The championship was formed by a merger of the GP3 series and the FIA Formula 3 European championship, and will now effectively be two steps away from the Formula One championship.

There are ten teams registered for the championship with three drivers to be named for each team and the problem is there are some 50 drivers vying for the 30 spots.

Following the final round of the 2018 Formula One season at the Yas Marina circuit at the end of November, Peroni joined other aspiring drivers for a three-day test programme with Spanish team Campos Racing.

Both circuit and car were completely new to Peroni but he adapted very quickly, finishing in the top ten in every session and beating the times of the top three drivers from this year’s Formula Renault Eurocup that the 19-year-old also competed in.

All cars competing in the championship will feature the same Dallara chassis and 3.4-litre naturally aspirated Mecachrome engine developing 410 horsepower which is 200 horsepower more than he has been used to.

The car also has more aerodynamic downforce, but apart from the outright speed of the car, Peroni said the biggest difference was the shorter brake distances and the acceleration out of the corners.

“After four years in junior development categories I’m ready for the challenge of racing in a top level series,” Peroni said.

The cars do not have power steering and the G forces are extreme under braking and cornering, so not surprisingly Peroni is working very hard in the off season to build up his fitness level before pre-season testing in March.

The eight-round, 16-race championship starts May 11/12 at Barcelona before moving to Paul Ricard France on June 22/23, Red Bull Ring Austria June 29/30, Silverstone England July 13/14, Hungaroring Hungary August 3/4, Spa Belgium August 31 September 1, Monza Italy September 7/8 and Sochi Russia September 28/29.

There is also going to be a ninth stand-alone race meeting late in the year which will have no impact on the championship.

With all eight rounds on the same weekends as the Formula One and Formula Two championship races, this will be great opportunity for aspiring F1 drivers to demonstrate how good they are.

This year Peroni scored a first and a second in the two support races at the Monaco GP meeting and two wins on the streets of Pau France, which are arguably two of the most difficult and technical circuits in the world.

Now the Formula One season is over, a team of experts has announced the inaugural Power Rankings for the top ten drivers of season 2018.

It’s not necessarily based entirely on podium positions or where a driver finished in the championship, but considers a range of factors on and off the track.

Lewis Hamilton at number one is no real surprise with a disciplined season that saw him fight back from a slow start to the season to achieve his fifth world title.

The surprise was Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at number two with the Dutchman showing more maturity this year especially in the second half of the season.

Ferrari’s Sebastien Vettel was third despite silly mistakes that probably cost him the championship. He will need to lift his game in 2019.

Despite a dreadful year with eight retirements in his Red Bull, Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo came in at number four, which was a measure of how highly he is regarded.

For 21-year-old Charles Leclerc to be number five after just one season and 21 races in the premier category speaks volumes about his ability and reinforces his selection to be Vettel’s team mate in 2019 at Ferrari.

The remaining five in order are Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jnr.