Highly rated professional racing driver Alexander Sims has today been officially confirmed as Double R Racing’s lead contender for the annual Suncity Group Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix which takes place this coming weekend, 21st/22nd November, in the former Portuguese enclave.
Spearheading the Woking team’s challenge in its 10th anniversary year at the biggest race on the F3 calendar, 27-year-old Sims – who will compete with backing from Drainix Technology Development Ltd – will make his sixth appearance at Macau and his second there with Double R. He will pilot a Mercedes-powered Dallara.
The Cambridgeshire driver made his Macau debut in 2009 with Anthony ‘Boyo’ Hieatt’s squad, then known as Räikkönen Robertson Racing. His best finish to date came a couple of years ago when he achieved a top four result.
Double R is setting its sights high for the 2015 instalment of the Macau F3 Grand Prix, a race it won in 2006 with Mike Conway, and with Sims leading the squad’s charge the team is targeting a podium finish as a minimum.
“It goes without saying, we’re absolutely elated to have Alexander back in the team for Macau and especially with it being our 10th anniversary year at the big race”, said team boss Hieatt, “We’re going there with the intention to push for the podium and, hopefully, the win and everyone in the team is very excited.
“Alexander is an absolutely top drawer driver, someone with the sort of experience which really matters at a challenging street circuit like Macau. We can’t wait to get out there – it’s our favourite race of the year!”
After a glittering karting career with numerous championship titles, Sims entered the world of car racing in late 2006 in the Formula Renault UK Winter Championship and went on to become category Vice-Champion in 2008 – a year in which he hit the headlines after winning the coveted McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, earning a prize test in a McLaren-Mercedes F1 car.
Graduating into the Formula 3 Euro Series – now the FIA Formula 3 European Championship – where he was a race winner in 2009 and 2010, the British ace moved into the GP3 Series in 2011 where he mounted a strong title challenge and again won races.
Sims switched disciplines in 2012 after being signed-up as an official McLaren GT ‘works’ driver as part of a key test and development programme, a year in which he also debuted in sportscars in the LMP2 Class of the European Le Mans Series and FIA World Endurance Championship.
Progressing into a race role with McLaren in the Blancpain Endurance Series the following year, Sims then joined BMW as a factory driver and helped Marco Attard win the 2014 British GT Championship title before just missing out on the crown again this year. Over the last four years, though, he has remained active in single-seaters with a number of outings in FIA Formula 3.
Following practice and qualifying on Thursday, 19th November, and Friday, 20th November, the all-important Qualification Race at Macau will get underway at 13.45 (local time) on Saturday, 21st November. On Sunday, 22nd November, the Grand Prix itself will begin at 15.30 (local time).
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