Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Frederik Vesti

  • Crawford and Vesti confirmed for Rookie Test

    Andretti have announced that Jak Crawford and Frederik Vesti will represent the Andretti Formula E team at the official Season 11 Berlin Rookie Test, taking place on Monday 14th July.

    Crawford returns to the Andretti Porsche 99X Electric cockpit for his third outing with the team, continuing to build on his experience as the Andretti Formula E’s team’s Reserve and Development Driver.

    The American impressed in his previous appearances at the 2024 Berlin Rookie Test, where he finished second overall, and the 2025 Jeddah E-Prix Free Practice 0 session, where he topped the timing sheets.

    Joining him in Berlin is Danish driver, Frederik Vesti, who will return to the all-electric World Championship having previously tested for Mahindra Racing at last year’s Rookie Test.

    A multiple race winner in Formula 2 and a former title contender, Vesti brings added pedigree through his role as a test and reserve driver for Mercedes AMG F1 team.

    Currently competing in the IMSA Sports Car Championship with Cadillac Whelen, the Danish driver’s experience at multiple levels of motorsport will serve him well as he builds on his previous Formula E outing and tackles the challenges of the GEN3 Evo.

    We’re pleased to confirm Jak and Frederik as our rookie test drivers for Berlin. Jak continues to impress us with both his pace and professionalism, and having him back for a third outing will allow him to build even further on the work he’s already done with our simulator and engineering teams. We’re also very excited to welcome Frederik to Andretti Formula E. His motorsport experience across a variety of categories and his reserve driver role with the Mercedes-AMG F1 team make him an excellent addition to our rookie lineup. It’s a seriously strong pairing, and we’re looking forward to seeing what both drivers can deliver.
    Roger Griffiths, Team Principal.

    I’m looking forward to getting back the car for another outing. It feels like it hasn’t been that long ago that I was driving in Free Practice 0 in Jeddah, so I’m excited to get back out and put in some good work for the team. I really enjoyed driving the track in Berlin at last year’s Rookie Test and felt I performed well, so very much looking forward to getting some more laps under my belt.
    Jak Crawford on the news.

    I’m extremely happy and proud to be participating in the Rookie Test. I did the one-day test last year and had a good experience in the Formula E car, but this time around with a bit more experience and with a great team such as Andretti behind me, it’s going to be a really exciting day for me to explore the all new GEN3 Evo, work with engineers and of course, learn from the team. Hopefully, I can also contribute to some of the team’s different test items throughout the day.
    Frederik Vesti on the news.

  • Vesti to drive in FP1 at Bahrain

    Frederik Vesti will be driving for Mercedes in the opening session for this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

    Mercedes’ test and reserve driver, will be taking over George Russell’s W16 for FP1 at the Bahrain International Circuit, having already assisted the squad with simulator work at Brackley this year.

    This is the Dane’s third appearance in a grand prix weekend, having also driven in FP1 for Mercedes in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2023.

    This year, he is dovetailing his Mercedes commitments with a drive in the IMSA Sports Car Championship with the factory backed Action Express Cadillac team.

    New for 2025 signing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has already fulfilled the requirements for Mercedes in Australia and China, but now that the Italian has completed two grands prix, he is no longer considered a rookie for this purpose.

    The Sakhir circuit is seen as an ideal venue for F1 teams to bring in newcomers, as they already have a substantial amount of data from the track during pre-season testing in February.

    I am really looking forward to getting my first taste of the W16 in FP1 in Bahrain. Being able to put all of my simulator work into practice on the track is a really exciting prospect for me. At the start of the year, I set myself the goal of maximising every chance I get behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2025, and that is what I hope to achieve in Bahrain. I will be doing everything I can to help the team, George, and Kimi get set for the rest of the weekend. I am grateful to Mercedes for once again giving me this opportunity.
    Vesti on the news.

  • Vesti to line-up for Mahindra at Berlin Rookie Test

    Mahindra Racing will field Frederik Vesti in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s upcoming Berlin Rookie Test on 13th May.

    The Dane is among the standout talents to emerge from the FIA’s single-seater pathway in recent times, where he has grabbed an impressive 37 race victories and 81 podium finishes across stints in Formula 4, Formula Regional, FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2.

