Collet completes Van Amersfoort Racing’s 2023 line-up

9 January 2023

Caio Collet will join Van Amersfoort Racing for his third season in Formula 3, as the Brazilian racer makes the switch from MP Motorsport.

The 20-year-old made his first F3 appearance in 2021 for MP, scoring two podiums, including one on debut in Barcelona.

After a successful rookie season, Collet put in more strong performances in 2022, earning Sprint Race wins in Budapest and Zandvoort on his way to eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.

“Exciting times are coming as I am extremely motivated to get started with Van Amersfoort Racing,” said Collet. “During their first year in F3, the team proved to everyone how much potential they have. From my side, I am very confident going into the new season.

“I have used the winter period effectively and feel ready, more than I ever did. I have set high goals for myself, and the team is as motivated as I am to take the maximum out of this year, so let the games begin!”

Alongside his two wins in 2022, Collet earned three podium finishes in Barcelona, Spielberg and Monza

Prior to his move up to F3, Collet secured the 2018 French F4 title in his maiden season in single-seaters. There he achieved an impressive 11 podium finishes, including seven victories.

The following year saw him finish fifth in Formula Renault Eurocup, claiming six podiums along the way. Returning for a second campaign in 2020, Collet took five wins and seven further podium finishes on his way to second in the Championship.

He’ll now be looking to utilise that experience as VAR enter their second F3 season, partnering fellow returnee Rafael Villagómez and Australian rookie Tommy Smith. After a promising inaugural campaign where they scored two wins and one pole position, the Dutch outfit will be targeting moving up from sixth in the Standings.

VAR CEO Rob Niessink added: “Caio has shown in the past how fast and talented he is, making it extremely exciting to have him as part of our F3 driver line-up this year. Caio brings valuable experience to the team, which will help us to grow at an even higher pace than last year.

“Clearly, he is determined to perform strong this year, and so do we as a team. Our motivation levels are really high, the least said, and our crew is very much looking forward to working with an experienced driver as Caio!”