William Alatalo has been named as Arden Motorsport’s first driver for the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season.
The eighteen-year-old Finn raced in the Formula Renault Eurocup with JD Motorsport in 2020, securing two podiums at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari early in the season as he finished the year eighth in the overall standings. This also helped him place third in the rookie standings behind Alex Quinn and David Vidales.
He took race wins in both the Italian and UAE Formula 4 Championships prior to his move into Formula 3 machinery, and the Finn is delighted to be joining Arden for 2021.
“I’m really looking forward to driving in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine next season with Arden Motorsport,” said Alatalo. “As a team, I’m confident we can achieve a lot in the year ahead, and I’m feeling more ready than ever for a fresh challenge with a new team.
“I’ve been hard at work preparing over the winter break, and I think I’ve already started to gel really well with the team.
“My goal is plain and simple; to win races. We need to work extremely hard as a team to achieve our goals, but that’s one of the most exciting things for me.”
Ben Salter, the Team Manager of the Arden Formula Regional Team, says he has been impressed by Alatalo during his short career to date and the team cannot wait to see what he can do with them in 2021.
“It’s fantastic to secure a driver of William’s quality for the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season ahead,” said Salter. “We’ve monitored his progress for some time now in the lower categories, particularly Formula 4 where he excelled in three different championships.
“His debut season in the Eurocup was solid, and showed plenty of promise, and as a team we’re looking forward to working with him to take that next step forward this year.
“He slots nicely into our line-up and I’m sure he – plus his yet-to-be-announced team-mates – will put us in a good position for the season ahead.”
Garry Horner, the Team Principal of Arden, was also pleased to sign Alatalo for 2021, and he believes the young Finn is on course for a standout season in Formula Regional this year.
“I’m very pleased to welcome William into the Arden family, and look forward to watching him progress over the course of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season ahead,” said Horner.
“He’s incredibly quick, with a real maturity to his race craft, and I’m confident with our track record in developing young drivers, this partnership will help him reach even greater heights on circuit this season.
“His record in Formula 4 speaks for itself, and he’s already established himself at this level, so the ingredients are all there for a strong season ahead.”
