Beckmann replaces DeFrancesco in Trident’s FIA F3 line-up

David Beckmann will return to Trident for the upcoming 2020 FIA Formula 3 season, replacing Devlin DeFrancesco in the Italian team’s driver line-up.

The 20-year-old German enjoyed a strong 2018 GP3 campaign after making the switch to Trident from Jenzer Motorsport half-way through the campaign, winning three races on his way to claiming fifth place in the championship.

Beckmann contested the inaugural FIA F3 Championship with ART Grand Prix in 2019 but struggled as he finished 14th in the standings. He was expected to race Porsches this year prior to his late call up to rejoin Trident.

“I am very motivated and proud to be back with Trident,” Beckmann said.

“They’re a team that always believed in me and supported me in achieving extremely positive results.

“I established a strong relationship with the Team Trident family, so I am looking forward to reaching even more ambitious goals soon."

The late change comes on the eve of the new campaign, which is set to begin at the Red Bull Ring in Austria next weekend on July 5.

Trident team manager Giacomo Ricci, added: “We are delighted to welcome David Beckmann back to our team.

“We always had great chemistry with him, and I am confident that we will be once again among the contenders for the FIA Formula 3 Championship, a pivotal series in the motorsport ladder.

“We will need to put up our maximum effort and to look at every possible element. This series is incredibly competitive, and even the slightest detail can be decisive.”

The reasons behind DeFrancesco’s split from Trident so close to the start of the season are currently unknown.

DeFrancesco opted to sit out the last two rounds of the 2019-20 Asian Formula 3 season over concerns around coronavirus because the Canadian has a weakened immune system due to being born prematurely.

It is not clear whether this is connected to his departure from Trident.