Manuel Maldonado, the cousin of former F1 Grand Prix winner Pastor Maldonado has elected to race in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship this year.
The 17-year-old's current credentials include a spell last season in Italian F4 and contesting the Indian MRF Challenge in which he finished 14th.
The Venezuelan will race in British F3 in 2017 with Fortec alongside Ben Hingeley and British F4 graduate Nicolai Kjaergaard.
"It's a great opportunity for me to have signed with Fortec, I have worked with them in the past and I am very happy to be here," Maldonado said.
"I know that we can develop well together. Now we keep preparing hard for the upcoming season and it's an honour for me to represent my country Venezuela in a British championship."
One can only hope that Manuel Maldonado shares his cousin's speed while remaining far less crash-prone.
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