Joshua Duerksen will become the first Paraguayan driver to compete in Formula 2 when he enters the category with PHM Racing next year.
The 20-year-old will join his fellow Formula Regional European racer Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the series champion, by skipping FIA Formula 3 to enter the category one rung below Formula 1.Duerksen finished 19th in FREC this season with Arden, five places lower than he managed the year before. He peaked with third place at Spa-Francorchamps for his single podium appearance of the season.
Before moving into FREC, Duerksen spent three years racing in Formula 4. A single win in the 2019 Italian F4 series helped him to fifth place, and he took further wins in the series and its German counterpart over the next two seasons.
PHM sporting director Roland Rehfeld acknowledged Duerksen’s move up to F2 “will be a massive step to manage for him and also for the team.”
Duerksen tested the team’s Formula 3 car and “convinced us with his ‘hands on’ attitude, working ethic and 100% dedication to his profession, which is essential to develop himself with the team at the highest stage of formula racing below F1,” Rehfeld added. The team will have an opportunity to run him in their F2 car in the test which follows the season finale later this month.
“Joshua has more potential as he was able to show in 2023, but through Formula 4 and Formula Regional Europe and Middle East he delivered already great performances and results. I guess a whole country will support him as being the first Paraguayan driver who is competing at this level.
“He in particular and all his supporters and partners deserve this chance and we will prepare him as best as possible to be competitive from the beginning.”
Duerksen said it will be “a huge honour and privilege to be the first Paraguayan driver in history to represent my country in FIA F2.”
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Dex
10th November 2023, 17:31
He’s got negative progression from a low to even lower position in the (low) championship, so it totally makes sense that he should skip a step or two; I’m convinced. I suppose the idea is to stay in F2 for a few years, to be one of those guys who treat it like a senior championship; those drivers that we never see on screen (except when they cause a collision or something). Maybe I’m missing something… Must be some nice sponsorship deal.
Carlos Furtado das Neves
10th November 2023, 18:26
Results… Statistics… Driver performance…
OK. Doesn’t matter ?
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
10th November 2023, 18:32
It’s the ones who go straight from F3 to F1 who are worth watching. A few decent examples over the years…hope that sort of thing hasn’t been banned by the officious superlicence police.
RandomMallard
11th November 2023, 10:34
@bullfrog Currently, winning the F3 championship awards 30 super license points (out of 40 needed), so while you couldn’t go straight from one season of F3 to F1, if you finished 5th or higher, or have experience in another championship from the previous 2 years (such as GB3 or Formula Regional etc), the they would be capable of progressing to F1.
However, I think it reflects pretty badly on the system that the driver it was brought in as a response to is now a 3 time world champion…
Paul (@frankjaeger)
10th November 2023, 20:01
Poor feeder series results, am I missing something? Seems very unimpressive considering
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
10th November 2023, 20:55
Must have some good financial backing behind him.
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
11th November 2023, 9:14
I think Marko has been talent spotting.
He almost let the secret slip with the Perez/South American thing.