Max Esterson will race in Formula 2 for the final two rounds of this season, making the step up from Formula 3 to race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The American started out in sim racing and only began karting shortly before turning 16, going on to race in Formula Ford and GB3 in the United Kingdom. He made his full-time debut in international competition in this year’s Formula 3 championship – scoring a best result of sixth place – and will now race for Trident in F2 in place of Richard Verschoor, who has joined MP Motorsport.
“It’s great to be making the step up to Formula 2, even if it’s a little sooner than I had imagined,” Esterson said. “Just two years ago I was running a Formula Ford and winning the FF Festival, and now I’m about to make my debut in Formula 2. It’s all happened quickly but the people closest to me are all confident about my ability to successfully make the jump.
“I’ve been working hard with the team at Trident and feel I’m well prepared and ready to go. I want to give a special thanks to Maurizio Salvadori and Giacomo Ricci for making this happen, and to the rest of the Trident team for making me feel so welcome.”
Trident team manager Ricci says the 22-year-old has impressed whenever the team has worked with him, and praised Esterson’s performances for a Jenzer Motorsport outfit that finished bottom of the F3 teams’ standings this year.
“We are excited to finally be working with Max in a race situation,” Ricci said. “We first met him over two years ago when he was still driving Formula Fords and have closely followed his progress since then. He had some very strong outings this year in FIA Formula 3, his first year in international competition, especially as he was with one of the smallest teams, and on circuits which were almost all new to him.
“He is smart and has a mature, calm personality; he is hard working, and while he has already shown great pace, he is only in his fourth full year of racing and still learning – so we’re excited to see his progress this year.”
Esterson joins Jak Crawford and dual-nationality Juan Manuel Correa as the Americans on the F2 grid this season.