Hitech has announced its lineup for the 2023 Formula 2 season as they bet on Formula 3 graduates to take them to the title.
2022 Formula 3 graduates Isack Hadjar and Jak Crawford have both been announced as drivers for the 2023 Formula 2 season with Hitech Grand Prix. They are the 16th and 17th drivers to be announced for the upcoming season.
Crawford’s 2022 Season
Crawford made his Formula 3 debut in 2021 with Hitech after finishing second in the 2020 ADAC F4 Championship. He endured a poor season picking up just 45 points and one podium to finish 13th in the championship. In 2022, he retained his seat in the series but switched to PREMA along with Ollie Bearman and Arthur Leclerc.
Crawford had a more positive season where he managed to take one victory (the Spring Race at the Red Bull Ring) and five podiums to finish seventh in the standings on 107 points. Crucially, Crawford was one of seven drivers in contention for the championship heading into the finale at Monza. Bearman and Leclerc will be joining Crawford in Formula 2 next season.
In November 2022, Crawford participated in the Formula 2 post-season test with Hadjar for Hitech.
Hadjar’s 2022 Season
Hadjar made his Formula 3 debut in March after finishing fifth in the Formula Regional European Championship. Racing earlier that year. At Hitech he partnered with Kaylen Frederick and Nazim Azman, outscoring both of them at every race. Headed into the second half of the season, Hadjar and Victor Martins were level on points and in a tense championship battle before a disastrous qualifying at Monza saw Hadjar lose the title, ultimately finishing fourth overall on 123 points.
Both Hadjar and Crawford are members of the Red Bull Junior Team and are two of five members that will be on the F2 grid next year.
ANOTHER ONE! 👊
@HitechGP unveil their 2023 line-up with @IGK_Zack6 and @jakcrawfordrac1 teaming up for the season 🔥
#F2 #RoadToF1 https://t.co/dccvUrzYNW— Formula 2 (@Formula2) January 18, 2023
Following the announcement, Crawford stated:
“I am delighted to be back with Hitech for my first season of Formula 2. It will be a tough season with a strong grid but I am looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Hadjar stated:
“I’m really excited to be part of the Red Bull Junior team and continue this journey with Hitech for another year. Hopefully we can win some more races and have a strong season together.”
Oliver Oakes (Team Principal of Hitech) added:
“We are excited to field once again two cars in FIA Formula 2 in Red Bull Junior Team colours, especially with two such promising young talents. Isack we saw first hand his last year as a rookie in Formula 3 and Jak we know him well from his first F3 season with us in 2021.”
2023 Driver Lineup
Unlike other team lineups, Hitech has decided to gamble on their drivers and has opted for two rookies as opposed to one experienced driver and one rookie driver. How do you think the rookies will fare?
- Campos Racing: Ralph Boschung & Kush Maini
- DAMS Racing: Arthur Leclerc & Ayumu Iwasa
- Hitech Grand Prix: Isack Hadjar & Jak Crawford
- MP Motorsport: Dennis Hauger & TBD
- PHM Racing by Charouz: Roy Nissany and Brad Benavides
- PREMA Powerteam: Oliver Bearman & Frederick Vesti
- Trident Racing: Clement Novalak & Roman Stanek
- Virtuosi Racing: Jack Doohan & Amaury Cordeel
- Vans Amersfoort Racing: Richard Verschoor & Juan Manuel Correa
