Niklas Krütten’s motorsport schedule for 2021 has been finalised: the German will line up in the European Le Mans Series in the coming season.
The 18-year-old from the Rhineland-Palatinate region will drive a Ligier JS P320 for the COOL Racing team. His schedule will be supplemented by selected outings in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with WIN Autosport in the USA.
2021 has some exciting changes in store for Niklas Krütten. After three years in single-seater racing, the young man from Trier is switching cockpit and will now put pedal to the metal for his new team, COOL Racing, in Le Mans prototypes. Together with his team-mates Nicolas Maulini from Switzerland and Britain’s Matt Bell, he will contest the full season in the European Le Mans Series and start in the LMP3 class at the wheel of a Ligier JS P320. The Swiss team has been racing in the championship since 2017 and also runs a car in the LMP2 class in the same series.
Nico Lapierre, Managing Director of COOL Racing: “We’re delighted to welcome Niklas to the team, it’s great to have a young driver from single seaters so early. Niklas was definitely a talent in F3, he proved that by finishing as best rookie in Euroformula Open in 2020 so we are excited to be racing with him. We already did some testing with Niklas and he showed great pace and a good understanding of the endurance world so I’m really looking forward to having him in the car this year. It’s a very strong combination to partner him with Matt Bell, a very experienced LMP3 racer and the crew’s leader, and Nicolas Maulini who is one of the fastest bronze drivers out there. He’s got a lot of experience, he’s fast and reliable so we’re glad he’s stepping up with us from Michelin Le Mans Cup. It will be our first year in ELMS LMP3 so we will take it step by step, but we have a great line-up to fight at the front.”
This year’s ELMS calendar consists of six rounds in six European countries. The season kicks off on 17th April in Barcelona (Spain) and ends in Portimão (Portugal) on 24th October. Between these two dates, the series will visit the Red Bull Ring (Austria), Le Castellet (France) and Monza (Italy), as well as Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium).
“When I got the offer to join Nico and the team at COOL Racing, I did not have to think twice. The work with the team is super professional and great fun. I feel we have a team line-up and spirit that should allow us to fight for top positions in the ELMS from the get-go,” says Krütten.
He is set to make his endurance racing debut this weekend (19th/20th March) in the USA. As well as his outings in the ELMS, Krütten will also line up for WIN Autosport in selected races in the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The schedule includes the 12H Sebring, 4H Watkins Glen and the legendary Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Here too, he will be driving an LMP3 prototype.
“I am really looking forward driving for COOL Racing and WIN Autosport this year! After three years of sprint racing in single-seaters, I am very excited about my first outings in endurance racing with Le Mans prototypes. As well as the circuits, new challenges like race strategy, pit stops and driver changes also await. They provide a great opportunity to demonstrate my potential and develop as a driver,” says Krütten.