Doriane Pin will be returning to the F1 Academy grid, for her second season as the Mercedes junior looks to go one better this season.
Scoring three victories and an additional five podiums en route to becoming the Vice Champion this year, Pin will remain behind the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG F1 Academy entry operated by PREMA Racing.
The French racer will also benefit from additional track time, as she combines her second F1 Academy season with a second season in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). Alongside participating in select rounds of the Formula Regional Middle East Championship (FRMEC) over winter break.
Determined to fight for the championship in the Mercedes colours, the Iron Dame expressed her delight at continuing the partnership for a second season.
I am excited to continue this journey together with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Iron Dames this year. After becoming Vice Champion in F1 ACADEMY in my maiden season, I am extremely motivated to go for the Drivers’ title in 2025. I will be pushing myself hard to improve over the winter and hopefully can enjoy an even stronger season this year. Pin on the news.
Doriane has enjoyed a very successful first season in single-seaters. Making the switch from GT and endurance cars is never easy, as both the driving style and skill set required is different. She has handled that change well, achieving success in several championships and competing strongly in F1 ACADEMY She has scored some notable successes and finishing second overall in her first season in the category is a superb achievement. Considering the progress she has taken this year and the experience she now has, we are confident that Doriane can fight for the F1 ACADEMY title in 2025. We, along with Iron Dames, are looking forward to supporting her as she does so and looking forward to a successful year ahead. Gwen Lagrue, Mercedes Driver Development Advisor.
We are proud of what Doriane accomplished in 2024 and we are delighted to continue working with her in 2025. Transitioning to a new environment in single-seaters, she was focused and determined as she climbed her learning curve while defying adversities. The results proved she has the potential to be a top competitor, and we cannot wait to see where she will be able to go from here. Rene Rosin, Team Principal of PREMA Racing.
Mercedes junior, and next year’s replacement for Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, will get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as he takes part in his second FP1 session of the season in Mexico.
The 18 year old Italian will take over Hamilton’s W15 in Mexico City, having also driven on Friday at Monza in September. However, the session in Italy came to an early end as a high-speed crash saw him put his borrowed car into the Monza wall just minutes into his debut.
The crash had no bearing on Mercedes’ decision to promote the youngster, with Antonelli confirmed as Hamilton’s replacement at the Silver Arrows the very next day.
Antonelli is currently competing in Formula 2, where so far he has took two wins and 3 podiums, he currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship with two rounds to go!
FIA regulations state all F1 drivers must sit out one FP1 each season for a rookie who has no more than two Grand Prix starts.
I’m looking forward to driving in FP1 and playing my part in helping the team make a good start on track this weekend. It is a new circuit for me and one I have been working hard to prepare for. The altitude makes it unique and it’s a challenge I’m excited to experience. I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity to contribute. Antonelli on the outing.
Mercedes have officially announced that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be George Russell’s team mate for 2025, with the Italian stepping up from F2 to replace Ferrari bound Lewis Hamilton.
The Silver Arrows have been mulling the identity of who would race for them next season after Hamilton told them he was leaving at the end of the season to join Ferrari.
But on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix and just a day after Antonelli, 18, made his FP1 debut with the team at his home event in Monza, they announced the news.
Antonelli has had a stellar junior career, as he rapidly climbed through the ranks. After winning the ADAC and Italian F4 titles in 2022 and Formula Regional European Championship in 2023, the Mercedes junior skipped F3 and entered Formula 2 with PREMA this season.
He has won two races and currently lies 6th in the championship. The 18 year old has dovetailed competing in F2 with a testing programme in old-spec F1 machinery with Mercedes.
In stepping up to F1, it now means both drivers in Mercedes’ 2025 line-up have graduated from their junior programme – with Russell set for his fourth season with the Silver Arrows having joined the junior squad in 2017.
The Italian is expected to get another run for Mercedes in FP1 this year, with the team considering doing it in Mexico.
It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025. Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me. I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team. I’m also really excited to become George’s team-mate. He came through the team’s junior programme just like myself and is someone I have a huge amount of respect for. He is super-fast, a multiple Grand Prix winner, and has already helped me improve as a driver. I am looking forward to learning from him and working together to deliver on track. Antonelli on the news.
