Volkswagen may be pulling out of Formula 3, but
don’t expect the category to disappear. In fact another manufacturer is jumping
back into the format – not as an engine supplier, but as a chassis constructor.
That company is Mygale, a French constructor based
at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, the former home of the French Grand Prix,
with a long and well-established history of producing formula race cars.
Though hardly a household name in the consumer
automobile market, Mygale is well known for supplying cars for Formula Ford,
Formula Renault, and Formula BMW. It was last represented in
Formula 3 five years ago, when its chassis won the Italian championship with
Ricardo Agostini and JD Motorsport. But now it’s making a comeback with this
new chassis design.
Pictured here for the first time, Mygale’s new
Formula 3 chassis is designed for regional series to meet the latest regulations. To that effect,
it’s wider, longer, and lower than existing designs and integrates the FIA’s
halo cockpit protection device.
Developed in partnership with AERH and HP Composite,
the chassis will incorporate a new 270-horsepower turbocharged engine from
fellow French supplier Oreca, which ought to help fill the void left by
Volkswagen’s departure.
Dubbed the Mygale F3R, the new chassis is expected
to hit Formula 3 racing grids starting already next season. It’ll have to
compete with Dallara, the Italian constructor that supplies the majority of
teams in the series with a chassis, as well as a handful of other constructors.
