victory in two year’s of Eurocup competition, following the disqualification of Epsilon Euskadi team-mate Albert Costa in this season’s opener at Barcelona.

A more successful campaign was forged in the West European Cup, where Berthon scored two wins and a pole.

The results were sufficient to earn a prize FR3.5 test with Tech 1 Racing at Motorland. Prior to signing with Draco, Berthon shined in KMP Group/SG Formula’s machinery at the final collective test in Barcelona, where he finishing fourth quickest on November 4th.

“I am really very happy to take part in World Series by Renault 3.5 with the Draco team, and I will surely do my best next season,” said Berthon. Of course, the goal is always to win the championship and with Draco everything is possible!”

Daniel Ricciardo celebrated signing for Tech 1 late last week by topping the final day of Formula Renault 3.5 testing at Barcelona.

The 20-year-old Australian recorded the best time of the two days in 1m33.574s during the morning session at the Spanish circuit – fresh tyres helping him to improve his time by half a second on what he had managed on worn rubber.

He was on a flyer late in the afternoon session as well, but spins for Carlin’s Sergey Afanasiev and Prema’s Sten Pentus brought out the red flags and forced an early end to the day’s proceedings.

“I think we could have improved at the end of the session, but the red flag caught us all out,” said the reigning British Formula 3 champion.

Formula Renault Eurocup champion Albert Costa was second quickest for Epsilon Euskadi, albeit six tenths of a second adrift of Ricciardo, while afternoon pace-setter Daniel Zampieri was third for Comtec.

The impressive Nathanael Berthon and Britain’s James Walker were next up for SG and P1.

Day one pace-setter Jean-Eric Vergne was a comfortable sixth in the second SG car while Formula Master graduate Alessandro Kouzkin put an Interwetten car higher than it has been in any of the post-season tests in seventh.

Pos Driver                  Team               Time       Laps

 1. Daniel Ricciardo        Tech 1             1m33.574s    74

 2. Albert Costa            Epsilon Euskadi    1m34.157s    61

 3. Daniel Zampieri         Comtec             1m34.340s    45

 4. Nathanael Berthon       SG                 1m34.355s    56

 5. James Walker            P1                 1m34.690s    72

 6. Jean-Eric Vergne        SG                 1m34.727s    53

 7. Greg Mansell            Mofaz              1m34.846s    92

 8. Alessandro Kouzkin      Interwetten        1m34.886s    80

 9. Nelson Panciatici       Pons               1m34.906s    67

10. Walter Grubmuller       P1                 1m34.965s    56

11. Filip Salaquarda        RC                 1m35.019s    59

12. Keisuke Kunimoto        Epsilon Euskadi    1m35.026s    79

13. Brendon Hartley         Tech 1             1m35.031s    56

14. Anton Nebilitskiy       RC                 1m35.520s    80

15. Julian Leal             Prema              1m35.579s    63

16. Victor Garcia           Draco              1m35.631s    73

17. Federico Leo            Mofaz              1m35.728s    91

18. Pierre Combot           Comtec             1m35.867s    76

19. Sergey Afanasiev        Carlin             1m35.910s    33

20. Francesco Castellacci   Draco              1m35.924s    78

21. Michele Faccin          Pons               1m35.949s    73

22. Sten Pentus             Prema              1m36.810s    62

23. Marguerite Laffite      Interwetten        1m42.063s    65

24. Jake Rosenzweig         Carlin             No time

Daniel Ricciardo celebrated signing for Tech 1 late last week by topping the final day of Formula Renault 3.5 testing at Barcelona.

The 20-year-old Australian recorded the best time of the two days in 1m33.574s during the morning session at the Spanish circuit – fresh tyres helping him to improve his time by half a second on what he had managed on worn rubber.

He was on a flyer late in the afternoon session as well, but spins for Carlin’s Sergey Afanasiev and Prema’s Sten Pentus brought out the red flags and forced an early end to the day’s proceedings.

“I think we could have improved at the end of the session, but the red flag caught us all out,” said the reigning British Formula 3 champion.

Formula Renault Eurocup champion Albert Costa was second quickest for Epsilon Euskadi, albeit six tenths of a second adrift of Ricciardo, while afternoon pace-setter Daniel Zampieri was third for Comtec.

The impressive Nathanael Berthon and Britain’s James Walker were next up for SG and P1.

Day one pace-setter Jean-Eric Vergne was a comfortable sixth in the second SG car while Formula Master graduate Alessandro Kouzkin put an Interwetten car higher than it has been in any of the post-season tests in seventh.

Pos Driver                  Team               Time       Laps

 1. Daniel Ricciardo        Tech 1             1m33.574s    74

 2. Albert Costa            Epsilon Euskadi    1m34.157s    61

 3. Daniel Zampieri         Comtec             1m34.340s    45

 4. Nathanael Berthon       SG                 1m34.355s    56

 5. James Walker            P1                 1m34.690s    72

 6. Jean-Eric Vergne        SG                 1m34.727s    53

 7. Greg Mansell            Mofaz              1m34.846s    92

 8. Alessandro Kouzkin      Interwetten        1m34.886s    80

 9. Nelson Panciatici       Pons               1m34.906s    67

10. Walter Grubmuller       P1                 1m34.965s    56

11. Filip Salaquarda        RC                 1m35.019s    59

12. Keisuke Kunimoto        Epsilon Euskadi    1m35.026s    79

13. Brendon Hartley         Tech 1             1m35.031s    56

14. Anton Nebilitskiy       RC                 1m35.520s    80

15. Julian Leal             Prema              1m35.579s    63

16. Victor Garcia           Draco              1m35.631s    73

17. Federico Leo            Mofaz              1m35.728s    91

18. Pierre Combot           Comtec             1m35.867s    76

19. Sergey Afanasiev        Carlin             1m35.910s    33

20. Francesco Castellacci   Draco              1m35.924s    78

21. Michele Faccin          Pons               1m35.949s    73

22. Sten Pentus             Prema              1m36.810s    62

23. Marguerite Laffite      Interwetten        1m42.063s    65

24. Jake Rosenzweig         Carlin             No time