Australian Joey Mawson will head to the iconic Monza circuit in Italy for Round Two of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship this weekend.

After posting some impressive times during his initial Formula 3 test at the venue last year, the PODIUM-backed driver is excited about heading back to the world’s third oldest racing circuit.

“Racing at Monza is going to be very special. It’s one of those circuits that you always dream of racing on,” said Mawson.

“No matter what category it is the racing is always close and exciting. Due to the nature of the circuit it’s very hard to pull a gap.  As a result there is a lot of ‘chess games’ going on as drivers decide when to pass and when to defend, which makes it very exciting.”

While he may have recorded a pair of top ten finishes in his Formula 3 debut two weeks ago at Silverstone, Mawson has got his sights set on a significant speed improvement aboard his Van Amersfoort Racing entry in Italy.

“In between rounds myself and the team have been working hard to come out with an improved package at Monza. The test day on Wednesday should give us a really good guide for the weekend ahead,” said Mawson.

“My goal for the weekend is to continue scoring points and move up in the Championship standings. Qualifying well is important, which is something we didn’t get on top of at the opening round.”

Mawson will take to the 5.793km circuit for a test day on Wednesday ahead of practice beginning for the round on Friday. Qualifying 1 will follow this in the afternoon. Race One will then be held on Saturday morning ahead of Qualifying for Races Two and Three in the afternoon. A further pair of races that are 33 minutes plus one lap in duration will highlight Sunday.

After one round in the 10-event Championship Mawson is seventh in the standings on 14 points.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
LOCAL TIME
Friday April 28
12:00pm – 12:40pm Free Practice 1
12:45pm – 1:25pm Free Practice 2
5:00pm – 5:20pm Qualifying 1

Saturday April 29
11:05am – 11:45am Race 1
4:45pm – 5:05pm Qualifying 2

Sunday April 30
11:00am – 11:40am Race 2
3:15pm – 3:55pm Race 3

AUSTRALIAN EASTERN STANDARD TIME
Friday April 28
8:00pm – 8:40pm Free Practice 1
8:45pm – 9:25pm Free Practice 2
1:00am – 1:20am (Sat) Qualifying 1

Saturday April 29
7:05pm – 7:45pm Race 1
12:45am – 1:05am (Sun) Qualifying 2

Sunday April 30
7:00pm – 7:40pm Race 2
11:15pm – 11:55pm Race 3