F2 driver gets six-month driving ban, denies guilt himself

Formula 2 driver Amaury Cordeel has lost his licence to drive on public roads. HLN reports that the Belgian court imposed a six-month driving ban on the driver for violating the speed limit.

In December 2020, Cordeel - who was 17 at the time - reportedly drove at 179 kilometres per hour through Temse, Belgium. Police got on Cordeel's trail through a video which was shared on social media about the incident. Cordeel and his management maintain that the driver was not the one behind the wheel. " No link can be made between the video and the fact that my client was driving," claims Cordeel's lawyer. "It was his father's car that is, but otherwise there is enough doubt to state that he was not driving."

The police and the judge disagree. The police judge ruled last week that there was sufficient evidence that Cordeel was behind the wheel and fined him €3,600. In addition, his driving licence will be confiscated for six months. This is not the first time Cordeel has been discredited: in the summer of 2021, he himself shared images on TikTok of his car shooting down the Belgian highway at 300 kilometres per hour. Even then, Cordeel and his team claimed he was not the one driving.

For now, no impact on his F2 career

Cordeel drove in Formula 2 for the Van Amersfoort Racing team last season and is generally considered a great up-and-coming talent. Next year, he will switch to Virtuoso Racing in the same competition. Speaking to Motorsport Week Formula 2 boss Bruno Michel said he does not expect the penalty to affect Cordeel's racing career, but that they will keep an eye on his behaviour. "I don't think there are any rules requiring you to have an ordinary driving licence. But of course we cannot ignore this. We will discuss with the FIA how to deal with this now."