    The 22 year old from Langelund narrowly finished runner-up in Formula 2 last season where he scored an impressive six victories and 10 podiums.

    Since departing Formula 2, Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Reserve Driver Vesti has been a pillar of the team’s simulator programme, and concentrated his racing efforts on sportscars in the European Le Mans Series but will get his first experience of the Gen3 with Mahindra Racing in Berlin.

    Lining up alongside one of Formula 2’s current leading lights and of Mahindra’s current Reserve Drivers, Kush Maini.

    In preparation, he has already visited Mahindra’s purpose-built factory in Banbury for a seat fit, and to begin building up his knowledge and understanding the car on the team’s simulator.

    First of all, I’d like to say a big thank you to Fred for giving me this opportunity. It’s a great chance to test, and to prove myself as a rookie in a new championship. It’s an amazing opportunity to learn, which is only going to help me grow as a driver. It’s what motivates me, I’m really looking forward to trying the GEN3 Formula E car, which I understand is quite a challenge. That’s probably what I like most about Formula E, it is challenging and the fact it’s a competitive World Championship that attracts some of the best drivers – and teams – is a great platform for me. I’ve finished up my preparations together with the team, so now I’m counting down the days until Berlin!
    Vesti on the news.

    We’re delighted to welcome Frederik to the team for the Berlin Rookie Test. This event is important for the team, in order to continue our testing programme and development work, but there is an equal focus on giving new talent the opportunity to experience the world of Formula E. He’s young, enthusiastic, and very quick – all the right traits for us to give him a chance in the car. His record in the junior categories speaks for itself. I’m confident that, with a drivers of Frederik’s abilities and experience, and together with Kush, we will be able to have a productive test and keep the team moving forward from there.
    Frederic Bertrand, Mahindra Racing CEO and Team Principal.

  • Vesti to make F1 debut for Mercedes

    Mercedes junior driver and F2 championship contender Frederik Vesti will take part in an official F1 session for the first time later this year, during Free Practice 1 in Mexico.

    Vesti, 21, sits second in the F2 standings – 12 points behind Sauber-backed Theo Pourchaire with three rounds remaining, having claimed four wins and seven podium finishes so far this season.

    Having made his F1 test debut with Mercedes at the end of 2022 season in Abu Dhabi, the Danish driver’s next step will be the opening 60 minute session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

    Each Formula 1 team is required to run a rookie driver in two FP1 sessions across the season, defined as a racer with less than two grand prix of experience.

    Toto Wolff believes that with Vesti impressing in Formula 2, this FP1 outing will now serve as the next key step in his progression.

    I’m incredibly proud to be doing the FP1 session in Mexico City with the team – it’s a dream come true. To think in less than two months that I’ll be doing my first official Formula 1 session with Mercedes, who have won eight consecutive constructors’ championships, is amazing. This has been my dream since I was very young and something I’ve been fighting for through my whole junior career. It’s taken a lot of hard work, and this is a very important step for me on my journey. This has been my dream since I was very young and something I’ve been fighting for through my whole junior career. It’s taken a lot of hard work, and this is a very important step for me on my journey. I want to thank Mercedes for this incredible opportunity, as well as my sponsors and manager for always believing in me. I can’t wait to be driving W14 for the first time.

    Vesti on the test.

    Fred has executed an impressive Formula 2 campaign so far this season. Driving in an FP1 session is the next step in his development and we’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity. Fred has executed an impressive Formula 2 campaign so far this season. Driving in an FP1 session is the next step in his development and we’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity.

    Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff.

  • F2 – RND 9 – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Reserve pole sitter, Vesti got things underway with a rolling start, pulling well clear of Isack Hadjar, Pourchaire and Bearman, who dispatched Enzo Fittipaldi with a brave move around the out of Becketts.

    Further down the order, Brad Benavides spun off at the loop after being tagged by Clement Novalak, as the pair tried to avoid a slowing Ayumu Iwasa.

    Once the safety car went in on Lap 3, Vesti once again nailed his getaway steadily began building his advantage out front. Teammate Bearman wasted no time dispatching two cars in one lap.

    Fittipaldi and Victor Martins were locked in battle over sixth. From the loop, the pair were side-by-side until the Rodin car was able to sweep into Copse to keep the position.

