Gelael to race for Prema in F2 in 2018
Prema Racing has announced that Sean Gelael will race for the Italian outfit in the 2018 Formula 2 championship, replacing newly-crowned champion Charles Leclerc.
This will mark Gelael’s third year in the series and the first time he will be racing for Prema, who only joined the single-seater racing series in 2016 but has won both years’ driver’s championships.
The Indonesian has had sub-par results in the series, with 15th position as his best championship finish. Despite that, he has driven for Toro Rosso in four free practice sessions during this year’s Formula 1 season.
Rene Rosin, the team principal of Prema said in a statement; “I’m proud to welcome Sean to our team. With his multifaceted experience, he will definitely be a key resource for the 2018 F2 season as we will need to adapt to a brand-new car.”
“In our first year in the series, we decided to field a mix of an experienced driver and a rookie [Pierre Gasly and Antonio Giovinazzi], while this season we went for an all-rookie program [Charles Leclerc and Antonio Fuoco]. In both cases, the results proved us right.”
“For next year though, there will be a new factor in play and we will rely on experience to speed-up the development of the 2018 Dallara. Having raced and adapted himself to such diverse environments in the past, I’m sure that Sean will be able to meet his expectations and contribute to more success for the team.”
Sean said in a statement “Driving for such a successful team, so rich in history, is a great opportunity for every driver.”
“Hopefully we will be able to build something important together with the team. We will go for a strong start at the Abu Dhabi post-season tests to build the momentum. Everything will be new next year, a new car and challenge.”
“I’m excited to take the next step for my third year in Formula 2 and hopefully we can achieve some good results.”
Gelael’s partner at Prema has yet to be announced.