A brand new Formula 3 team, BullFrog GP, has its sights set on debuting at this year’s Macau Grand Prix.
The Macau Grand Prix has long been regarded as a breeding ground for the world’s best young drivers – now it is set to host the launch of a brand new racing team.
BullFrog GP, the brainchild of an eccentric Frenchman known only as Jean-Charles, or “JC” for short, was announced during a recent round of the FIA Formula 3 European Championships at Spa with the goal of providing a pathway for talented but underfunded young drivers to progress through the motor racing ranks.
And if JC has his way, BullFrogʼs cars will compete for the very first time on the streets of Macau this November. “Our plan is to be in Macau with two cars,” he told racing website Autosport.
“We may have to try to qualify drivers for Macau, but we also have drivers we have contacted who could drive in Macau already.
“What we are trying to do is build an academy for drivers – we want to give a chance to young and talented drivers to take them as far as we can. It is for the best drivers, the ones who don’t have money to go through the usual process. “They have to be very good and motivated – if they don’t have money we can sort something out.”
The Macau Grand Prix is a noted breeding ground for rising superstars of the cockpit, with the likes of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, David Brabham and Takuma Sato having taken the checkered flag since the race adopted the Formula 3 format in 1983.
Sebastian Vettel, Damon Hill, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber, Alan Jones, Mika Häkkinen, Gerhard Berger, Martin Brundle and Roberto Guerrero have also taken part.
Whether or not BullFrog GP will be able to compete with the very best remains to be seen, but JC has already stated he is willing to buy an existing team rather than try to build one up from scratch. He has also formed a close relationship with British Formula 3 team T-Sport, who helped with BullFrog GP’s launch event at Spa.
“The guys from T-Sport have a very serious track record in F3,” JC told Autosport. “They have been around for 15 years and are very talented.”
As for the name Bullfrog GP?
“It’s because I’m French and I’m a Taurus,” JC proclaimed. “It’s a good brand for a team and we can do things differently to others – we want to try to market F3 from a commercial and business aspect, as well as sporting.
“The whole team was inspired by a poem by Rudyard Kipling called “If.” It’s about challenges, the best opportunities and making the most of your life. It’s a human story.”
