Malaysian Nazim Azman will step up to the BRDC British F3 Championship in 2019 with Chris Dittmann Racing, as he continues his ascent of the international motorsport ladder.

The Peak Performance Management protégé is gearing up for his first taste of racing in the UK, having contested the Italian F4 Championship last season, and will bring continued support from the Ranhill Group.

Azman racked up a string of top-ten finishes in his debut season in the highly-competitive Italian F4 series with Jenzer Motorsport and, along with parallel campaigns in Spanish F4 and the MRF Challenge, the 17-year old racked up an impressive 53 outings in 2018, with eight podium finishes highlighting his growing experience.

The move to F3 is the next logical step on the recognised single-seater ladder, and the BRDC British F3 Championship will give Nazim the chance to follow in the footsteps of McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris and reigning McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Tom Gamble. Both used the UK’s premier racing championship as a launch pad for their careers. Nazim will partner fellow F3 rookie Ayrton Simmons in the 2019 Chris Dittmann Racing line-up.

“I’m excited to announce that I will be moving into the BRDC British F3 Championship this season,” Nazim confirmed. “It is a great series that has produced some great talents and I’m looking forward to following in their footsteps by joining Chris Dittmann Racing for my debut campaign. CDR has a reputation for evolving young driving talent and I’m looking forward to both learning the UK circuits and progressing my abilities behind the wheel with them.”

Team Principal Chris Dittmann commented: “It’s fantastic to welcome Nazim to the team for this year’s BRDC British F3 Championship. His experience in his racing career so far gives him the ideal base line to start working from as he makes the step up to British F3, and we think he’s going to be capable of some excellent results. With Ayrton and Nazim working together, we’ve got our most exciting British F3 line-up so far and can’t wait to get started at Oulton Park.”

Nazim will once again race with the support of the Ranhill Group, the Malaysian energy and environment company that backed him in Italian F4 last season, and Peak Performance Management, which will continue to provide specialist guidance and training advice.

“We’re pleased to have Nazim on board for the 2019 season and look forward to continuing to progress his driving abilities as he moves into the BRDC British F3 Championship with Chris Dittmann Racing,” PPM director Matt Parry, a former McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner, commented. “Nazim showed both promise and progress in F4 last year and we’re confident that, with the experience on hand at CDR, he will continue to move forward in 2019.

“I’d like to thank title sponsor the Ranhill Group for helping to put Nazim’s programme together, and for the trust that they have shown in PPM, and also welcome Exgel to the select partners backing Nazim’s season. We look forward to growing these relationships and celebrating success now and in the future.”