Shanghai—The brand new Tatuus F.3 T-318 was put through its paces for the first time at a closed shakedown held at Italy’s Vairano Circuit last week. The shakedown comes ahead of further runs for the car in the coming days to which the 10 teams competing in the inaugural F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA are invited to attend.
The shakedown of the 270hp, Autotecnica Motori Alfa Romeo-powered car took to the track for the first time ever on June 14-15 and was hailed as a success by championship organizers. Commented Top Speed General Manager Davide De Gobbi: “Over the two-day test, the new car ran about 700 km without any issues and showed good reliability, despite this being its first time out on track. Tatuus and Autotecnica did a great job delivering a new F3 car that conforms to the new F3 regulations six months ahead of schedule.”
The new car fully complies with all FIA requirements for the new-era of F3, which begins with the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA on July 13 at the Malaysian track.
The carbon composite monocoque chassis is FIA F.3 2018 homologated, as is the Tatuus Halo, extractable seat, steering column and roll-hoop. Safety is further enhanced by the Sabelt six-point safety harness, HANS system and removable head protection. Electronics, data acquisition and the paddle shift are Magneti Marelli, and the car is equipped with a Sadev Sl-R 83 six-speed gearbox LSD. The O.Z. Aluminium wheels are shod with Giti Tires, official tire partner for the championship.
Official testing will be held on July 9 and 10, prior to the start of the debut season, where teams and drivers will have two full days of track time to become acquainted with the new car.
Ten teams are confirmed for the inaugural season which is comprised of five races across three circuits in Malaysia and China. The 2018 F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA will earn will earn 15 points towards qualification for an FIA Super Licence, representing a major stride towards the highest echelon of open-wheel racing, Formula One. The names of nine drivers have been revealed so far, with further announcements will follow in the coming days.