Our 2025 driver line-up combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed. We are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership. Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent. George has proved that he is one of the very best drivers in the world. He is not only fast, consistent, and determined, but has also developed into a strong leader within the team. Kimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport. We know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way in the learning process. In George, he has an experienced team-mate from which he can learn and hone his craft. I am confident that both will contribute greatly as we continue to build momentum and fight at the front of the field. Toto Wolff on the junior driver stepping up.
I’m really excited to be partnering with Kimi for 2025. His record in junior formula has been formidable and his promotion is truly deserved. He’s a fantastic young talent and a fellow graduate of our junior programme. I look forward to using the experience I’ve gained from my own journey to provide guidance to Kimi as he makes the step up to F1. I know how much of a support Lewis was for me throughout my time as a junior driver and since I’ve been his team-mate. I’ve learned so much from him and I hope to play a similar role for Kimi. As a team, we’re building a lot of positive momentum heading into next year. We continue to make progress on track and are working hard to put all the pieces in place to fight for world championships. It is a really exciting journey we are on; I am confident Kimi and I can continue to push the team forward and help deliver on the promise we are showing. Russell on the news.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been brought into a lot of conversations the past couple of months, so shall we spread some light on who he is?
Mercedes protege, Kimi Antonelli has been the talk of the Formula 1 paddock since the Miami GP – with some suggesting his arrival in the sport is imminent while others say there’s no rush.
The Italian driver is the reigning Formula Regional European champion, backed by Mercedes, who has performed so strongly that he has skipped F3 and gone straight to F2 this season with Prema.
Alongside his F2 duties, Mercedes have carefully crafted a Formula 1 acclimatisation programme for Antonelli, which began with a run in a 2021-spec Mercedes in Austria and was then followed up with a run in the 2022 Mercedes at Imola.
Several more tests are planned across the year, with the focus on getting the 17 year old plenty of mileage in F1 machinery to prepare him as best as they can for a step up to F1 at some point.
Mercedes do not want to rush Antonelli into Formula 1 and risk damaging a talent so good, he has been likened to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at this stage of his career.
However, things have changed since Hamilton told Mercedes he was leaving a year earlier than planned to join Ferrari. This then forced the Silver Arrows to consider the possibility of bringing Antonelli into F1 at least a year earlier than they had ever contemplated.
Then in Miami, the prospect of Antonelli making his debut in Formula 1 this season was raised when it emerged that governing body the FIA had received a request to give the Italian – who already has the 40 Super Licence points to race in F1 – dispensation to race in the championship before he turns 18 which he will do on August 25th of this year.
There was rumours for the Italian to be brought in halfway through this season but for Williams and Logan Sargeant if he isn’t performing. But Mercedes priority will be to stick to the plan with Antonelli and prepare him properly and then guide him into Formula 1 and nurture what could be an incredible talent.
How do you think Antonelli will get on for his first possible year in F1?
Temperatures were much cooler for the Sprint compared to Friday’s Qualifying and there was a mix of tyres on the gird, with 12 cars fitted with the Softs while the rest chose Hards.
Two of those drivers on the Hards were pole-sitter Verschoor and his fellow front starter Maini, and while they made good starts, Andrea Kimi Antonelli had fired up his tyres from P4 and went round the outside of the Invicta car at Turn 2 to take second.
His fellow drivers on the red tyres were also flying as Gabriel Bortoleto and Enzo Fittipaldi moved up to P6 and P7 respectively by overtaking Isack Hadjar.
By the end of Lap 5, Antonelli was over two seconds clear out front, while Maini was beginning to close in on Verschoor for P2, with Martins just behind.
On to Lap 7, and Fittipaldi was showing strong pace in his Van Amersfoort Racing car and overtook his fellow option tyre runner Bortoleto for P6, going round his compatriot’s outside at Turn 1.
But as the drivers set of on lap 11, what had been a lead of over two second for Antonelli had now been close to 1.6s. Further back, Maini had also created a gap of over two seconds to Martins, who was now defending from Dennis Hauger in the battle for P4.
Verschoor was now right on the back of Antonelli as they started lap 16, but the PREMA driver was resisting each attack. However, he could not hold on much longer, running wide at the final corner before locking up into Turn 1 allowing both Verschoor and Maini through.
