Formula 3 champion Gabriel Bortoleto will partner Kush Maini at Invicta Virtuosi Racing in Formula 2 for the 2024 campaign, the team has confirmed.
Bortoleto won two races and took a further four podiums across the 18 races of his maiden F3 season to secure the championship at his debut attempt.
The Brazilian’s exploits have earned him a position within the McLaren Driver Development programme and he will now graduate into the second-tier category.
Prior to that, Bortoleto was a race winner in both the Italian F4 and Formula Regional European Championship, but F3 marked the first title he achieved racing cars.
“I am very excited to announce that in the 2024 season, I will be competing with Invicta Virtuosi Racing in FIA Formula 2,” Bortoleto said.
“They have a winning history, having secured the runner-up position in the team championship three times, and together, our goal will be to aim for the best positions for the team.
“In 2023, they achieved pole positions and victories, and I hope to build a strong and consistent story with them throughout the year. We will have a new car in the championship, and our first challenge will be to adapt quickly and efficiently to start the year on a high note.
“I am coming from a season of significant personal growth, culminating in the FIA F3 title. I hope to continue this process of evolution as a driver in 2024 and naturally become a victorious driver in the next stages of my career.”
Meanwhile, Virtuosi confirmed that Maini, who joined the Alpine Academy programme in October, will drive alongside the 19-year-old to form an all-new driver line-up.
Maini embarked upon his debut campaign in F2 this past year with Campos Racing, beginning the season with a third-place finish in the Australia Sprint race.
But the Indian’s form then nosedived, only achieving five points finishes in the past 18 races to slip to an eventual 11th place in the Drivers’ standings with 62 points.
“I’m super excited and grateful to be joining Invicta Virtuosi Racing for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 championship,” Maini expressed. “They have a great pedigree in Formula 2 and, prior to that, in GP2, and I am looking forward to growing further as a racing driver with the team.
“A massive thank you to Invicta Virtuosi for putting their trust in me and to the Alpine Academy and my management team for their support. I’ll do my best to hopefully bring many trophies back to the workshop.”
Virtuosi Team Principal Andy Roche admitted they had been massively impressed by Bortoleto’s F3 title-winning year, while he was also encouraged by Maini’s results in F2.
Roche added: “We’re delighted to have Gabriel Bortoleto joining us for his debut season in Formula 2. His consistency throughout his rookie campaign in Formula 3 impressed everyone and earned him a convincing and thoroughly deserved championship victory. This was acknowledged by the world of F1 as he became a McLaren Development Driver.
“Gabriel has visited us at our base in Norfolk and kept in touch since his signing. He’s left a good impression on everyone here and has quickly become part of the team. We were impressed by his adaptation to Formula 3 and, like everyone, are excited to see what he can do in 2024 as he continues to hone and add to his already admirable skillset.
“Kush has had a solid debut season in Formula 2. He got up to speed immediately and was able to produce good results in 2023. We’ve already spent considerable time with Kush since he first signed for the team and his mentality and approach align well with ours.
“He has shown dedication and an impressive work effort, and we look forward to helping him add to his F2 podium tally as he continues to improve as a racing driver. He joins Gabriel Bortoleto at the team for 2024, and we are expecting to achieve big things with such a strong duo at the wheel.”
