Vesti: Return to Prema in F2 "gives me the confidence" to win races
Frederik Vesti says his return to Prema in Formula 2 “gives him the confidence” to win races having endured a tough rookie season in the Formula 1 feeder category last year.
The Mercedes F1 junior returned to the Italian team for 2023, having spent his second Formula 3 and first F2 season with ART Grand Prix.
He took victory in the feature race in Saudi Arabia, his first since the Baku sprint in 2022, clinching the win after his rivals spun out.
Vesti believes that returning to the team with which he won the 2019 Formula Regional European Championship “definitely gets the best out of me,” and says the two have “a really close bond.”
Asked whether the partnership had improved his confidence, the Dane said: “It’s true that coming back to Prema was with the main focus of getting the good team around me that I had in F3. My engineer Pedro is still my engineer in Formula 2, which is amazing.
“I have a really close bond to Prema and they definitely get the best out of me.
“With the car, some tracks are faster and some tracks are slower, it’s not a huge difference, but certainly the team gives me the confidence I need to secure wins.
“Very proud and happy to be with Prema.”
Frederik Vesti, Prema Racing, 1st position, in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Team principal Rene Rosin was also impressed by Vesti’s win and said it was “what we are expecting” from him.
Prema is hoping to bounce back in 2023 after a difficult season in 2022, finishing fourth in the standings with 241 points – more than 60 adrift of winner MP Motorsport.
It has brought in a revamped line-up this year, with Vesti joined by 2022 F3 star and Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman.
Speaking after the Saudi Arabian round, Rosin said: “I'm impressed. This is what we are expecting from Fred. He is a really hard worker. I would say that the penalty in Bahrain was maybe a bit too much, but I don't want to discuss it further.
“However, he put it behind him and started working how he is capable of doing. Having two great results in the last two races is impressive and very, very important.
“It's a great result for the team because it proves that we are there, we can do a very good job, and we are back in the positions that everybody expects from Prema.
“We just need to continue working and pushing in this direction, and I'm sure that the results will keep coming.”
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