Autosport (UK)

Armstrong, Vesti in as F2 nears complete grid

- MARCUS SIMMONS

There are still almost two months until the new Formula 2 season kicks off, yet 19 of the 22 seats have already been filled, including three in the past few days.

It had not long been announced that he was leaving the Ferrari Driver Academy when Marcus Armstrong was named at Hitech Grand Prix, where he will join Red Bull Junior Juri Vips. This is an interestin­g one: the duo were team-mates at Prema in Formula 4 in 2017, when Armstrong won the Italian title and Vips the German. Both then looked very good in Formula 3 in 2018 and 2019, with Armstrong finishing runnerup in the latter season.

But it’s fair to say that Armstrong’s momentum has stalled in his two F2 seasons to date. With ART Grand Prix, he finished second on his series debut at the 2020 opener, but has not once finished on the podium since then in a non-reversed-grid race. His only win came in 2021 with DAMS, in Jeddah.

Armstrong’s move to

Hitech reunites him with team boss Oliver Oakes, who looked after the Kiwi’s career from karting until he was picked up by the FDA. “Oliver brought me to Europe a few years back and I saw Hitech in the early days,” said Armstrong. “Since then, it’s transforme­d into one of the powerhouse­s of F2 and F3.”

Meanwhile, Mercedes F1 junior Frederik Vesti remains with ART for his step up from F3, where he finished fourth in the 2021 rankings. The Dane partners Theo Pourchaire in a tasty line-up. Van Amersfoort Racing has completed its squad for its step up to F2, with Belgian F3 midfielder Amaury Cordeel joining Jake Hughes.

In F3, 2019 British F4 champion Zane Maloney is to undertake his rookie season with reigning champion team Trident. The Barbadian starred in Formula Regional last year, and took a win in Monaco. Russian Alex Smolyar, twice a winner in 2021 with ART, has made the switch to MP Motorsport.

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