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Formula 3 European Championship race winner Ralf Aron has switched to Hitech GP for his second season in the series.



The 18-year-old Estonian finished seventh in the championship in his rookie campaign with Prema Powerteam, scoring one race win.



That came off the back of a title-winning season in the 2015 Italian Formula 4 Championship, also with Prema.



Aron has been out testing extensively with Hitech recently, including at Barcelona and Jerez during the past week.



He is the first driver confirmed by the Dallara-Mercedes-equipped team, which looks certain to run Nikita Mazepin and is also heavily tipped to add British GP3 ace Jake Hughes to the line-up.



"I was pretty happy with my first season in F3," said Aron.



"Of course, like any season there are areas you can improve and would have liked to have done better, but it is a strong championship and you need to be consistent everywhere you go.



"Hitech did a very strong job this year and I feel confident in them giving me the car to fight at the front throughout next season.



"I have felt at home from the moment I tested with them after Hockenheim [the final 2016 round], and we are all pushing for the same thing, which is exactly what you want as a driver."



Team boss Oliver Oakes added: "Ralf showed this season he can mix it with the experienced drivers and he produced some great results throughout the year.



"We kept an eye on his progress, as he was one to watch from F4 the year before, and were very impressed with everything we saw.



"To have Ralf on board for 2017 is fantastic for the team and we're confident he can mount a strong challenge for the championship."



Aron is mentored by Marko Asmer, who won the 2007 British Formula 3 Championship with the old Hitech Racing.



Although Hitech GP is a completely different company, it includes former Hitech Racing boss David Hayle as well as mechanics and staff from the old team.