Unfortunately for Antonelli, his lock up had proven costly as he was falling through the field with Martins, Fittipaldi, Hauger and Hadjar all making their way past before PREMA made the call to pit him for a set of Hards.
Back in the midfield, Paul Aron was looking to make up the positions he lost at the start as one of the prime tyre runners and went round the outside of Jak Crawford at Turn 2 for P12, despite the American’s attempts to take back the position at T4.
But as the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver was battling to get back into the points, his Championship rival Hadjar was up to fourth after overtaking Fittipaldi and Hauger on lap 21.
Fittipaldi was also struggling on his softs and after losing out to Hauger and Colapinto, he suffered a puncture on his left front tyre forcing him to pit.
By the final lap, Verschoor had built a two-second gap out front and crossed the line to take his fourth Formula 2 victory ahead of Maini, with Martins taking the final podium spot.
However… Richard Verschoor has been disqualified from the results, as the plank on his car was below the minimum thickness required and lost the race win.
So the new full top 10 are- P1: Maini, P2: Martins, P3: Hadjar, P4: Hauger, P5: Colapinto, P6: Aron, P7: Barnard, P8: Correa, P9: Crawford and P10: Bearman.
Day 3-
It was a slow start for pole-sitter, Paul Aron, made worse by his lock up that forced him to go deep at Turn 1, dropping him to seventh. But it was an outstanding getaway from Martins, who was in the lead before approaching the opening corner after starting fifth.
The Hitech Pulse-Eight rookie’s hope of eating into Isack Hadjar’s 20-points championship lead took an early dent despite the Campos Racing driver being forced to start from the pit lane after leaving for the grid late.
Martins was under pressure from front row starter, Enzo Fittipaldi with Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto just behind them, with Hard tyre runners Zane Maloney and Antonelli in fourth and fifth respectively.
A Safety Car was required moments later when Aron, looking to dive down the inside of Hauger, carried too much speed into Turn 2 and went into the back of Maloney, causing both drivers to spin into a stop.
This allowed several of the soft tyre runners, such as Martins, Bortoleto, Fittipaldi, Hauger, O’Sullivan, Bearman and Hadjar to pit for hards and complete their mandatory stop.
The action resumed on lap 8 with Antonelli leading the way ahead of Verschoor and Kush Maini, the trio yet to pit. The Italian was in good form though, building up a lead of over three seconds to Verschoor by lap 13.
Just behind, Martins now on the better tyre in P4 and putting pressure on Maini. The ART driver was up to third on lap 15, going down the inside of the Invicta driver at Turn 1, with Bortoleto doing the same moments later on Amaury Cordeel for P6, Fittipaldi following through shortly afterwards.
Martins’ next target was Verschoor, and he was within DRS range of the Trident by lap 18 and dived down his inside at Turn 1 to move up to P2. But as he looked to close the six and a half second gap to Antonelli, the Safety Car was called upon with Cordeel having crashed at Turn 4.
Racing resumed on lap 27 of 37, with Martins leading away Bortoleto but they were quickly under pressure from Antonelli who got past both Hauger and Fittipaldi before reaching Turn 3.
Following the Safety Cars, the race became one against the clock and with under nine minutes to go, Antonelli used the DRS to his advantage and passed Martins on the main straight to take the lead.
Further behind, Verschoor was also on the charge and went round the outside of Hauger at Turn 2 to take P5 before getting past Fittipaldi on the next lap at Turn 1.
Onto the final lap, Antonelli had built up a lead of 12s before crossing the line to take his first Feature Race victory of the season, with Martins in second place. Verchoor made a last lap overtake on Bortoleto to take P3 with Fittipaldi.
The full top 10 are- P1: Antonelli, P2: Martins, P3: Verschoor, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Hauger, P7: Maini, P8: Miyata, P9: Barnard and P10: Villagomez.
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.
Doriane Pin quickly got up to speed around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit topping the timesheets in the opening Free Practice session of the 2024 F1 Academy season.
Keeping pace with the PREMA Racing car, Alpine’s Abbi Pulling secured second only two tenths behind. Williams driver, Lia Block made the most out of her final effort leaping up to P3.
Once the lights went green to signal the start of Round 1, the 16 car field ventured out on the medium tyres. Pin set the initial benchmark at 2:09.664.
Times quickly tumbled with both Maya Weug and Bianca Bustamante going top of the leaderboard before Pin once again went fastest with a 2:06.050.
