Teenage driver Sandro Tavartkiladze claims Asian Formula Renault win on debut

Georgian teenage racing driver Sandro Tavartkiladze marked his promotion to the Asian Formula Renault Series with a victory in the opening round of the championship in China last weekend.

The 19-year-old won the opening race of the season in Zhuhai Circuit, held in treacherous weather, to mark his entrance into the championship promoted as the “cornerstone of formula racing in the Asia region”.

Racing for reigning champions BlackArts Racing (BAR) team, Tavartkiladze qualified sixth on the grid on Saturday before finishing fourth in race one and taking the win in race two at the circuit on Sunday.

The Georgian finished the 21 laps of the latter race 3.5 seconds ahead of ART team’s Liu Zexuan and 7.3 in front of another ART driver Kurt Hill, just days after signing for the BAR team and the new series.

See Sandro Tavartkiladze in action in race two at the Zhuhai Circuit below:

Tavartkiladze and BAR are now leading the championship after the opening round, with the teenage driver’s 47 points putting him seven ahead of Hill in the standings.

Signing for the team following what BAR called his “strong test results” at the Zhuhai circuit, Tavartkiladze was praised by the team as an “undisputed leader of the [Georgian] scene in single-seater formula” over the past years.

The young driver also offered his reaction to the signing, thanking the team “for giving me a chance like this” and vowing to “do everything to do well and win the title”.

Competing in Georgia most recently in the Formula Alpha class, the promotion to the Asian Formula Renault Series (AFR) means moving to a more powerful Formula Renault 2.0-class racing cars for Tavartkiladze.

Tavartkiladze signed for BAR, reigning champions in the Asian series, after showing “impressive” results in pre-season testing. Photo: BlackArts Racing on Facebook.

Launched in 2001, the AFR is one of open-cockpit junior Formula motorsports series around the world, used by young drivers as a springboard for promotion to higher-class racing.

Drivers competing in Formula 1, the highest-class open-cockpit racing recognised as the pinnacle of international motor racing, debut in the junior Formula series before progressing through the ranks with the aim of eventually reaching F1.

Races for the Asian Formula Renault Series are held on a range of circuits including some tracks that host F1 rounds. Additionally, former Formula 1 drivers including Kazuki Nakajima and Bruno Senna raced in the Asian Formula Renault Series in invitational races held between 2002-2005.

The next AFR race will be held at the Ningbo International Speedpark in China over the weekend of May 25-26.