Ferrari Driver Academy member Arthur Leclerc will join DAMS for the 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship, with the 22-year-old stepping up to the series after two seasons in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
Brother of F1 race winner Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque driver first competed in single-seater racing in 2018, finishing fifth in the French F4 Championship before a solid campaign to claim third in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship the following year. Moving to the Formula Regional European Championship for 2020, Leclerc scored six victories and 12 podiums on his way to taking second in the standings.
Switching to the FIA Formula 3 Championship last year, Leclerc was victorious in his rookie season with wins at Le Castellet and Zandvoort. He started 2022 strongly by securing the Formula Regional Asian Championship in February, before claiming his third F3 win in the Feature Race at Silverstone in July.
Leclerc will take part in the F2 post-season test with DAMS at the Yas Marina Circuit on 23-25 November. The 2023 F2 campaign starts in Bahrain in March, with the 14-round calendar including a first visit to Melbourne in April.
Arthur Leclerc: “I’m delighted to be making the step up to Formula 2 with DAMS in 2023. They’re a very successful team that has achieved great results in the championship, and I hope I can be a part of that and continue the team’s success. Charles Pic has done an amazing job to help the team back to winning ways throughout the season and I’m aiming to keep that going next year. We’ve a lot of work to do before the start of the new campaign in Bahrain in March, and I’m really looking forward to getting started in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi!”
Charles Pic, Team Owner: “It’s great to have Arthur join DAMS for 2023. We’ve seen his talent and skill throughout his career so far, and he’s shown in the last two years in F3 that he’s capable of challenging for victories. We’re excited to have him in the car for the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, preparing for next season. The team is aiming for a strong campaign in 2023, and we’ve no doubt that the addition of Arthur will help us towards our goals.”