21-year-old Sean Gelael has been confirmed by the Prema Racing team as one of their drivers for the 2018 FIA Formula 2 season.
Despite a limited amount success, Gelael has been competing in single seaters since the 2012 season and has raced in Formula Abarth, Formula Pilota China, Formula 3, Formula Renault 3.5 championship and later the GP2 Series, which last year became the FIA Formula 2 series. Outside of single-seaters Geleal has claimed two Asian Le Mans victories.
Earlier this year he made his debut for the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula 1 team as he took part in the Friday practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix.
“Driving for such a successful team, so rich in history, is a great opportunity for every driver.” said Gelael. “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.”
The 2018 season will see the launch of a brand new car for the Formula 2 series and Prema are looking to capitalise on Galael’s seasoned experience in 2018, starting straight after the final race of the 2017 season in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
“I’m proud to welcome Sean to our team.” added Team Principal René Rosin. “With his multifaceted experience, he will definitely be a key resource for the 2018 Formula 2 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, while this season we went for an all-rookie program. 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.”
