The harsh reality for racing talents: 'Will my chance still come?'

Frederik Vesti is doing everything he can to call himself a Formula 1 driver in the future. The young Dane is currently second in the Formula 2 championship. Speaking to The-Race.com, he talks candidly about the difficult route to his ultimate dream.

The 21-year-old Prema driver is currently racing in Formula 2 for the second year in a row. Having led the championship for a long time, he is currently 12 points behind leader Theo Pourchaire. Vesti is keen to emulate F1 drivers Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant, with whom he battled in Formula 3 a few years back. He finished just 19.5 points behind eventual champion Piastri. "For sure that year taught me a lot, it was very interesting to fight with those guys," Vesti said.

Formula 1 teams are required to have a junior drive a free practice session at least twice a year. Mercedes pupil Vesti had to wait a long time for his chance, while fellow competitors did. "All of last year I could see other drivers doing F1 tests and I was like ‘when am I going to get the chance?’ and I think it was a bit on my mind and what if it never happens. It’s not the right place to be mentally."

After the last race in Abu Dhabi, Vesti finally got his chance. He was allowed to step into the W13 for a test."When it finally happened I think I was able to put it on the shelf and say ‘I’ve done that, it was awesome I’ve learned a lot’ and now all I need to do to reach F1 is to dominate in F2."

The question is whether Vesti will make it to Formula 1. There seems to be no place at Mercedes for the next few years, and Mercedes rivals Aston Martin and McLaren also seem to have no free seats for the time being. The Dane will have to hope for a place at Williams, although Mick Schumacher seems more likely to claim a seat there, should Logan Sargeant not get a contract extension.