Written by Ellie Nicholls, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
2023 may be drawing to a close, but silly season for the Feeder Series is just getting started. With teams beginning to announce their drivers for the oncoming seasons of Formula 2, Formula 3, F1 Academy, and more, here’s a review of this week’s action.
Joshua Dürksen was announced as PHM Racing’s first driver for their 2024 Formula Two lineup, becoming the first Paraguayan driver in the history of the series. The 20-year-old completed 86 laps for the team during Formula 3’s recent post-season test in Imola, providing him with valuable experience ahead of his rookie season.
Dürksen, an Italian F4 race winner, joined F2 right off the back of his second season in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA), where he finished 19th.
Though the jump from FRECA to Formula Two is undoubtedly a big step up, Dürksen shared that he “can’t wait to start this new and great challenge.”
Formula Two driver Dennis Hauger replaced injured teammate Franco Colapinto in the Formula Three Macau Grand Prix. Despite winning the 2021 Formula Three Championship, this was Hauger’s first time competing in the event, as the COVID-19 pandemic meant he was unable to take part in previous years.
Hauger is currently 10th in the Formula 2 standings with two wins this season so far, and his experience in Formula 3, as well as wins at street tracks such as Baku and Monaco in Formula Two put him in a good position to succeed at Macau. The Norwegian driver said that “racing in Macau has always been an aspiration of [his]”, and that he is “thrilled to seize the opportunity” to race at such an iconic event.
And, rounding out the transfers for this week, 17-year-old Lia Block became just the second driver confirmed for the 2024 F1 Academy grid, joining Bianca Bustamante at ART Grand Prix. Block will use the Williams livery on track next year, representing the team as the newest addition to their Driver Academy.
Having begun karting and rallying at the age of 11, Block is already a successful driver across other series including Extreme E, rallying, and Rallycross. Most notably, Block won the 2023 American Rally Association Open Two-Wheel Drive Class championship — the youngest to ever claim this title.
The 2024 F1 Academy season will be the American driver’s first full season of open-wheel racing, and following the announcement, Block said that she “can’t wait to embrace the new experience and learn as much as possible” as both an F1 Academy and Williams Junior Driver.
With the majority of seats yet to be filled across Formula 2, Formula 3, and F1 Academy, there’s still plenty of silly season action to look forward to — stay tuned for more announcements!
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