Mällinen to Make 2015 Debut in Montreal

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Montreal, Quebec – Max Mällinen will make his 2015 professional racing debut in the F1600 support race during this weekend’s Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal. Mällinen will strap into a familiar Spectrum/Honda as part of a three-car lineup for Championship-winning team Exclusive Autosport.

“Essentially, this is the beginning of my season. This is where I set my goals for the year. I approach each race, regardless of where, the same; I’ll try to win it,” said Mällinen.

The 2014 U.S. Formula F Majors title-winner last raced a Formula F car in Australia, as part of a year-end scholarship program with Borland Racing – the manufacturer of the Spectrum chassis.

After racing F1600 cars in three different categories in the last year, Mällinen will now encounter a fourth in this Quebec-based F1600 Championship, which features Toyo Tires.

“The main difference between the Canadian and other F1600 series is grip. The Canadian tire has less grip than the US tire, somewhere between the US and Australian tires,” he said. “The US tire allows the car to generate mechanical grip and focuses on cornering speeds, while the Australian car and tire package has more power, less grip and lower cornering speeds. Having experience with both of those series, I anticipate the Canadian package to be somewhere in the middle. I know I can adapt quickly, therefore I see no issues after a few laps.”

All set for a break-out 2015 season in the USF2000 Series, Mällinen broke his leg in a ski-related accident, sidelining him for the start of the season earlier this year. Now fully rehabbed thanks to a terrific sports surgeon and intensive physical therapy program, the competitive ski racer will find himself strapped in a familiar office for the summer.

Mällinen, 17 years old and from Liberty Lake, Washington, will drive the No. 91 entry in what is expected to be a very large field in support of the Formula 1 race and packed grand stands in Montreal.

One thing everyone will be short on is track time, as F1600 cars hit the circuit for the first time for qualifying before a race.

“The track time is very limited with the first session being qualy. However, I quite enjoy these opportunities to quickly learn the track and get up to speed. Although I have never raced the circuit, I am very familiar with it from F1. My plan is to be smart, use my track time efficiently, and move up the field,” said Mällinen, who spent most of last year encountering tracks he had never seen or driven prior to showing up with a helmet on Friday mornings.

Exclusive Autosport has the set-up down in Montreal, with four straight wins and two of the last four pole positions under the leadership of team owner Michael Duncalfe.

In addition, Mällinen will debut both a new helmet design and new website (www.maxmallinen.com) in time for the event.