Britain's Cian Shields to compete in final two rounds with AIX Racing

Credit: James Sutton

British racing driver Cian Shields will graduate to FIA Formula 2 with AIX Racing, for the final two rounds of the 2024 season as announced on Saturday.

Shields will come in to replace the outgoing Niels Koolen from the previous round in Baku, Azerbaijan all the way back in September. This means that Shields will make a graduation from the Formula 3 Championship after two full seasons.

The 19-year old will make the step up to Formula 2 with AIX racing and will partner Joshua Durksen for the remaining two rounds of the championship season at Qatar and Abu Dhabi with the number 25 car.

The British driver was announced to have been signed up to AIX for the final two rounds on Saturday (November 23), as the team and Formula 2 media confirmed the news via their social media channels.

Shields will make the move up from his one year spent at Hitech Pulse-Eight, in which he competed in the championship in for the 2024 Formula 3 Championship and partnered Luke Browning as one of his two teammates.

He will follow Browning up to Formula 2 and the two will both share the tracks at Qatar and Abu Dhabi for the final couple of rounds of the season, as Browning continues at ART alongside French racer Victor Martins after he replaced Zak O'Sullivan who had to step aside with funding issues.

Being interviewed by Formula 2 media, Shields said: "I'm super excited to be joining AIX Racing for the final two rounds of the Formula 2 Championship in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

I'm looking forward to this fantastic opportunity and ready to make an impact with the team, giving it everything in these last races."

Shields will start his Formula 2 journey at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar on November 29, for free practice and his first ever Formula 2 qualifying session.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer - F1 Journal