F3: ART to return via Hitech link

Single-seater powerhouse ART Grand Prix is returning to Formula 3 through the back door via a link-up between its sister company and new team Hitech Grand Prix.

Engineering company AOTech, jointly founded by ART boss Frederic Vasseur and OAK Racing LMP chief Jacques Nicolet, will provide substantial engineering support to Hitech, which will run a three-car team of Dallara-Mercedes in next season's F3 European Championship.

"We are collaborating in three areas," AOTech director Guillaume le Goff said. "We are doing work on our simulator in France; we are collaborating also on aero, on-track and off-track, with also a lot of CFD work; and also there will be some on-track engineering consulting – we have had two race engineers going with the team to tests since September."

ART won six consecutive titles in the old F3 Euro Series from 2004-09, including in its former guise of ASM, before pulling out of the category at the end of 2010, when it fielded Williams Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas (ABOVE), Alexander Sims and Jim Pla. It is understood that Hitech's deal with AOTech is for two years, with an option of a third.

The relationship between the parties goes back to Hitech boss David Hayle's earlier team, Hitech Racing, which he established for 2003 with cars bought from Vasseur's French F3 title-winning ASM squad. Hitech GP has further strengthened its engineering force by recruiting former Prema Powerteam technical director John McGill.

Anglo-Dutchman McGill, formerly at the BAR, Benetton/Renault and Toro Rosso F1 teams, voluntarily stepped back into a straight engineering role at Prema for 2015, when he ran Jake Dennis to third in the championship. He started with Hitech at the beginning of November, so missed the Macau Grand Prix.

"John wanted a new challenge and saw us as that, and we wanted someone with as much experience as we could get," Hayle said. "Thankfully for us, he decided he'd like to give it a go!"

Hitech continues its testing program at Barcelona this week. Euro F3 race winner George Russell and Formula Renault NEC graduate Nikita Mazepin, both of whom look likely to join the team for 2016, are joined by Callum Ilott, who like Russell has raced for Carlin this season.

Originally on Autosport.com