The Australian driver made his single seater debut last year, competing in two rounds of the 2019 Australian F4 series. Mansell will now make the move to the British series, in which Carlin have championed four times in as many years participating.
The 14-year-old joins the Surrey based team following a strong karting career in both Australia and Europe, competing in series such as the FIA Karting European Championship, the WSK Euro Series and most recently, the Australian Kart Championship in which he placed 12th in the 2019 KA2 Championship. Keen to progress up the motorsport ladder, Mansell demonstrated his capability for single seaters on his Australian F4 debut, placing 5th in his first race at the Philip Island Grand Prix Circuit in 2019.
Mansell has been integrating himself well with the British team with a pre-season testing programme, preparing for the 30 races of the FIA certified Championship which gets underway at Donington Park in March. Alongside newly announced team-mate Matias Zagazeta, the Championship will take Mansell to eight of Great Britain’s esteemed motorsport circuits, including two visits to Silverstone and Brands Hatch, as well as a trip further North to Scotland’s Knockhill. Despite taking a year out of the series in 2018, Carlin were once again crowned British F4 Champions in 2019, after clinching the title in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Speaking of joining the team, Mansell said, “The first impression you have of Carlin both in terms of the workshop and past achievements and drivers is that it’s clearly a good environment. I tested with a few other teams, but this Carlin car feels really good to me and I feel like it really suits my driving style. You can’t just have a good car though, everything around you has to feel right. I think it’s really important to feel comfortable in an environment. You’ve got to spend the year with these guys; you have to have a good connection. Everyone gets on so well here but at the same time everyone is super serious about the job they have to do. I’m really looking forward to the season ahead.”
Team Principal Trevor Carlin added, “Christian is very young but has exactly the right attitude. He is ready to learn and listen and applies that on track in a very mature way despite his young age. He’s developed very well during winter testing and I’m looking forward to seeing his potential unfold in the season ahead.”
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