Pushing it to the limit, track evolution meant there was plenty of pace still to be found. Pulling went over a tenth ahead of Pin, but the French driver quickly regained the time to beat, becoming the only driver inside the 2:04s, finishing 0.212s clear of Pulling.
The full top 10 are- P1: Pin, P2: Pulling, P3: Block, P4: Marti, P5: Weug, P6: Lovinfosse, P7: Chambers, P8: Schreiner, P9: Hausmann and P10: Edgar.
Qualifying-
From start to finish, Doriane Pin was the driver to beat in the first qualifying session. Setting a 2:03.472 with six minutes remaining, the Mercedes driver hold on the top spot remained firm, taking both pole positions by 0.785s and 0.684s.
Abbi Pulling and Ferrari’s Maya Weug were locked in a battle for second, with the Alpine driver beating out the Dutch driver for a spot on the front row for both races.
10 drivers bolted out the pits at lights out and immediately set about getting the medium tyres ready underneath them. Pin was the first to get a time on the board, before Pulling went top.
Campos Racing’s trio opted to play the waiting game, holding off their outlaps until 18 minutes to go. It seemed to pay off as Nerea Marti slotted inside the top three on her second effort.
Doriane Pin has been announced as the newest member of the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior Programme, with the 20 year old representing the German team in the 2024 F1 Academy season.
Competing for PREMA Racing and supported by Iron Dames, Pin switches over to single-seaters after enjoying tremendous success in endurance racing. Starting her career in karting in 2016, she went on to win the 2019 French Championship female category before progressing to the Le Mans Cup in 2021, where she scored five podiums.
2022 proved to be a breakthrough year for the Frenchwoman. Dominating the Ferrari Challenge Europe, she secured nine wins out of 14 races on her way to being crowned Champion. Not only this, her victory at the 24 Hours of Spa and achieving a historic win in the GTE-AM Class at the European Le Mans Series season-finale.
Making the step up to the FIA World Endurance Championship grid for 2023, Pin became the first woman to win the coveted ‘Revelation of the Year’ Award. Last year also saw her get her first little taste of single-seaters, finishing second in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship with one win to her name.
I am incredibly happy to join the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior Programme and to represent the team in F1 Academy this year with PREMA Racing. A new chapter begins, and I am proud to make this next step in such a prestigious team and with the Iron Dames project. I am grateful for their trust and honoured to race for their colours. Moving into single-seaters was a clear objective for my career, and to be in this environment is a great approach. I am working very hard to reach the top level of this sport and I cannot wait to go racing.
Pin on the news.
Doriane is an exciting talent and we’re pleased to begin our participation in F1 Academy with her as our chosen driver. We have kept a close eye on her development in recent years as she has consistently impressed. The fantastic support of Deborah Mayer and the Iron Dames organisation has enabled her to display her abilities to this point; she has taken full advantage of that opportunity with determination and skill. We now look forward to working in conjunction with Iron Dames, PREMA Racing, and F1 Academy, to support Doriane as she takes the next step in her career.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal.
It’s extraordinary for a young woman of 20 to join the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, one of the most prestigious teams in Formula 1. Since her entry into the Iron Dames project in 2021, Doriane has been a demonstration of talent, determination, and exceptional maturity. Becoming a member of the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior Programme is a promising step in her young career. As F1 Academy has developed, lining-up for its second season promises to be an interesting challenge for her. This is also a wonderful and very positive symbol of the resonance and impact that the Iron Dames project can have in nurturing and blossoming talent. We are proud and delighted to be able to continue to support Doriane as she takes her dream as far as possible.
Trident has confirmed that Paul Aron will race with the team at the final round of the 2023 season at Yas Marina.
The Estonian is fresh from completing his rookie season with PREMA Racing in FIA Formula 3, where he claimed one race win and a further three podiums en route to third in the Drivers’ Championship.
Prior to his F3 campaign, Aron competed in the Italian F4 Championship in what was his maiden campaign of single seater racing. He took two wins and a pole position, finishing that year third in the Drivers’ Standings.
He followed that up with a campaign of Formula Renault Eurocup before he moved on to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, where he took two wins and seven podium finishes on the way to third in the Championship.
