GB3 race-winner Roberto Faria has been signed up to the Sauber Academy, and the Brazilian is hoping his involvement with the Swiss F1 team will open doors as his career develops.
The 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro enters his second full season in the GB3 Championship this year, this time with reigning champions Carlin, and he is tipped as a likely title contender.
“I’m really happy to be part of the Sauber Academy, we are hoping to work together to achieve great results now and hopefully in the future too,” he commented.
Faria revealed that he’d been in talks with the Academy for several months, and will have plenty of attention on him throughout the season. F2 front-runner Théo Pourchaire, a likely future contender for a Grand Prix seat with the Alfa Romeo F1 team, which Sauber operates, is the only other driver in the Academy.
“Since last year we have been talking about it, and at the beginning of this year I went to Switzerland where I visited the factory and also did some physical training. I met Theo Pourchaire and it’s just me and him in the Academy, which is really good because it means they are all focused on us, and I’m really enjoying everything we’ve done so far.
“They are giving a lot of support for me and I hope to achieve great results this season so we can continue together.”
Faria admits that the chance to be recruited as an F1 junior is not an everyday occurrence, and he’s determined to make the most of his opportunity.
“It’s not very common to be signed by an F1 team and I’ll have the opportunity to go and watch some races from the inside, talk with the engineers and the drivers in the debriefings, and I’m really happy that we can all work together. I’m really proud to be part of the Sauber Academy.
“Who knows where this will lead, if I achieve great results this year they can support me next year. Hopefully we can continue working together all the way up to F1, that’s what I’m hoping for.”
Faria’s immediate focus remains the GB3 Championship, and he’s confident of a very strong season with Carlin in 2022.
“In GB3 we have a different car and we are still in the process of learning everything, but I feel confident that I have the experience. In the last race at Donington I went from 15th to fourth, so I know I’m fast and can overtake, and I hope I can use all my experience from last year to go for the title this year.”
Beat Zehnder, Sporting Director of Sauber Motorsport welcomed Faria to the operation’s young driver line-up: “We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Sauber Academy. His early results have been impressive, especially as he had to deal with the difficult transition from karting to single-seaters and South America to Europe at the same time. We believe the Academy will help Roberto develop in the next steps of his motorsport journey: we are looking forward to unlock all his potential together.”