The Koiranen GP team have announced their plans for the 2016 racing season, with Matevos Isaakyan becoming their first confirmed driver for their GP3 Series team, but the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Series and ALPS teams have been discontinued.
Russian teenager Isaakyan will move from racing in Formula Renault with JD Motorsport to move full time to the GP3 Series, having made his debut in the championship for the final two rounds of the 2015 season with the Koiranen GP team.
Despite winning both the Eurocup and ALPS championships in 2015 with Jack Aitken, Koiranen GP have decided to withdraw from the two Formula Renault categories, with their primary focuses being the GP3 Series as well as the two Formula 4 series they promote, the SMP F4 NEZ Championship and the new-for-2016 F4 Spain Championship.
“Koiranen GP has marked the Formula Renault Eurocup and ALPS for the five past years,” said Koiranen GP CEO Afa Heikkinen.
“With champions as Kevin Korjus, Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz Jr, Nyck de Vries or Jack Aitken, we have proved in few years only to be a very strong competitor in the category. Today, we are ready to take new challenges and aim for new titles”
Koiranen have also announced four drivers who’ll be competing in the SMP F4 NEZ Championship in 2016, with Finnish drivers Tuomas Tujala and Juho Valtanen being joined by Russians Denis Mavlanov and Alexander Vartanyan.
“Koiranen GP won renown for breeding Formula 1 with its newest drivers,” said Executive Director Alexandra Consani. “To reach that level, the basic work has to be strong to enable them to focus on learning from each step of their journey to the top.
“Our decision to extend our operations in the new FIA F4s categories is to continue on teaching young drivers, through a very good frame designed by the FIA to allow cost-effective equal chances for everyone”