Chinese Ferrari protege closes on F3 deal

Chinese Ferrari protege Guan Yu Zhou is looking increasingly likely to graduate to the Formula 3 European Championship in 2016. The 16-year-old took runner-up in this year's Italian Formula 4 Championship with Prema Powerteam and has already tested with the team's F3 squad as well as that of Van Amersfoort Racing.

Zhou is testing with Motopark at Barcelona on Thursday and Friday this week alongside Macau Grand Prix fastest-lap setter Sergio Sette Camara, German F4 runner-up Joel Eriksson and SMP F4 champion Niko Kari.

"For sure we're interested," Motopark boss Timo Rumpfkeil said of Zhou. "He's the first Chinese driver really to produce good results in Europe and it was quite an impressive rookie campaign.

"I didn't have him on the radar at all from karting, but as well as finishing second in Italian F4 he was very competitive whenever he raced in German F4 [in which Motopark also competes]."

Joining Motopark at Barcelona this week are Hitech Grand Prix with George Russell, Callum Ilott and Nikita Mazepin, as well as Mucke Motorsport, which is running its Russian F4 ace Robert Shwartzman and will test 15-year-old German F4 racer David Beckmann on Friday.

Beckmann has also been one of a group of drivers testing at Silverstone this week, where he joined Carlin's lineup.

Also out with Carlin have been America's Ryan Tveter, who spent his rookie F3 campaign with Carlin this year, Alessio Lorandi, who raced with Van Amersfoort Racing this season, and Raoul Hyman, who drove for Team West-Tec in 2015.

Fresh from their top-10 finish together in Macau, Arjun Maini and T-Sport have been testing at Silverstone with the new Tomei engine.

Fortec Motorsport has also been in action at Silverstone, running its Croatian Formula Renault 2.0 driver Martin Kodric.

Originally on Autosport.com