VEGHEL - Racing car driver Glenn van Berlo will make his Formula 3 debut this season. This means another step up in motorsport for the eighteen-year-old talent from the Netherlands, who honed his racecraft in karting for many years. After a successful debut in Formula 4 in 2019, he will be competing in the Euroformula Open championship this year. He will race for the Spanish top team Drivex.
For Glenn, the choice for a Formula 3 championship soon turned out to be the right one. “If you can go fast in this car, you can go fast in all other racing cars”, the student International Business Management explains. “It’s a very good preparation for other categories. We also looked at Formula Renault, but I think as a driver I am better off driving a Formula 3 car because of all the technology involved and of course the amount of downforce that the car has. The extent to which you can adjust the car is close to Formula 1. With a car like that, you can keep learning.”
At the end of last year, after the end of the Formula 4 season, Glenn already tested a Formula 3 car for two days. “I drove quite a few laps. I immediately loved the car. It’s really impressive.”
His choice for Drivex was relatively simple: “I had several options, but I already knew this team from last season in Formula 4 and I get along very well with the team members. Their mentality is top-notch. Everyone has a very strong will to perform. That is also shown by the deal we made. Drivex is doing the maximum for me, on all levels.”
The car Glenn will be driving next season, has a completely new Dallara 320D chassis and is equipped with a 2 litre HWA-engine, 240 hp strong. The new chassis has more aerodynamic features which provides the car with more downforce than last year’s car. Furthermore, the car is equipped with a six-speed sequential gearbox. The car has been designed according to the Formula 1 safety standards of 2018 and weighs approximately 580 kilograms, including the driver.
For Glenn, there is now a detailed plan for next season’s campaign. This should enable the young Dutchman to take another big step on his way to the top. “I learned a lot from my year in Formula 4. It is a super category to lay a foundation in car racing. You can still afford to make mistakes in F4. Now the real work begins. We have discussed a lot of points and determined in which areas I have to improve myself. We are going to work on that. My goal for the season is to get to know the car really well and to get the most out of it.”
His preparation has been intensive. Glenn: “This winter I worked on all aspects that ultimately contribute to your performance. Among other things, I’ve trained very hard physically and mentally.”
In the coming weeks, three days of testing are scheduled at the circuit of Montmeló (Barcelona). In the weekend of April 25th and 26th, Glenn will make his official Formula 3 debut at the circuit of Paul Ricard. The first of nine rounds of the Formula 3 Eurofomula Open - including 7 Formula 1 circuits - will be held on the French track. Before the championship starts, Glenn first has a few days of testing to get used to the car and the team. “And besides that, I’m going to spend a lot of time in the simulator.”
He will also regularly train in a KZ-kart. He does this together with his older brother Kay and his father to stay sharp. “Karting in a KZ-kart is a very good training for motorsport and to do that together with my brother and my father makes it extra fun!”
Glenn van Berlo is supported in his racing activities by:
- Next-Level Real Estate
- Van Berlo Company floors
- Scalpers
- Ayser
- 226ers
- Berner