Earlier this week, Christian Mansell was confirmed at ART for his second season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

The Australian youngster also picked up the award for Best Comeback of the Year at the Formula 3 prize giving ceremony in Monaco.

The 18-year-old has now confirmed he will race in New Zealand during the European off-season.

“Really happy to announce that I’ll be partnering Castrol for the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania series with Giles Motorsport,” he announced on social media.

“It’s a mega opportunity, I’ve never been to New Zealand before for racing, so I’m really excited to hit the track.”

Team owner Stephen Giles added: “All of the team at Giles Motorsport welcomes Christian and we’re looking forward to working with him when the championship kicks off,” said Stephen Giles.

“Although Christian only has a limited programme and may not be competing for the overall title, we’ll be working hard to help him secure the best results possible in preparation for his 2024 European season and we’re sure that he’ll be one to watch when we get underway at Taupo.”

The Formula Regional Oceania Championship is the rebranded Toyota Racing Series, with all drivers racing a Tatuus FT-60 chassis powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged Toyota engine.

The 2024 championship takes in five rounds in as many weeks, starting at Taupo on January 19-21.

Outings at Manfield, Hampton Downs, and Ruapuna follow before Highlands hosts the final round on February 16-18.

The 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship begins in conjunction with the opening round of the F1 season in Bahrain on February 29 – March 2.

With pre-season testing ahead of that, Mansell is therefore poised to miss the end of the Formula Regional competition.