The F3 talents we're most excited about

Caption – Callum Illot in Austria this year

Despite his F3 championship win granting him a super-license, Mick Schumacher isn’t the only young prospect the championship has us excited about this year. Whisper it in hushed tones, but the future of Formula 1 looks very promising indeed with the latest crop of drivers looking to make the leap from F3 to Formula 3000 and then F1.

The next F3 outing is in Macau, famous for being the city that has toppled Vegas as the most popular destination for lovers of gaming and casinos. But for lovers of racing, there’s a lot more on offer than cards and slots in November of this year. On 18^th November, locals will be treated to a race that looks set to be one of the most hotly contested races of the season with a couple of drivers returning to the series.

Callum Ilott

British driver Callum Ilot of the Ferrari Driver Academy is the next big hope for British racing. With the rise of Lewis Hamilton yet to falter, it would be interesting to see another British driver vie with the world champion. And with Ilott looking every bit the driver Ferrari believe him to be, there’s every chance that should he make the step up to F1; he will challenge at the top. It’s been a while since we’ve had a British rivalry on the track and Calum could possibly be the new kid on the block that puts a dent in Hamilton’s meteoric rise to the top.

Seemingly at fault for last year’s crash which saw himself and Joel Eriksson retire from the Macau Grand Prix, the battle between himself and the BMW junior (who is next on our list) looks set to be something else. A win could see the young Brit catapulted into the limelight, further enhancing his already growing reputation as the next big thing.

Joel Eriksson

As we just mentioned, Eriksson was apoplectic at the turn of events in last year’s race and will be looking for something akin to revenge in this year’s outing. Since last year’s runner-up finish in the European Formula 3 Championship, the Swede made the move into BMW’s DTM team finishing the season in a creditable 14^th.

His move back to F3 for the Macau Grand Prix has us pretty excited as we have high hopes that Joel will make the step up to F3000 and then F1 in the not too distant future. A tense rivalry between himself and Ilot has already set the tone for any future relationship. Could this be the next Rosberg/Hamilton rivalry?

Mick Schumacher

Photo by 5W / CC BY-SA 4.0

Caption – Mick and Callum at the Pau Grand Prix

Yes, we tried to downplay it at the start of this piece, but there’s no point in denying it any longer; we’re unable to control ourselves at the thought of Schumacher Junior sitting in an F1 car for the first time. As this year’s F3 champion, he now has a super license which allows him to speak to teams about his immediate future. There are those that would prefer him to remain in F3 for another season keeping his feet on the ground so to speak, but if he wants to make the step up now, we say, let him.

It’s what genuine F1 fans have been waiting years for. The world’s greatest F1 driver’s son is now in a position where he can step out of his father’s shadow and create his own racing legacy. Already displaying a maturity beyond his 19 years, Mick certainly has that same air of authority and professionalism that his father was famous for. And while it’s early days in his racing career, it’s hard not to draw parallels with the progress his father made. Should he triumph in Macau, he will have followed in his father’s footsteps in the 1990 season.

Yes, the future of racing is very promising indeed. And while we may not see any of these young drivers in F1 next season, there is every chance that within 2-3 years, these young men could be household names. Now let’s see how they get on in Macau!