Euroformula Open podium finisher Alex Karkosik, Pastor Maldonado’s cousin Manuel and Louis Gachot, son of former F1 driver and Le Mans winner Bertrand, will be also present on the grid.

In all, 18 drivers from 13 countries will contest the Indo-international series across four rounds, starting on November 16-18th in Bahrain as a support series for the FIA World Endurance Championship season finale.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi will host back-to-back rounds in December, with the season concluding in Chennai on February 2-4th.

Updated Formula 3-spec car

Series organisers confirmed that an updated Formula 3-level car will be used for the forthcoming season, which has been built with input from legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey.

The F2000 car will now feature a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifts, while several upgrades have also been made on the aerodynamic side.

It will continue to be powered by a Mountune Duratec engine, which churns out 230 bhp.

Entry list