    As conditions slowly improved, Doohan caught Bearman on lap 11 to set up fight for the remaining laps. Up ahead, Pourchaire utilised his better traction out of Club to snatch second from Hadjar on Lap 12.

    Doohan and Bearman then resumed their battle on lap 17. Desperate to keep the place after Doohan got alongside him out of Stowe, Bearman locked-up into Vale and ended running up into the gravel.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Vesti, P2: Pourchaire, P3: Doohan, P4: Fittipaldi, P5: Hadjar, P6: Bearman, P7: Martins, P8: Leclerc, P9: Nissany and P10: Maloney.

    Day 3-

    Ayumu Iwasa got a lightning start from third, immediately getting the better of pole sitter Martins off the line. However, the ART Grand Prix instantly fought it back, diving up the inside of the loop to retake the lead.

    Meanwhile, second-place Kush Maini got bogged down off the line, allowing Oliver Bearman to move up into third and Enzo Fittipaldi dived up past Jack Doohan for fourth.

    Martins already had a 4.5s advantage before the first Safety Car arrived on Lap 7 following a spin for Amaury Cordeel at Stowe. The ART driver and the top six soft tyre runners took the opportunity to complete their mandatory stops.

    Racing resumed on lap 11, Hadjar was able to put a gap between himself and Leclerc, while Doohan lost out to both Maloney and Pourchaire.
    Further back, Championship leader Frederik Vesti was caught up in a crash at Vale, tagged from behind by Dennis Hauger. The contact knocking him straight into Roman Stanek’s Trident, triggering a second Safety Car.

    On Lap 17, Martins was handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage just as the Safety Car made a third appearance of the day.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maloney, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Doohan, P5: Iwasa, P6: Daruvala, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Bearman, P9: Leclerc and P10: Crawford.

  • F2 – RND 7 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Frederik Vesti started the Barcelona weekend where he left off in Monte Carlo, ending the opening session of the weekend P1 for PREMA.

    The Dane set a 1:26.722 to lead from Oliver Bearman, as the Italian team looked comfortable around the circuit. Jehan Daruvala was third for MP Motorsport, 0.3s down on Vesti’s session topping effort.

    A red flag was thrown with just over 20 minutes to go following a spin for Victor Martins coming out of Turn 10. The ART Grand Prix driver lost the back end of the car and couldn’t get going again.

    Enzo Fittipaldi made a late improvement to jump up into third position until he lost his time for exceeding track limits, his next lap put him into the top five.

    Qualifying-

    Oliver Bearman denied Enzo Fittipaldi pole position by just 0.077s with a 1:23.546 in the final moments of Qualifying. The Rodin Carlin provisionally held the top spot until the PREMA Racing driver’s late effort was just good enough to beat the Brazilian. Jack Doohan will be hoping to realign his season, going from P3 on the feature race.

    Victor Martins led the field out of the pitlane as the light went green to get Qualifying underway. The Frenchman set the initial benchmark but that was swift beaten by those behind.

    PREMA Racing opted to run both of their drivers in the gap after the first efforts were complete, joined on track by only the MP Motorsport drivers. Hauger took the sport with a 1:23.923 while Jehan Daruvala lifted himself up to third.

    With 10 minutes left, the next flurry of laptimes arrived and it was Theo Pourchaire who went to the top of the times. That was until Enzo Fittipaldi set a 1:23.623 to put himself P1 once again.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Bearman, P2: Fittipaldi, P3: Doohan, P4: Iwasa, P5: Pourchaire, P6: Hauger, P7: Martins, P8: Vesti, P9: Crawford and P10: Amaury Cordeel.

  • F2 – RND 6 – Day 1 & 2

    Day 1-

    Ayumu Iwasa ended a frantic Free Practice session fastest of all as the DAMS man set a 1:22.081 to lead the grid. The Japanese driver got his best lap in prior to the third Red Flag of the incident session.

    Next to him was Victor Martins for ART Grand Prix, whilst Richard Verschoor ended up third for Van Amersfoort Racing but found himself in the barriers in the closing minutes.

    The first Red Flag came early into the session, as we saw contact between Ralph Boschung and Roman Stanek, with both cars having to be recovered.

    The second Red Flag of the session came out with just over 20 minutes remaining after Bearman lost the rear of his PREMA at Turn 8 and nosed into the barriers.

