Global Racing Group to field four cars for second F3 Americas season
Global Racing Group, the first team to sweep an F3 Americas Championship Powered by Honda podium, confirmed it will return to the F3 Americas grid, expanding its team to a four-car lineup.
GRG produced winning results in the inaugural season, leading the field with the most podium visits by any team. Two of its drivers also claimed steps on the championship podium to secure a Vice Championship for the team. The Seattle-based squad is the first team from the 2018 season to announce its return to the program.
“It was exciting to be part of introducing F3 Americas in 2018, and we’re now ready to take it to the next level. With continued and extensive development of the cars during the winter months, we can’t wait for the 2019 season to get started,” said Global Racing Group team principal Christian Pedersen.
The GRG Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda efforts will center on driver development and testing only in 2019 at Inde Motorsports Ranch, its year-round testing home base in Wilcox, Arizona. The program will be open to current and future F4 drivers who want to hone their skills during the season with additional development and for drivers who want to prepare for the 2020 season.
“We received a record number of requests for development in the Global Racing Group program during 2018, and we would really like to give as many drivers as possible the opportunity to further hone their skills in F4 or to simply try out what F4 feels like” Pedersen said. “With the continued success of the F4 program in the United States a continued stream of go-kart drivers are looking to prepare themselves for next steps in their careers and we want to give them the opportunity to prepared in best possible way. They will not only be able to try the F4, but they’ll also get exposed to the next level of driving, use of data and video-engineering. They’ll also get a better appreciation and understanding of the science in racing.”
This past week, Global Racing Group also established foothold in Europe through a new partnership with Douglas Motorsport in the United Kingdom. As drivers progress through F4 and F3 Americas, Global Racing Group will now offer another path to the next level of open-wheel careers in Europe, filtering drivers to the legendary British F3 Championship.
Pedersen continued, “Shifting our focus to F3 Americas will allow us to work with other teams and also offer their drivers the opportunity for further development through the Global Racing Group program, and when they are ready – we can help then to next steps in the U.S. and now beyond.” 
The F3 Americas teams race chassis meet the most current global FIA safety specification, including the first North American application of a race car Halo. Compared to the F4 U.S. Championship car, the F3 chassis features more configurable aero components, 47 percent more horsepower, increased impact safety structures and more sophisticated data acquisition.
F3 Americas aligns with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success. The F3 Americas package meets the FIA price-cap of $134,000 and the top-eight drivers entered in the championship will also receive FIA Super License points to aid in their racing career advancement.
The growing F3 Americas field debuts at Barber Motorsports Park supporting IndyCar April 5-7. For more information on the teams, drivers or F3 Americas schedule, visit F3Americas.com.
GRG will make driver announcements in the upcoming weeks. For racers interested in testing opportunities and in general development through the 2019 season, contact Pedersen at: info@globalracinggroup.com.
