Exciting young American racer Neil Verhagen has been confirmed as Double R Racing’s third driver signing for the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship, completing the squad’s capacity entry for the 2019 season.



Verhagen, who hails from Mooresville in North Carolina, joins the reigning British F3 title winners for his maiden campaign in BRDC British Formula 3 after a couple of years competing in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0.



The 18-year-old first arrived in Europe in 2017 as part of the Red Bull Junior Team where he just missed out on a top-10 championship finish in Eurocup Formula Renault and achieved a maiden podium result at the Hungaroring. Last season, Verhagen ended the campaign 11th overall again with a best result of fourth place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.



Beginning his racing career in karting, Verhagen was vice-champion of the 2012 Florida Winter Tour Minimax Series before moving into the United States Pro Kart Series prior to graduating into cars in 2015 in the Skip Barber Winter Series – finishing second with several race wins.



Stepping up later that year into the F1600 Championship, he remained in the series in 2016 and went on to win the title while also qualifying for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, which he won as the youngest driver to do so aged 15 years and 242 days. Verhagen also qualified for the prestigious Mazda ‘Road To Indy’ Shootout.



Now relishing the opportunity to continue his progression with a move into the ultra-competitive BRDC British F3 Championship with three-time champions Double R, Verhagen cannot wait to get the 2019 season underway.



“I am thrilled to sign with Double R for the upcoming British F3 season,” said the Connecticut-born racer. “Most of the tracks – other than Silverstone and Spa – are new to me, so I’m looking forward to racing on those challenging circuits.



“The car is a blast to drive and is proven as well. After testing with the team, and seeing their dedication and our performance, I am confident everything will be in place for us to have a very successful season.”



Double R Racing Team Principal Anthony Hieatt said: “We’re obviously over the moon to complete our line-up for British F3 this year with a young driver as talented as Neil, he has a huge amount of potential and brings good experience from Formula Renault for his first season in F3.



“From what we’ve seen in testing so far, there are some very positive signs for the year ahead and Neil has immediately gelled with the team and the car. You can never look too far ahead, but I’m more than confident Neil will be a standout driver in his first season in Formula 3.”