Zhenrui Chi earns MP Motorsport F3 seat for 2027

Zhenrui Chi will graduate to FIA Formula 3 with MP Motorsport in 2027, continuing his relationship with the Dutch team after competing for them in the Formula Regional European Championship this year. The 17-year-old will join Matteo De Palo and Maciej Gladysz in the team’s line-up.

Chi’s move follows a steady progression through junior single-seater categories. He began racing in single-seaters in 2024, finishing fifth in the Formula Trophy UAE after building a strong karting career. The following season, he recorded a victory and four further podiums in Italian F4, ending the championship fifth in the drivers’ standings.

Chi steps up after an eighth-place FREC finish

His first Formula 3 campaign will come after a season in which he placed eighth in the Formula Regional European Championship with MP. The team will retain him for the next step, while also confirming De Palo and Gladysz as his 2027 team-mates.

The team’s other two seats were previously covered in our reports on Gladysz’s return to MP and De Palo’s 2027 deal.

Chi said he was pleased to make the promotion with MP, pointing to the working relationship developed during their FREC season. He believes that experience gives him confidence heading into Formula 3, and hopes to help the team build on its late-season form.

MP’s 2027 line-up takes shape

Chi also identified contributing to MP’s pace as a personal objective for his rookie F3 season. His promotion keeps him with the squad as he moves up a level, following a campaign that combined a top-eight finish in Formula Regional with the experience of working alongside the Dutch outfit.

Before that, his Italian F4 results had already established him among the championship’s leading finishers: he ended fifth, with one win and four podiums. His route to Formula 3 has therefore included finishes of fifth in the Formula Trophy UAE, fifth in Italian F4 and eighth in FREC.

At 17, Chi now has a first season in the FIA’s third-tier championship ahead of him. He will make the step alongside De Palo and Gladysz as MP assembles its 2027 roster.