    Day 2-

    With Monte Carlo Qualifying split into two groups of 11, the random ballot allocated the even numbered cars into Group A and odd numbered cars going second in Group B.

    The first 16 minute segment began with several warm-up laps but it was Victor Martins who set the initial benchmark. But it didn’t stay that way for long as Richard Verschoor was next to hit the top spot just before a red flag was waved due to home-hero Arthur Leclerc who tagged the barriers and saw him out of the session.

    With a 1:21.231 to beat, group B headed out for their turn and Dennis Hauger laid down the first effort. His 1:22.979 was bettered by several, but it was Theo Pourchaire who went quickest overall.

    Plenty of personal bests followed but the ART Grand Prix man remained on top with a 1:21.354 ahead of Zane Maloney and Frederik Vesti by a tenth with less than five minutes to go.

    The Dane put in three purple sectors on his following attempt to go top with a 1:21.053 ensuring Group B was fighting for pole. It was enough for pole as on the final attempts, Clement Novalak hit the barriers at Portier to bring out the Red Flags, ending the session early.

  • Vesti to PREMA

    Frederik Vesti will be driving for PREMA Racing, the team has confirmed. The Dane will swap from ART Grand Prix for next season, reuniting with the Italian team for the first time since 2020.

    During his last spell with PREMA, Vesti captured the Formula Regional European Championship title in 2019, the following year he finished fourth in the FIA Formula 3 Championship before switching to ART for the 2021 F3 season.

    This year, Vesti finished ninth in the Driver’s Championship on 117 points in what was his rookie F2 campaign, he took a maiden victory in Baku Spritn Race and a further four podium finishes.

    We are delighted to welcome Frederik back. He is a quick and hard-working driver, which we already had the chance to appreciate in 2019 and 2020. We are obviously looking forward to joining forces again and seeing what we will be able to achieve together next season. With his skills and the experience, he has matured. We expect him to be a contender and we are determined to support him the best way we can.

    Rene Rosin, PREMA Team Principal.

    To join PREMA Racing for the 2023 Formula 2 season is great news for me. I have known PREMA since 2019 when we won the Formula Regional European Championship together. PREMA is an amazing place to be at and in my opinion gives me the best opportunity to fight for the F2 title in 2023! I have big dreams and PREMA is the team I believe that I can achieve those dreams with. There is no doubt that 2023 F2 is going to be incredibly close, but I will give my everything to be fast and consistent throughout the season.

    Frederik Vesti on his new seat.

  • Vesti, Young Driver Test with Mercedes

    Mercedes junior driver, Frederik Vesti will be getting his first Formula 1 opportunity at the post-season Abu Dhabi test, with the team confirming that the Dane will be at the wheel of the W13 on the rookie day of the session.

    Vesti, signed to the Mercedes young driver programme prior to the 2021 season, going on to finish fourth in the FIA Formula 3 Championship and graduated to Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix for the 2022 season.

    He took his maiden victory in the series in the Baku Sprint Race earlier in the season and has scored a further four podium finishes so far this year. The 20 year-old currently sits eighth in the F2 drivers’ standings on 117 points ahead of the final round in Abu Dhabi next week.

    The post-season test is set for November 22nd to 23rd following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    A childhood dream coming true! On the 22. of November I will complete my first ever running in a Mercedes Formula 1 car at the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi! It’s an incredible sign of trust from Mercedes which I like to thank them for! No words can describe the feeling of getting this opportunity. It’s something that will boost my career in the future and I can’t wait to be behind the wheel of W13! A lot of preparation is coming ahead of the test with seat fit, simulator and quite a few procedures to learn.

    Frederik Vesti took to social media.
  • F2 Baku- Day 2 & 3

    F2 Baku- Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Speaking ahead of the Sprint Race, Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti believed it would be decided on the final lap around Baku, but I don’t think he even could predict what happened. Throwing caution to the wind late on, the ART Grand Prix driver charged his way to the front and to his first victory in Formula 2.

    Having led the majority of the race, Jehan Daurvala had to settle for second after three safety cars in the second half of the race wiped away his advantage. Whilst Liam Lawson, demonstrated Baku’s overtaking capabilities as he carved his way through from P9 to get the final podium spot.

