Frederik Vesti: Denmark’s next big thing to Formula 2 title contender

17 October 2023

Coming home to PREMA Racing, Frederik Vesti’s return to the Italian team’s fold set the stage for the Dane to become one of Formula 2’s frontrunners this season. Sitting second in the Drivers’ Championship, he’s been locked in a fierce duel for the title with former teammate Théo Pourchaire throughout.

Knowing that he needs to put everything he’s learnt on his journey so far if he hopes to end the Yas Marina season finale triumphant, Vesti’s perseverance has taken him far from where it all began…

EARLY DAYS

After getting his first taste of racing, Vesti quickly began to make a name for himself on the Nordic racing scene. From 2012 until 2016, titles quickly amounted as he progressed through the classes. Firstly, he claimed the Rotax Nordic Championship title in the Mini category, followed by the Cadet Junior title the following year.

Clearly bitten by the racing bug, he impressed many by clinching back-to-back Danish Karting Championship titles in 2013 (Cadet Junior) and 2014 in the KFJ class. Appearances in the WSK Super Masters and FIA Karting European Championships brought more attention Vesti’s way, particularly his victory in the WSK Final Cup, heralding that the time had come for him to make the next step-up into single seaters.

LEARNING THE ROPES

Demonstrating his ability to fight right at the front of the field, Vesti set about making his mark in Danish Formula Ford in 2016. Earning two wins and eight podiums, he ended his debut racing season 4th in the Standings.

From there, he kept himself busy the next year with combined campaigns in Danish and German Formula 4. Despite being absent from two events in the Danish Championship, Vesti still managed to finish each of his 15 races on the podium with eight victories and earn the runner-up honours, alongside seventh in the German Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing, adding another win and three podiums to his tally.

Continuing his partnership with the Dutch outfit, Vesti returned for a second German F4 campaign, improving to fourth in the Standings alongside guest appearances in Italian F4, the Formula 3 European Championship and his Macau Grand Prix debut.

A CHAMPION IN THE MAKING

His strong bond with PREMA Racing first began when he teamed up with the Italian squad for the inaugural Formula Regional European Championship season in 2019. Dominating the field with 13 visits to the top step, 20 podiums and 10 pole positions, he triumphed over second-place teammate Enzo Fittipaldi by 131 points.

With his first single-seater title achieved, plenty of eyes were on the then 18-year-old as one to watch, with PREMA retaining him for his graduation to FIA Formula 3.

GROWING STRONG

Partnering up with Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant, Vesti was somewhat eclipsed by his teammates early as they and Pourchaire battled for Championship glory. Flashes of brilliance weren’t far away though, as he became the first of the PREMA trio to claim a pole position in the second round of the campaign and mastered the treacherous conditions to seal the victory.

If consistency was the hallmark of the first half of his rookie season, he ended the campaign as the driver to beat. After returning to the podium in Spa-Francorchamps, Vesti charged through the field from P9 to seal his second win in Monza and concluded the year with another victory in Mugello, elevating him to fourth in the Standings.

This caught the attention of Mercedes, who added Vesti to their junior roster. He surprised many with his decision to switch to ART Grand Prix from the reigning Teams’ Champions for his sophomore F3 season, but reflected on that the new challenge was a chance to develop. Unfortunately, he couldn’t better the previous year’s performance with one win and five podiums seeing him match his P4 finish in the Drivers’ Championship.

FIGHTING BACK TO THE FRONT

Graduating to the second tier with the French team, Vesti initially struggled to perfect his pace in Qualifying, leading to a run of disappointing results. Determined to overcome this, he banished his Qualifying woes at the fourth round in Barcelona, securing a top three spot and converting it into a F2 Feature Race podium.

A victory wouldn’t be far behind as Vesti capitalised on a mistake by Jehan Daruvala during a Safety Car restart to take home the Sprint Race win, alongside completing a double podium for ART at their home event in Le Castellet.

However, the final four rounds saw him unable to continue his upturn in form. Failing to score at Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort and Yas Marina saw him tumble down to ninth in the Standings, although two 2nd place finishes in Monza increased his podium tally to five.

A RAPID REUNION

Reuniting with PREMA, 2023 has seen Vesti thrive behind the wheel of the #7 car. Demonstrating a new-found maturity, the Mercedes junior didn’t let a frustrating opening round in Sakhir keep him down for long, bouncing back with his first Feature Race win in Jeddah.

With his rookie teammate Oliver Bearman putting the pressure on, the pair has pushed each other forward. Although a late mistake in the Baku Sprint Race cost him a likely victory, there were no errors to be found in Monte Carlo. A masterclass on the streets of the Principality saw him breeze to victory and assume the lead of the Championship by five points to Pourchaire.

Further wins in Barcelona and Silverstone bolstered his title aspirations and the Championship seemed to have begun to swing in his favour. However, a spin in the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race denied him a shot at converting his P2 start into valuable points, whilst an opening lap incident in Sunday’s race in Monza allowed Pourchaire to pull a 25-point gap into the final round.

When it’s been Vesti’s day, few of his rivals could come close. Five victories to Pourchaire’s one makes for a stark contrast in the pair’s approaches to the campaign, with the Dane arguably having more standout performances this season, but a handful of mistakes have proven costly in such a closely contested battle.

With one final chance and 39 points on offer, can Vesti put together the weekend of his career to become Denmark’s first Formula 2 Champion?