Euro F3 deal for 15-year-old German

Fifteen-year-old German David Beckmann is to step up to the Formula 3 European Championship in 2016.

Beckmann, who beat Mick Schumacher to the 2014 German Junior Karting title, is to race for Mucke Motorsport, with which he competed in Formula 4 this season. He announced the news on his facebook page on Friday evening, adding that he has achieved Red Bull Athlete status.

Because he does not celebrate his 16th birthday until late April, Beckmann will have to miss the first two rounds as he will be too young to compete in F3. His debut will therefore come on the streets of Pau in mid-May,

Similarly, Beckmann had to miss the first round of German F4 in 2015 but went on to finish fifth in the standings with one win. He also competed in Italian F4, which began after his 15th birthday, and claimed fourth in the championship with three victories.

Beckmann – who is part of the same Infinity management stable as British F3 ace George Russell – has had an intensive testing program with Mucke's Mercedes-powered F3 team over the autumn and winter, and also had a run with Carlin.

Most of his F3 testing with Mucke has been alongside Russian Robert Shwartzman, his teammate from F4, while Hong Kong driver Matt Solomon has also been part of the Berlin squad's test lineup, most recently at the Algarve Circuit on Thursday and Friday of this week.

Originally on Autosport.com