The 22-year-old Italian will return to the series having claimed eighth in the championship standings last year.
British racer Barnicoat, who contested the two Silverstone rounds of the 2020 season with the team, will return to his official duties with McLaren in the British GT Championship this weekend. Replacing him in the Surrey-based squad will be Pulcini, already a race winner in FIA F3 and the former GP3 Series. An experienced racer on the tricky Pirelli tyres, Pulcini will assist the team with useful feedback as well as proven pace this weekend in Spain.
Speaking about his return to the FIA Formula 3 Championship, Pulcini said, “This was something of an unexpected call up to return to the FIA F3 championship but of course I am excited to get back in the car again and assist Carlin this weekend in any way I can. As a driver you want to race at every opportunity so it’s exciting to be back on track in an F3 car in Barcelona. The team have obviously made some good progress in recent weeks and we will be working hard to continue that trend this weekend.”
Trevor Carlin commented, “We’d firstly like to thank McLaren for allowing Ben to race with us at Silverstone but of course his McLaren programme remains his priority so we understand he can’t be with us in Barcelona. Leo will be a fantastic asset to the team this weekend. He has great experience in the series, is a proven race winner and will provide useful feedback as we continue our upward progression. We’re grateful he was able to join us this weekend between his Italian GT commitments.”