28th April 2021
British driver Louis Foster will get his Euroformula Open championship-winning aspirations underway in Portugal this weekend under the watchful eye of the Formula 1 teams also competing at the Portimao circuit.
Foster, 17, is stepping up to race in the Euroformula Open series this year with the Motopark-supported CryptoTower Racing Team.
It will be his first chance to race full-time in Europe after winning races in Ginetta Junior, British F4 and BRDC British F3 in his three years of car racing so far.
With a new car, team and tracks to learn, Foster has been busy in the off-season but his preparation has been stellar.
“Pre-season has been fantastic,” said Foster, who is sponsored and backed by Copart, a global leader in vehicle remarketing and recycling.
“It helped me to get on top of some things and help me adapt to driving this car, learn more about my team and team-mates.
“It’s also a crucial opportunity to learn more about some of the tracks as I’ll be racing on many of them this year for the first time as I make my first step into competing in Europe all year long.
“Many of the drivers I’ll be up against have competed on these tracks before so anything I could do to familiarise myself with these circuits was important.”
Louis was testing out in Barcelona last week and has attempted to gain experience of many of the tracks that are new to him as part of his preparation, where he has posted competitive lap times throughout.
The Lord Wandsworth College student goes in with a single, lofty goal in 2021, and that’s winning the championship at his first attempt.
His record of taking on a new, higher-calibre challenges every year has set him up well.
“We never set out with the intention of graduating each year after one season - and there can be positives to staying in a championship more than one year - but for me I feel like we have delivered and improved each year I’ve been in a car,” Foster added. “This year is an even bigger step for me but I feel prepared and ready to elevate myself again. “Like every year, we're aiming for as far forward as we can get,” added Foster. “Our number one aim is to win the championship. “I always try to set a target that's realistic but also challenging. I think our goal of winning the championship is realistic and we've got a very good chance of doing it. “But there's still plenty of learning ahead and we have an ultimate goal that's bigger than just this year. “As long as I'm better prepared and feeling confident for what is to come next at the end of the year, whatever that is, then I'll be happy.”
There’s also added motivation this weekend owing to the fact that the Euroformula Open series is supporting the Formula 1 championship with watchful eyes set to be trained on the fountain of youth on show. Foster has been working harder than ever in the off-season to prepare himself physically for the rigours of the year ahead in a faster, more powerful car.
Many drivers in Formula 1 - including Max Verstappen,Valtteri Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda - have raced with the Motopark team in the past meaning Foster is in capable hands.
“Being in the Formula 1 paddock and being in the same race weekend is not only fun for the drivers but you also get to experience what an F1 weekend is like,” he adds. “I’m sure there will be some attention on our races so I’m hopeful we can put on a strong performance for those people paying attention.”
Saturday 1st May
Qualifying - 10.00 - 10.25
Race 1 - 13.25 - 14.05
Race 2 - 16.25 - 17.05
Sunday 2nd May
Race 3 - 12.15 - 12.55
Live Streaming - EuroFormula Open You Tube Channel