After a mixed Formula 3 campaign in 2024, Sami Meguetounif is stepping up to F2 for 2025 with Trident. The 20-year-old took part in the F2 post-season test at Yas Marina, where he caught up with Feeder Series from the paddock to talk about his latest move.

By Martin Lloyd

After two unspectacular years in FRegional competition with MP Motorsport, Meguetounif moved up to F3 last season. He took two feature race wins at Imola and Monza but scored 34 points outside of those victories, leaving him eighth in the drivers’ standings.

In 2025, Meguetounif will step up to F2 – a move helped by his win at the season finale, as he explained to Feeder Series.

“Approaching the end of the season, we had different opportunities – staying in F3, also going to F2 in many different teams, but always the same question of budget,” Meguetounif said. “I had to finish the season well to be able to complete some deals with sponsors.

“I won in Monza, so it helped me a lot. We started the winter break in a strong position, and we managed to figure out something with the sponsors and team.”

Meguetounif told Feeder Series that the familiarity and financial package Trident offered influenced his decision to remain with them in 2025. 

“The best option, including the good and the bad things, was Trident. There is a project behind it, and staying in an environment that I know and all that was important for me. The people there did everything possible to have me and this is, for me, important,” he said. “They also put in a nice effort for me to get me financially [to F2]. It was a big plus.”

In advance of his full 2025 programme with Trident, Meguetounif made his F2 bow at the three-day post-season test in mid-December. The Frenchman said his focus was on making the physical adjustment to a new car rather than on setting the fastest times, especially since he had not raced since the F3 finale on 1 September.

“I didn’t drive since Monza, so it was quite tough physically to jump back in the car, especially the F2. It’s tough,” Meguetounif said. “Since I knew about the possibility of going to F2 and stepping up for the test, I trained like crazy. In the end, okay it was hard, but I didn’t lose time because of [the physicality]. But for sure it was very challenging, more than F3.

“The first morning [was] to get back into action, into the rhythm, because everything is coming a bit quicker than in F3, but the feeling is quite similar. It’s a bit faster, a bit heavier, but when you do a quali lap on F3, it’s a very fast car, so at the end, I was not shocked by the speed or whatever.

“I think I adapted quite well and quickly. At the same time, with the team, the state of mind was really to test the car and to understand what happened this year. As you all saw, it was a bit of a struggle for Trident, so they didn’t put me in the position of a rookie that had three days to learn. They wanted me to be there, ready to give feedback and ready to test.”

While Trident, with 105 points this year, more than doubled their meagre 2023 points tally of 43, they once again finished 10th. Richard Verschoor scored the vast majority of those points before departing the team after his win in round 12 to join MP.

Trident’s 2025 pairing will consist of rookies Meguetounif and Max Esterson, the latter having raced in Verschoor’s place in the final two rounds of 2024. 

“For sure, having a Victor Martins as a teammate would be a big help because he really adds something to the team,” Meguetounif said about his fellow VictoryLane-managed driver. “For the moment, as it was my first test, I just tried to give [feedback] with a lot of precision. Maybe at the start of the year I’ll be able to add something to the team, and that’s the goal.”

Meguetounif showed speed in his first season of F3 but lacked consistency, failing to score in 11 of the 20 races. Teammate Leonardo Fornaroli was the eventual champion, and he did so by having only two non-scores despite not winning a race in 2024. 

“For me, thinking about my F3 season, I just missed consistency, so that’s my main focus for next season,” Meguetounif said. “In F2, there are a lot of other parameters coming in context outside of the pure performance compared to F3, but if I’m more consistent, I know I can be up there, as I could have been up there in F3 as well. The speed was not the problem.”

Interview by Michael McClure

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency