Video Gamer Edges Toward F1 Racing Thanks to Nissan GT Academy

Jann Mardenborough (Credit: © Nissan)

The experimental Nissan PlayStation GT Academy has launched several racing careers, and now one of those professional racers is taking a step toward driving in Formula One races. Jann Mardenborough will begin competing in the GP3 Series, which is a feeder for F1 racing, with the Arden International team. Mardenborough was the winner of the 2011 GT Academy and is participating in a driver development program through Infiniti Red Bull Racing, which recently has dominated F1 racing.

In the last two years, Mardenborough has excelled in Le Mans Prototypes, GT cars, and even single-seater racecars. He recently won the runner-up spot in the TRS single-seater challenge, which is based in New Zealand. At Le Mans 2013, he achieve a podium finish, which was two years to the day after he graduated from the GT Academy.

“I feel ready for GP3. I’ve prepared well and I have all the right people around me to help my development so I can fully focus on my racing.” said Mardenborough. “Formula 3 has taught me so many things, both in the car and out of the car, both mentally and physically. It was a great stage in my development and I’m sure the skills I’ve learned there will help me in GP3 and beyond. I’m excited to work with Arden. My initial impressions of them are excellent; they have a lot of experience and great success over the years. I’m looking forward to working with my race engineer Sean (McGill). I haven’t raced the GP3 car yet,” he continued. “But going on initial testing, I prefer the GP3 car to an F3 car. The power is very addictive! This season is my opportunity to impress more people in the sport who make the decisions on who makes it into F1 and who doesn’t, and I’m going to give it my best shot.”