Ilott switches to VAR for 2016 Euro F3

British teenager Callum Ilott has joined Van Amersfoort Racing for his second season in the Formula 3 European Championship. The 17-year-old makes the switch from Carlin after finishing 12th last year in what was his first season of car racing.

Ilott has completed several days of testing over the autumn with the Dutch VAR squad, which has made the switch from Volkswagen to Mercedes power for 2016.

Although Ilott had a disastrous end to the 2015 season at the Macau Grand Prix, crashing four times over the course of the event, he was the only driver to be a classified finisher in all 33 European F3 races. He scored one podium finish at the Nurburgring, but has been dropped from the Red Bull Junior program. Even so, team boss Frits van Amersfoort always had Ilott as a target for 2016.

"Callum was on our radar from the very first pre-season test last year," he said. "The transition from go-karts to single-seaters worked very well for him, despite his young age.

"During the first test with us in early November Callum already showed true racing spirit – our main goal will be to help him in his ambition to be a frontrunner during his second season in auto sport."

Ilott is the second driver to be confirmed in VAR's F3 lineup for 2016, alongside two-time Brazilian F3 champion Pedro Piquet. Harrison Newey, son of Red Bull technical chief Adrian, is strongly tipped for a seat, while VAR is planning to expand to four cars.

Mercedes-backed Mikkel Jensen, 2015 VAR driver Alessio Lorandi, Raoul Hyman and Racing Steps-backed Ben Barnicoat are all understood to still be on the market.

Originally on Autosport.com