He then had a follow up season of FRECA where he claimed six race victories, seven pole positions and eight podiums as he finished third in the 2022 season, before moving on to FIA F3 in 2023.
I’m very excited to be on the Formula 2 grid at the end of this year and I’m very grateful to Trident for giving me this opportunity. It will be a big step in my career, Formula 2 is the highest level of junior single seater racing. I think getting early experience will be key, it will not be an easy weekend as I’ve never been in a Formula 2 car, and we only have one very short Practice session before getting into the car for Qualifying. I’m very excited for the challenge and I’m sure that Trident will help me do the best job possible.
Aron on the news.
It’s with great pleasure that we announce that Paul Aron will make his debut under the Trident Motorsport banner in the FIA Formula 2 Championship next weekend in Abu Dhabi. The team will make its best effort to help him gain confidence in the new category, as this will certainly be an important step for his career. We can’t wait to start working with Paul, who will replace Clément Novalak. As he has long been part of the Trident Motorsport family, we wish the Frenchman the best for his future endeavours.
PREMA Racing have announced that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be graduating to Formula 2 with the team, becoming the first driver announced for the 2024 campagin.
The 17 year old Italian racer steps up as the reigning Champion of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. Earning five victories and a further six podiums on his way to claiming his fifth title in two years.
The Mercedes junior made his step up to single seaters with the Italian team in 2021, making a three-round appearance in Italian F4. A full season followed the next year alongside a campaign in German F4, securing the Drivers’ title in both Championships with a combined total of 22 wins. Additionally, he won the gold medal in the FIA Motorsport Games Formula 4 Cup.
From there, Antonelli earned three wins and seven podiums on his way to the Formula Regional Middle East Championship title, before going on to triumph in FRECA during his rookie season.
Antonelli will get his first taste of Formula 2 action during the post-season test at Yas Marina from November 29th to December 1st.
I’m very happy for this opportunity. From Formula Regional to Formula 2, it will be a huge jump. I’m aware that it will be very challenging because the level is really high there. It will be a new car, for me and the others as well but it’s still going to be tough. I don’t want to set expectations, I will try to learn as much as possible in testing to be ready for the first race, have fun as always, and do a good job. I’m delighted to continue with PREMA as I started my single-seater career with them and they are my second family and I love working with them.
Antonelli on the news.
We are proud to welcome Kimi to our FIA Formula 2 Championship team. He has been with us since the very beginning so not only do we know him well, but we are also particularly proud of what he was able to achieve in his first two years full-time in single seaters. Kimi is a gifted racer and a great team player, so we cannot wait to see what the 2024 season will bring and we are focused on helping him make the step in the smoothest possible way.
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.
PREMA Racing has confirmed one driver for their Formula 3 2023 season, with Paul Aron making the step up to the series.
The Mercedes Junior driver, has driven for PREMA almost exclusively since his single-seater debut in Italian F4 back in 2019. Since then, he returned to the outfit for his Formula Regioanl European Championship by Alpine efforts in 2021 and ’22, most recently achieving a P3 finish in the drivers standings last season.
The 18 year old, currently sits third in the Championship on 176 points, with four victories and a further two podium finishes to his name in 2022.
As a member of the Mercedes F1 Junior driver set-up, Aron will complete the remaining races of the 2022 FRECA campaign before turning his attentions to F3 and the 2023 season with the PREMA team.
I am very, very happy, excited, and thankful to join a team like PREMA in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for the 2023 season. They proved themselves year after year, always having three cars on top and showing great pace. I am delighted to spend another year with them, and I am confident they will give me the best possible package to fight for the win. I am really looking forward to seeing what we will be able to achieve next year.
Aron said.
We are extremely delighted to continue working with Paul. We have always been aware of his winning potential, and we think he will keep producing impressive runs in the future, even in a very competitive and highly-challenging environment like Formula 3. It will be a learning year, but we are sure there will be many chances to challenge for high-profile results, so our goal is to push right from the winter preparations to be ready for 2023.
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!
Being a team in Formula One they are not just battling it out on track they are also looking for the next best thing to hopefully find the next future world champion.
Mercedes Juniors-
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, has been with the German team since 2019 when he was only 12 years old but CEO Toto Wolff had been keeping an eye on him some time before he signed for the team. He is the 2020/2021 OK European Champion, this year already he has took part in F4 UAE, where he scored two wins and two more podiums! He is most definitely one to look out for in the future…
Paul Aron competed in Formula Regional European Championship last year with Prema he finished 3rd overall. He also tested with Formula 3 at the post-season test with Prema, so could potentially see him in F3 soon!
