Billy Monger admits he is unsure exactly where he’ll be racing in 2019 as he looks to finalise a deal for next season.
The 19-year-old had a strong finish to the 2018 British F3 season and is likely to race internationally with Carlin, although quite where has not been confirmed.
“There’s still a fair bit to do with funding but we’re further down the line than in the autumn. I don’t know what series I’ll be in next year as there’s two series, the International F3 series which is effectively GP3 and the European F3 series.
“At the moment we’ve got enough budget for one but not quite enough budget for the other. I’m still looking for sponsors to add to the budget, but it is getting better.”
The Reigate racer wants the future sorted and while it looks likely that he will be competing in the European F3 series, Monger wants it sorted sooner rather than later to ensure maximum preparation time.
“It’s looking to be that way (European F3) because in whatever I am racing in I need to be prepared properly for it, I don’t want it to get to stage where I am just waiting and waiting for that extra sponsorship to come through and getting to the first round and I’ve not had time to test. If I race in it, I want to make sure I am at the front of it, in which case I will need to put the prep in. Nothing is discounted yet though.”
After spending much of the first half of 2018 adjusting to his adapted hand controls following the accident in 2017 that cost him his legs, Monger is confident that he’ll be able to run competitively for the entirety of 2019, whichever series he competes in.
“It’s all down to me at the minute. I’ve shown with the controls that I am capable of being at the front in that series (British F3). As long as the controls are up to a good enough level, I should be at the front in European F3. It’s only going to come down to my ability.
“The halo extraction all went well and is sorted. Me and Carlin are working hard to get out testing as soon as possible, looking at if we can improve the controls for next year but it would only be small adaptations to make to those because by the end of last season they were very good.”