Formula 2 driver Marcus Armstrong’s four-year stint at Ferrari’s driver academy has come to an end and the Kiwi takes the place of his compatriot Liam Lawson at next season’s Hitech Grand Prix.
Christchurch-born Armstrong has joined the British team from French team DAMS as he aims to fight for the championship title this year.
The spot at Hitech became vacant last week when Lawson joined another British team, Carlin, ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Armstrong, 21, clinched his first Formula 2 race win last December, beating Lawson in Saudi Arabia.
CONTINUE READING:
* Marcus Armstrong wins the first Formula 2 race, Liam Lawson is second
* “Amazing day”: Kiwi driver Liam Lawson shines at Formula 1 testing in Abu Dhabi
* Kiwi Formula 2 driver Marcus Armstrong picks his absolute favorite Ferraris
He also narrowly missed out on winning the New Zealand Grand Prix after a controversial verdict following a race-long argument with Lawson.
With two years in Formula 2 under his belt, Armstrong felt the time was right to leave Ferrari’s development program and seek a new challenge at Hitech.
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Kiwi Formula 2 driver Marcus Armstrong has joined forces with British team Hitech Grand Prix ahead of the upcoming season.
The decision to end his association with the Italian powerhouse was mutual, he said.
“We parted on good terms and that’s important. I learned a lot, had the chance to break into F1 operations and drove a Ferrari F1 car in 2017.
“I did a total of 60 days of F1 development with the team and the academy in 2021. I’ve been able to build some great networks with great people.”
During his time with Ferrari, Armstrong was Italian Formula 4 Champion, finished second in the German F4 Championship and also finished second in the Castrol Toyota Racing Series.
But after two difficult Formula 2 seasons with ART Grand Prix in 2020 and DAMS last year marred by problems with the car, Armstrong decided to leave the program and switch to Hitech to bolster his title hopes and ultimately his To increase racing ambitions in Formula 1.
“The performance range is very narrow. One day the car can be amazing; the next it will be nowhere. Temperature changes have a big impact and it takes a lot of work to get the most out of the car,” he explained.
Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Marcus Armstrong fended off compatriot Liam Lawson in the opening Formula 2 race in Saudi Arabia, securing his first win.
“Last year we found the car was very good when it was warm but struggled when it was colder; The tires were also difficult to manage.”
Formula 2 pre-season testing will take place at Sakhir in Bahrain from March 2nd to 4th and in Barcelona, Spain from April 12th to 14th.