    Hauger was the first to bring out the safety car as he tried to make a move past Pourchaire into Turn 3, but went straight into the barrier after locking up. Once we was racing again, it didn’t last long as Vips HiTech was cut off by Enzo Fittipaldi and was unable to turn left, sending the duo into the run off area at Turn 2.

    Leaving it late on the restart, Daruvala locked up leaving the door wide open for Vesti to storm past the PREMA and up into the lead. Lawson then made his way past Drugovich, and set his sights on Verschoor ahead for P3, unfortunately for the Trident driver he went in to deep at Turn 7 and planted himself in the barriers bringing out the Safety Car.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Vesti, P2: Daruvala, P3: Lawson, P4: Armstrong, P5: Drugovich, P6: Sargeant, P7: Pourchaire, P8: Iwasa, P9: Hughes and P10: Nissany.

    Day 3-

    Dennis Hauger claimed his first F2 Feature Race win after a tense battle with Juri Vips, which saw the Estonian driver crash out of the race. The pair were battling sector by sector in the closing stages and with just over five minuted remaining, the Hitech GP man clipped the wall in the castle section.

    Logan Sargeant completed a measured drive to take second, whilst our Championship leader, Felipe Drugovich extended his points advantage finishing third.

    Contact between Amaury Cordeel and Olli Caldwell at Turn 4 brought out the Safety Car early on. Racing then resumed on Lap 5, and Marcus Armstrong was immediately on the attack for P2.

    The Safety car was then back out on Lap 12 following an incident between Roy Nissany and Cem Bolukbasi – the Charouz Racing driver went into Turn 2 but on the exit the pair made wheel to wheel contact which saw both drivers go into the wall.

    Back to back fastest laps for Vips on Lap 19 and 20 but couldn’t quite break Hauger’s pursuit. Vips then clipped the wall with 5 minutes remaining and the frustration was clear on the Estonian’s face when he got out the car. The race finished under the Safety Car due to the HiTech car still being on track and debris.

    The top 10 were: P1: Hauger, P2: Sargeant, P3: Drugovich, P4: Daruvala, P5: Verschoor, P6: Fittipaldi, P7: Vesti, P8: Sato, P9: Boschung and P10: Hughes.

    We haven’t got that long to wait until we see F2 cars back on track, we have just under 3 weeks and we will be at Silverstone for Round 7 which marks the halfway mark in the championship!

  • Vesti promoted to F2

    Vesti promoted to F2

    ART Grand Prix have confirmed their 2022 line-up for Formula 2, Frederik Vesti will pair up with Théo Pourchaire.

    The Mercedes junior, swapped Prema racing to ART for his second season of Formula 3, he managed to get five podiums and one win in which he ended the year fourth overall.

    The 20 year old, ran F2 machinery for the very first time at the end of pre-season testing where he finished top 10 in the afternoon session of Day 1.

    He first made his single-seater debut if Formula Ford Denmark in 2016, he finished as Danish F4 vice-champion the following season. In 2019, he went on to win the Formula Regional European title, where he had an impressive 20 podiums from 24 races, including 13 race wins.

    “To sign my FIA Formula 2 contract with ART Grand Prix is a big thing for me,” said Vesti. “We worked incredibly hard in F3 last season and to continue the progress into Formula 2 together is important for my next step. Now it is crucial to understand all the small details of Formula 2 to achieve the maximum in 2022. Testing in Abu Dhabi went really well, and I learned a lot of new things. I can’t wait to be in the car for the first test in Bahrain! I want to thank ART Grand Prix for this great opportunity and for believing in me.”

    ART Grand Prix Team Principal Sébastien Philippe added: “The first year of the partnership was fruitful for both sides with several podiums and a win that saw Fred end the year in 4th place with a total of 17 top 10s in 20 races. Some details kept him from fighting for the title, but we know he has what it takes to do so. After two years of F3, the logical continuation of our collaboration goes through F2. The offseason testing has met our expectations and in 2022 we will aim to fight at the forefront.”

    My Opinion-

    I didn’t doubt for a moment he would not get this seat, its deserved and it will be interesting to see how he makes the step up. ART have a really good line-up this year, Vesti is hungry for podiums/wins and Pourchaire wants to win the championship so they will most definitely be going for the teams championship.