PETALING JAYA: Young Malaysian driver Jazeman Jaafar (pic) will move up to the prestigious Formula Renault 3.5 (FR3.5) series this year as he takes another step towards achieveing his goal of being a Formula One driver.

Jazeman will stick with Carlin, the team he has been successfully racing with for the last three years, and will continue to have the support of Petronas when he makes his debut in the series.

Formula Renault 3.5 is the headline event of the World Series by Renault recognised as the stepping stone to Formula One, the pinnacle of motor racing.

The 20-year-old was excited to confirm his plans for this year and is looking forward to lining up on the grid in the World Series by Renault.

“I’ve had a fantastic year in British F3 and to round off with this news is amazing. I am so grateful to Petronas for their continued support and belief in me.

“I am very proud to be racing with them as one of the most high-profile Malaysian brands in global sport today,” said Jazeman, who added he really enjoyed the challenge of the new car.

“I’ve driven the FR3.5 car in recent tests. It’s more powerful than the F3 car and more advanced technically, so there is a lot for me to learn.

“I also need to be fitter and have the right type of fitness for this car as it is quite physical to drive and the races are longer.

“Staying with Carlin provides me with stability for the challenges ahead. The team are like an extended family; I know how they operate, the high standards that they adopt and the shared goal of winning that has brought us success and I hope will continue to do so.”

Carlin have a strong history of producing future racing stars, with Sebastian Vettel, Jaime Alguersuari and Jean-Eric Vergne making the step up into Formula One directly from Carlin’s Formula Renault 3.5 team.

Jazeman enjoyed a strong and successful third season in the British F3 International Series last year and was a front-runner right from the first race of the championship through to the finale.

Amassing a creditable 306 points, the record books show three wins, 15 podiums and 21 top five finishes for Jazeman from the 29 races in the series last year.

As the young racer enters the next phase of his racing career, he moves on to new venues with the World Series by Renault, including the most glamorous motorsport location – Monaco, where the series supports the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix.

“I’m looking forward to driving on some new tracks like Monaco and Moscow and returning to some of my favourite European ones, including Spa-Francorchamps, Hunga­ro­ring and Catalunya,” said Jazeman.

“Before we get started with the racing, there will be more testing as well. So, I’ll be able to put in some preparation before the opening round in Spain at the end of April.

“It’s great to be able to plan well in advance and put in the pre-season work needed to be ready for that first race.”

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