Carlin have announced that Australian racer Christian Mansell will join the team for the upcoming 2020 F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost season.
He makes the move following several tests with the team, including the British F4 Scholarship Day.
Mansell was originally penciled in to compete in the CAMS Jayco Australian F4 Championship but was forced to make alternative plans following Motorsport Australia‘s decision to cancel the 2020 season.
The 14-year-old competed in two rounds of the 2019 Australian F4 championship, where he secured a best result of fourth place. He’s also a seasoned karter, with his CV boasting stints in the FIA Karting European Championship, WSK Euro Series and the Australian Karting Championship.
“The first impression you have of Carlin, both in terms of the workshop and past achievements and drivers, is that it’s clearly a good environment,” Mansell said.
“I tested with a few other teams, but this Carlin car feels really good to me and I feel like it really suits my driving style. You can’t just have a good car though, everything around you has to feel right.
“I think it’s really important to feel comfortable in an environment. You’ve got to spend the year with these guys; you have to have a good connection. Everyone gets on so well here but at the same time everyone is super serious about the job they have to do.”
He joins the team that helped propel Zane Maloney to the title in only his rookie season in single-seaters, something that Mansell is keen to emulate.
“Carlin have a big history and I’m more than capable of showing myself in the field,” Mansell commented at the Scholarship Day. “I want to carry on the tradition of winning every single British F4 Drivers title they’ve entered.”
Team principal Trevor Carlin is full of confidence in Mansell’s ability and is looking forward to seeing him succeed.
“Christian is very young, but has exactly the right attitude,” Carlin said. “He is ready to learn and listen and applies that on track in a very mature way, despite his young age.
“He’s developed very well during winter testing and I’m looking forward to seeing his potential unfold in the season ahead.”
