Florian Herzog, Sergei Trofimov and Nikita Zlobin have solidified their respective German Formula 3 programmes for the coming season.
The 20-year-old Herzog has signed to drive for the Lotus team alongside the recently announced Andrés Méndez and two further as yet unannounced drivers with the Motopark-engineered team.
Meanwhile, the Trofimov and Zlobin pairing have been placed with ADM Motorsport, courtesy of SMP Racing; a Russian young drivers programme.
Herzog comes to Formula 3 following a seemingly indifferent period in the ADAC Formula Masters series, during which he managed one pole position and two fastest laps; however Herzog’s campaign was cut after only three rounds in 2013.
Despite his relative lack of top results in previous seasons, Herzog believes he can adapt to the step up in competition. “I did some initial tests in Formula 3 in winter, and now I cannot wait to get back into the car. The 250hp Formula 3 car has remarkable power and breathtaking curve speed due to its sophisticated aerodynamics. The acceleration and deceleration values are really impressive based on the low weight.”
The 16-year-old Trofimov comes to German F3 as last year’s Formula Abarth Trophy Champion, scoring three overall podiums in the process.
Zlobin – son of former Minardi F1 tester Sergey – enjoyed a little more experience during last year having competed in partial Formula Renault Alps and German F3 campaigns.
There is no doubt that Trofimov and Zlobin have – and need – the time to develop and prove themselves in these lower motorsport categories; however as a racer already in his 20s, Herzog may find it trickier to garner support to move forward.
The addition of this trio provisionally brings the entrant count for the German F3 Series to ten.
