Beckmann signs with Motopark after VAR exit

Red Bull athlete Beckmann has made the move after a disastrous start to the campaign with Van Amersfoort Racing, which announced this week that the German was leaving the team.

The Formula 4 race winner started his rookie F3 season with Mucke Motorsport late in 2016 because his 16th birthday fell after the opening two rounds, meaning he was not old enough to compete in them.

His form – which included a pole position at the Hockenheim finale, before his car was excluded on a minor technical irregularity, and two podiums – suggested that he would be an outside contender for race wins in 2017.

But over nine races on three weekends to date he has yet to climb out of the bottom five on the grid and has taken a best result of 11th.

Beckmann’s F3 career to date has been as a Mercedes-supported driver, meaning that negotiations have been necessary to transfer him to the Volkswagen-powered Motopark squad, which fields championship leader Joel Eriksson, as well as Marino Sato and Keyvan Andres Soori.

The previously vacant Motopark car is fully entered for this year’s championship, meaning that Beckmann is eligible to score points immediately.

“I am confident about the rest of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and I am sure that Motopark will offer me a competitive package,” said Beckmann.

“Everybody in the team is extremely motivated and focused on success – I am optimistic that we will achieve good results together after the necessary period of familiarisation.”

Motopark boss Timo Rumpfkeil added: “We are very pleased to welcome David in our team – I have been following his career for many years and we have always stayed in close contact ever since.

“David is rightly considered to be one of the top talents in German motorsports, and I have always been convinced of his potential.

“We have to give David some time to settle in, given the fact that before the next race at the Hungaroring, unfortunately, there is only time for a short roll-out. Therefore, expectations shall not be kept too high.”

Meanwhile, VAR, which showed improved form last time out at Pau where it ran Harrison Newey to three top-six positions, looks unlikely to fill Beckmann’s seat in time for next week’s round at the Hungaroring.

Team boss Frits van Amersfoort told Motorsport.com: “We will probably be down to three cars for Hungary, but we are working hard on getting someone by the Norisring [the following round].”

Van Amersfoort added that this would probably not be the team’s German Formula 4 Championship racer Kami Laliberte, whose father is an investor in VAR and who is expected to graduate to F3 in 2018.