The 2023 edition of the FIA Formula 2 Championship continues to show its competitiveness, as Prema’s Frederik Vesti becomes the fourth driver to lead the standings this season. He was able to leapfrog ART rival Théo Pourchaire following a superb performance around the streets of Monaco, that saw the Mercedes junior grab pole and convert this into victory.

By Tyler Foster

Arriving in Barcelona for round six of 13, Vesti leads Pourchaire by a small margin of five points and will be looking at extending this gap by the end of the weekend. The Danish racer spoke to Feeder Series and selected media following his win in Monaco, where he welcomed a title fight with his ex-teammate and shared excitement over his recent improvements.

The emphatic domination of Baku by 17-year-old Prema rookie Ollie Bearman helped downplay the ever-improving performances of teammate Vesti. The 21-year-old may have let victory slip through his fingers in favour of his British teammate in the Baku sprint, but Vesti had already taken the top step of the podium in Jeddah’s feature race. Leaving Azerbaijan just three points behind Pourchaire, it should be no surprise that he is now ahead in the standings.

Monaco ‘pole still beats it’

Clinching pole position by five hundredths of a second over his French rival allowed Vesti to take a key victory, usurping him in the process. However, in the eyes of the Dane, his achievement in Monaco’s qualifying still outranks the result of the race.

“The pole still beats it,” Vesti said. “I know I can win races, I’ve done it before, but pole is probably a bit more difficult for me. Let’s say that’s where I need to really improve. But this win is incredible. To win around Monaco is obviously one of the biggest things you can do in Formula 2, and to do this together with Prema is just incredible. I just want to thank the team so much.”

Vesti versus Pourchaire

The paths of Vesti and Pourchaire have crossed more than once during their sharp rise through the junior ranks. In a strong FIA Formula 3 rookie campaign, both would be involved in a multi-driver title battle, which saw the Frenchman finish ahead while Oscar Piastri ultimately took the championship.

The two would then separate, with Pourchaire moving onwards and upwards, while one more season in Formula 3 for Vesti would eventually help him to graduate in F2 with ART Grand Prix, where, as a rookie, he would partner Pourchaire.

Their time together as teammates rarely stirred any controversy, with the bigger focus in the media focusing on Vesti’s attempt to banish ART’s long supposed ‘second-seat curse’. Pourchaire would finish as runner-up, while Vesti was able to grab a maiden win and a pole from a solid rookie season.

Vesti would then return to a leading role with Prema for 2023. For the first time since 2020, these two rivals are carrying the pride of their team while fighting each other for a title on their journey to Formula 1.

“I really enjoy a lot fighting with Théo because last year we were teammates, but we never really got into any fights. I always wanted to race Théo really hard, so we are doing that this year. I’m enjoying it a lot.”

“Both cars: ART and Prema, are clearly very competitive, and in terms of performance I think you cannot tell which one is quicker.”

Feeder Series also asked Pourchaire for his own thoughts on this rivalry, with the ART driver making it clear he was not going to make it easy from here on out.

“I know Fred from last year, and from a long time [ago]. A bit in go-karts and in the junior series, Formula 3 as well. So, it’s good to fight with him. Let’s continue like this, but I prefer to be in front. Let’s see in Barcelona. I will not let you past.”

Enjoying a su-Prema time

The key in the improvement to Vesti’s sophomore season in Formula 2, has been the switch back to Prema. This move has reconnected the Dane with his old-employers and specifically his race engineer Pedro Matos, with whom he worked with in his rookie year in Formula 3 in 2019. His confidence in the team’s setup has been clear to see ever since his maiden F2 feature race victory in Jeddah.

“What I really enjoy at Prema is probably the communication. My engineer Pedro [Matos], everyone in the team are really good at helping me in the right direction. I need some things. When we prepare a race weekend, how we manage the pressure and the mental side as well.

“Prema does that really well. They just [give] confidence to the driver, and apply it at the right times. So, I’m definitely really strong with Prema and I enjoy every race weekend, which is the key point.”

This enjoyment has allowed the Mercedes junior to develop more substantially with Prema than he ever did during his time with ART Grand Prix last season. His victory in Monaco was the cherry on top of a brilliant opening salvo towards an F2 title charge.

I’m just looking forward to keep moving in that direction

Frederik Vesti

Twelve months ago, the round in Catalunya saw eventual champion Felipe Drugovich put down his marker with a dominant double victory to take a championship lead that he would never relinquish. Aiming for something similar, Vesti will be looking at going from strength-to-strength.

“Since the beginning of the season, we have been going better every single race weekend. The [mid-season] test in Barcelona; we made another step forward. I’m just looking forward to keep moving in that direction. We clearly know which direction we need to go, so it’s just about making sure we do that every time we are in the car.”

Header photo credit: Prema Racing