Australian Joey Mawson recorded a strong fourth placing during his debut in the Euroformula Open Series in Barcelona, Spain on Sunday.

After receiving a late call up from the BVM Racing outfit, the PODIUM-backed driver showed tremendous poise throughout the event.

Despite not having worked with the team previously, or driven on the Michelin tyres used in the event, Mawson finished the final race of the weekend in fourth.

“Overall it was a good weekend. It was rounded out with a strong fourth position which was a very good result for the team considering they hadn’t scored any points all year,” said Mawson.

“It has been a great experience as the team was very much an open book and allowed me to engineer the car to ensure that we got the most out of it. I learnt a lot.

“I felt as though I continually improved across the weekend and to end up just off the podium is a very good result with everything considered.”

After posting times consistently inside the top ten during practice, Mawson qualified eighth for the opening race before coming together with Cameron Das on the straight which put a premature end to both of their races.

Mawson qualified fifth for the second race, less than two-tenths behind the fastest qualifier, before slotting into fourth place exiting the opening turn. After challenging for third in the opening laps, he would be forced to fend of challenges from behind in the middle section of the race before crossing the line fourth.

Carlin Motorsport’s Devlin De Francesco and RP Motorsport guest driver Felipe Drugovich won the two races. Drugovich was in the championship-winning car of Harrison Scott who dominated the 2017 Series winning 12 of 14 races.

Australian Joey Mawson has received a last minute call-up to compete at the final round of Euroformula Open in Barcelona, Spain this weekend.

Mawson will climb aboard a car prepared by BVM Racing for the one-off appearance.

“It’s been a very last minute and unexpected drive this weekend.  It’s been a little bit of a different week to what I expected at the start of it but it’s all very exciting,” said the PODIUM-backed driver.

“The team I’m with has had a very tough year, they’ve asked me to come along and help them out at the final round.

“I’ll be aiming to work with the team and my engineer, who I know from when I did the MRF Challenge, to get some points on the board for them.”

The Euroformula Open cars are similar to what Mawson has been competing aboard throughout 2017 in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, however, there are some differences that he will need to adapt quickly to.

“The Euroformula cars have a different tyre and engine package to what I’ve been driving this year, so I will need to adapt to it quickly to ensure that I give myself the best opportunity at a good result,” said Mawson.

“I’ve tested previously at Barcelona but never raced here. I’m really looking forward to the challenge but the main thing is that I’m staying race sharp.”

Mawson will be a part of a private test today (Thursday) ahead of Official Practice tomorrow at 10:05am local time. A qualifying session will be held ahead of a 17-lap race on each day on the weekend.

A full timetable can be found by clicking here with live timing available here.

Australian Joey Mawson recorded his 14th top ten finish in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship finale at Hockenheim in Germany on Sunday.

The PODIUM-backed driver crossed the line ninth in the final race of the weekend to be classified as the second-placed Rookie driver in the field.

The result ensured that it was the 16th time Mawson enjoyed the spoils on the Rookie podium throughout his 2017 campaign.

“Overall, it was a tough weekend to finish the Championship off with but it was good to get a couple of points in the final race,” said Mawson.

“I had some good speed early in practice but then we didn’t get qualifying right and had to start all three races from outside the top ten. I fought hard all weekend and eventually this paid off with a finish inside the points.”

Mawson paid tribute to the high-level of competition in the Championship and the team at PODIUM who provided him the opportunity to compete in the 2017 Championship.

“To be able to race against such high quality drivers in this amazing Championship has been an incredible experience,” said Mawson.

“Many people have said that the talent in this year’s Championship is the highest they’ve seen for a number of years and I’ve been privileged to be a part of it.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of the team at PODIUM, to everyone involved – a heartfelt thank you.”

McLaren Formula 1 Junior driver Lando Norris won the Championship ahead of Joel Eriksson and Maximilian Günther.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
(After Round 10 of 10)
1. Lando Norris – 441 points
2. Joel Eriksson – 388
3. Maximilian Günther – 383
4. Callum Ilott – 344
5. Jake Hughes – 207
6. Jehan Daruvala – 191
7. Ferdinand Habsburg – 186
8. Guanyu Zhou – 149
9. Ralf Aron – 123
10. Nikita Mazepin – 108
13. Joey Mawson – 83

Australian Joey Mawson will aim to finish his 2017 campaign on a high when he takes to the Hockenheim circuit in Germany for the final round of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship.

The PODIUM-backed driver has showed some impressive speed over the recent events – a trend that Mawson is focused on continuing this weekend.

Having enjoyed success at Hockenheim previously, coupled with the impressive results by Van Amersfoort Racing’s in the past, Mawson is ready for the final challenge of his 2017 Championship campaign.

“I’ve had another really good preparation for this weekend and I really can’t wait to get on the track at Hockenheim,” said Mawson.

“The year has gone so fast and I’ve learnt so much in my first year in the Formula 3 Championship. I’m really focused on taking everything I’ve learnt and get a good result to sign the season off.

“As for the circuit itself, it is one that I really enjoy and has also been good for the Van Amersfoort team in the past. It has got a good combination of fast, medium and slow speed corners which makes passing very possible – this should create some good racing.”

In a slight change to the schedule from the previous rounds, Mawson will contest practice and qualifying for all three races on Friday. He’ll then line up for a pair of races on Saturday ahead of the final race of the year on Sunday at 10:55am.  This weekend’s round is once again held alongside the popular DTM Championship.