- Rising American open-wheel racer ready to tackle some of Europe’s finest circuits
- Georgia native joins forces with established title-winning outfit Nielsen Racing
- Manager Rory Butcher tips his protégé to ‘make great strides forward once again’
Shawn Rashid will shift his career up a gear as he graduates to the international scene in 2025, after signing up to contest the fiercely-disputed Euroformula Open Championship with Nielsen Racing.
Rashid spent last season racing in the GB3 Championship and then – over the winter – Formula Regional Oceania in New Zealand, reaching the rostrum in both. With his star in the ascendancy, the American decided the time was ripe for a fresh challenge this year – and Euroformula Open presented itself as the perfect opportunity.
Visiting iconic grand prix circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Hockenheim in Germany, France’s Paul Ricard and Italy’s legendary ‘Temple of Speed’, Monza, the popular Formula 3-level series has enjoyed increasing success in terms of quality of entries, geographical expansion and global exposure.
Indeed, Euroformula Open has established itself as a key stepping-stone on the international single-seater ladder, providing an ideal platform for rising stars to showcase their skills in a competitive environment. It has also developed a strong track record of helping to catapult drivers towards the pinnacle of the sport.
Current Formula 1 aces Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Jack Doohan are all championship alumni, as are 2024 IndyCar champion Alex Palou and runner-up Colton Herta, while multiple grand prix-winner Carlos Sainz Jr participated in Euroformula Open in its previous guise as the European F3 Open Championship. Now Rashid is aiming to follow in their wheeltracks.
“We had a number of options on the table for 2025 in various different series,” reflects the Atlanta, GA native. “I knew I wanted to move on from GB3 and continue advancing my career, and while the Euroformula opportunity came up quite late, it immediately piqued my interest. I spoke to a few drivers in New Zealand who have raced in the championship, and they all described it as the best single-seater around – very close to F1 in terms of aero-to-weight balance – and said they learned more from competing in Euroformula than any other series.”
For his assault on honours, Rashid has opted to join Nielsen Racing – a proven title-winning outfit in both the Asian Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup, and a podium-finisher in-class in the Le Mans 24 Hours in only its second appearance in the gruelling round-the-clock affair in 2022.
“There are several new teams joining the championship this year, and finding out Nielsen was one of them made it an even more attractive proposition,” explains the Purdue University Industrial Engineering graduate.
“It’s a really well-managed, professionally-run outfit that has achieved a lot of success in prototype racing, and I’ve received plenty of positive feedback about the team. That made the choice pretty straightforward in the end. The calendar is also really exciting, and I’ve either raced or tested at all of the tracks except Hockenheim, so there should be no big learning curve in that respect.
“I already have a good relationship with my new team-mate, Ed Pearson, having raced against him in GB3, and I’m looking forward to working together. The grid looks like being close to 20 cars this year and there are several drivers with extensive experience coming back, so the competition will be of a very high standard but ultimately, my goal is simple – I want to finish inside the overall top three.”
Rashid is currently getting to grips with the Tom’s-powered Dallara 324 that he will race in 2025 during the pre-season group test at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which will host the penultimate outing of the eight-stop campaign in September. The curtain-raiser will take place at Portimão in Portugal on 26-27 April, and the Oxford-based racer’s manager – former British Touring Car Championship Independents’ title-winner, Rory Butcher – is confident his protégé can hit the ground running.
“We spent a lot of time evaluating options to identify the best path for Shawn’s continued career progression,” reveals the Scot. “He has proved his potential and versatility with his performances in both GB3 and Formula Regional Oceania, and he is clearly ready to take the next step.
“The opportunity for him to continue learning and developing is one of the reasons why Euroformula Open is such a fantastic fit. With the knowledge and expertise of Nielsen Racing, the prospect of a strong and competitive field and what is viewed by many as the best single-seater race car outside of F1 with which to sharpen his skillset, I have no doubt that Shawn will make great strides forward once again.”