Alex Powell, born in Miami in 2007 but is a native of Jamaica. He made his karting debut in 2015 and his managed to make a name for himself already. Looking on the last couple of years, Alex has enjoyed a successful 2019 campaign, driving for Energy Corse, which included winning the ROK Cup Superfinal (Mini ROK) and 24° South Garda Winter Cup (Mini ROK), finishing third in the WSK Super Master Series (60 Mini), third in the Italian Championship (60 Mini), fifth in WSK Euro Series (60 Mini) and ninth in the WSK Champions Cup (60 Mini). 2020 saw Alex take on various OK Junior categories in the karting world, including the WSK Champions Cup and WSK Super Master Series.
Frederik Vesti, new to the Mercedes junior programme but most definitely causing a scene. In 2016 he competed in both German and Danish F4 Championships. He missed two events in the Danish Championship but still managed to finish 2nd. Vesti competed in the Formula Regional European Championship where he won the championship ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi. Vesti then done two years in Formula 3 with him finishing 4th both year. He is now going to race in Formula 2 for the 2022 season with ART Grand Prix, the team he was with in Formula 3 last year!
Lastly, Yuanpu Cui. First drove a go-kart at the age of six, and joined the team last year off a positive season in 2020. Yuanpu’s started racing professionally in 2014 and by 2016 he had finished second in the Chinese Rotax series. Over the next few seasons, he began to expand his racing outside of China, competing in events all around the world. This included podium finishes in Italian National events, WSK Open Cup, WSK Final Cup, the ROK Cup Superfinal and WSK Euro Series in the 60 Mini and Mini ROK classes, across the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, he picked up a P2 position in the 31° Andrea Margutti Trophy in OK Junior, picked up victories and podiums in the WSK Champions Cup in 60 Mini and scored podiums in the WSK Super Master Series in 60 Mini. He also achieved a podium in the 2020 Florida Winter Tour in Mini ROK.
Sauber Junior Team-
Théo Pourchaire, they youngest driver ever to win an F2/GP2 race last year with ART GP, he will be returning to Formula 2 this year with ART GP again in hopes to try and fight for the title. Since being with the Sauber academy, he has won the ADAC Formula 4 Championship beating Dennis Haugher by seven points. Could we see these two fighting for the title this year?
Christian Ho, is a 13 year old go-kart driver, who was born in Singapore. His half Chinese and half Korean but he is living in Italy. His currently competing in the Junior category with Sauber Junior Karting team.
Miguel Costa, was born in 2009, he first started karting when he was 3 years old, since then he hasn’t looked back. In 2016 he became the Rock Cup Vice Champion, in 2017 he then went on to be FWT Rok, FWT Rotax and Rok Cup USA Vice Champion. This year he is competing in many karting championships!
Tiziano Monza, was born in Singapore in 2009 but lives in Italy so he can race around the world. In 2020 he became the WSK Open Cup Vice Champion. Again this year, he is set to be competing in karting championships.
Gustaw Wiśniewski, another karter added to the juniors. Has taken part in WSK series in Italy, as well as Silver medalist of Poland in Rotax Junior Max, Bronze medalist of Poland in Junior Rok as well as 2nd place in Rotax Max Challenge series.
Juan Manuel Correa, a name most of us know well! He first joined the academy back in 2019 but then re-joined last year again. He made his racing come back last year with ART GP, he is set to do his second year this year returning with ART GP.
McLaren Young Driver Programme-
McLaren has had many of drivers through its young drivers program, most successful being 7 time champion, Lewis Hamilton. The most recent driver who graduated from the program was Lando Norris, who now drives for the team this led the British team to be left with no drivers from 2019 to 2021.
In March 2021, McLaren announced Ugo Ugochukwu as apart of their programme. The American was crowned the FIA European Karting Champion and he has managed to secure many titles in his career already! In December it got announced that Ugo, will be competing in British F4 in 2022 with Carlin- he will be turning 15 on the eve of the championship!
I will be splitting this in to two posts due to some teams having more drivers than others…
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.
Jordan's Track Talk 