Richard Verschoor switches to MP Motorsport for rest of 2024 and the full 2025 Formula 2 campaign

Credit: Joe Portlock

Dutch driver Richard Verschoor has switched to MP Motorsport for the remaining two rounds of the 2024 championship and the full 2025 season as announced by the team on November 9.

Verschoor is the most experienced driver that currently races on the Formula 2 grid and took victory in the most recent round at Baku, in Azerbaijan all the way back in September as he has spent the majority of the 2024 season with the Trident team.

The 23-year old first made his Formula 2 race debut in 2021 with his current team MP Motorsport partnering German Lirim Zendeli as he took his maiden win in Silverstone race 2. This followed the two years prior he spent with MP Motorsport in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

It was announced that he would switch teams for the final two rounds of the 2024 Formula 2 season, that will take place at Qatar and Abu Dhabi with MP Motorsport before he will compete there for the full 2025 campaign.

He will part ways with Trident after his second season with the team following one victory in Baku and two victories that he was disqualified from in Jeddah and Budapest. Replacing Verschoor at Trident for the remaining two rounds of the season is American Formula 3 points-scorer Max Esterson.

Verschoor's transfer was announced on November 9, whereas, Esterson's signing was confirmed on November 11. 

Speaking to Formula 2 media in regards to his signing with MP Motorsport, Verschoor said: "Signing up with MP for more Formula 2 feels like coming home. I spent half of my entire racing career with MP, so it means a lot to me thaendured his first full seasonof t we are able to move forward together for 2025, while also adding the two final rounds of 2024 at Losail (Qatar) and Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi)."

The MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman also gave comment to Formula 2 media, regarding the signing of Verschoor for the remainder of 2024 and the full 2025 campaign.

Dorsman said: "I'm extremely happy to welcome back Richard for another season in Formula 2. We have celebrated many wins together, so it is a true privilege to tap into his wealth of Formula 2 knowledge as we head towards a new season."

Verschoor will partner Oliver Goethe as Dennis Hauger will not participate in the final two rounds of the season and Verschoor will replace the Norwegian.

As for Trident, Esterson will be preparing for a trial to show to Formula 2 teams what he is capable of behind the wheel of a Formula 2 machine, to put him in a good position to try and earn a seat in the future. Esterson in doing so makes the step up from the FIA Formula 3 Championship, where he has spent the full 2024 season competing with Jenzer Motorsport.

Esterson endured his first full season of FIA Formula 3 in 2024 as he had six trial races at Rodin Carlin in 2023 before earning a full-time drive in 2024, with Jenzer Motorsport where he achieved a highest-placed finish of sixth in the very first race of the season - in the Bahrain sprint race.

He would finish 21st in a competitive championship standings with 11 points to his name, which was above his teammates Charlie Wurz and Matias Zagazeta as Jenzer finished 10th in the standings and bowed out of the series at the end of 2024 post-season Formula 3 testing.

Esterson, 22 and from New York, spoke to Formula 2 media about the prospect of joining up with Trident to further his career and take that next step in his feeder series journey.

Esterson said: "It's great to be taking the step up to Formula 2, even if it's a little sooner than imagined. Just two years ago, I was running a Formula Ford and winning the FF Festival, and now I'm about to make my debut in Formula 2."

Speaking to Formula 2 media on the signing of Esterson, Trident's team manager Giacomo Ricci said: "We are excited to be finally working with Max in a race situation. We first met him two years ago when he was still driving Formula Fords and have closely followed his progress since then.

"He had some very strong outings this year in Formula 3, his first year in international competition, especially as he was with one of the smallest teams, and on circuits which were almost all new to him."

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Brandon Whiteside
​Writer - F1 Journal