Mercedes has confirmed that Frederik Vesti will serve as the team’s reserve driver for the upcoming 2024 campaign.

Vesti finished last season’s FIA Formula 2 Championship as runner-up with PREMA Racing in a closely fought battle against rival and eventual Champion, Théo Pourchaire.

The Dane joined the Mercedes Junior Team ahead of the 2021 season, his second campaign in FIA Formula 3. He finished that year fourth overall, taking five podiums and one win, before moving up to F2 with ART Grand Prix in 2022 and subsequently PREMA for 2023.

He claimed six race victories last year and a further four podium finishes as he took the Drivers’ Championship fight to the final day of the season.

Despite a spirited comeback drive, he couldn’t quite overturn Pourchaire’s points advantage in the end, narrowly losing out by just 11 points.

Alongside his duties with Mercedes, Vesti is set to compete in the European Le Mans Series after moving on from F2.