Tasmanian Alex Peroni will race for the Indy Lights championship-winning Carlin team in a switch to the IndyCar feeder series in 2021.
Peroni makes the move after two years in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, in which he finished 10th this year with three podiums and two fastest laps along the way.
The 21-year-old enjoyed backing from home during that spell and will continue to do so in North America.
“I’m seriously pumped to be joining the 2021 Indy Lights field and to be doing it with a team such as Carlin who I know have been successful in the series before and of course I know well from Europe,” said Peroni.
“I’m so thankful to Blundstone and the state of Tasmania for their continued support and for allowing me to follow my dream.
“No doubt there will be a lot to learn in terms of both the car and the different circuits, but I am absolutely ready for the challenge and know I will have a great team behind me to bring me up to speed.”
Carlin has had success as a junior team on both sides of the Atlantic, including fielding now McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris when he won the 2017 Formula 3 European Championship.
It took the Indy Lights title a year prior with Ed Jones, but left the junior category when it stepped into the IndyCar Series itself in 2018.
“We’re really excited to be back in Indy Lights having been so successful in the series in the past,” said Team Principal Trevor Carlin.
“It’s a fantastic series to prepare drivers for the NTT IndyCar Series and it was always our aim to return to the junior formula once we had become more settled in IndyCar.
“We’re very proud that Alex and his sponsors have chosen Carlin as the team to take his first steps into US racing.
“We know having raced against him in the immensely competitive FIA Formula 3 Championship what he is capable of and I can’t wait to see his potential evolve in the Indy Lights field.”
Carlin’s return to Indy Lights will see it also operate as the top rung of Jay Howard’s Driver Development, which competes in Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000.
After the 2020 season was cancelled, official Indy Lights action for 2021 will kick off with a test on Homestead-Miami’s road course in February, before the opening rounds at St Petersburg in March.
Indy Lights 2021 calendar
| Rnd(s) | Circuit | Date | |
| Test | Homestead-Miami (road course) | Feb 24 | |
| 1 | 2 | St Petersburg | Mar 5-7 |
| 3 | 4 | Indianapolis (GP) | May 13-15 |
| 5 | 6 | Detroit | Jun 12-13 |
| 7 | 8 | Road America | Jun 17-20 |
| Test | Mid-Ohio | Jun 30 | |
| 9 | 10 | Mid-Ohio | Jul 2-4 |
| 11 | 12 | Toronto | Jul 9-11 |
| 13 | 14 | Gateway | Aug 19-21 |
| 15 | 16 | Portland | Sep 9-12 |
| 17 | 18 | Laguna Seca | Sep 17-19 |
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