Devlin DeFrancesco targets Euroformula title for 2017

DeFrancesco, aged 17, took part in the pre-season tests on Jerez de la Frontera road course in Spain earlier this week, driving for British team Carlin.

Seventeen participants took part in the two-day test. Russian Nikita Troitskiy emerged fastest of all with a best time of 1’34.038. DeFrancesco was fifth quickest overall with a time of 1’34.489. The young Canadian completed 215 laps of the 4.428km circuit.

Euroformula Open features two-litre Formula 3 cars, and the series supports the International GT Open championship at all eight rounds except the penultimate round at Jerez (7-8 October), which is headlined by the GP3 Series and FIA Formula 2 Championship.

“It has been a very productive winter for us. We managed to get a lot of laps in at the final test, allowing us to fine-tune our race and qualifying set-ups, so I’m very happy heading into the new season,” Devlin DeFrancesco declared.

“It’s good to see myself high up on the timesheets, especially since we know there’s still more pace to unlock. The aim for us is of course to win the championship. It’s our first season and there are a lot of good drivers throughout the grid, but I’m confident we have a race-winning car.

“You can’t even compare the Formula 4 car I drove last year to this one. There’s so much more downforce and power, it’s a lot of fun to drive. 2016 was a great stepping stone for me to learn race craft, how to look after the tyres and get the best out of the car over one lap. Now I can put that into practice, whilst still learning new things, as you always do in racing!”