Illott to make F2 debut at Silverstone

Formula 3 title contender Callum Ilott is making his Formula 2 debut this weekend in a one-race drive for Trident Racing at Silverstone.

"We are honored to have Callum Ilott on board as he is one of the most talented drivers and despite not having any opportunity to test ahead of the event, I'm sure he will be impressive out there," Trident team manager Giacomo Ricci said. "In 2016 we got great results on British soil with Luca Ghiotto and I'm sure that Callum will be equally impressive. The 18-year-old British racer already experienced a promising test at Abu Dhabi and we are really excited to see him in action for his home round in our colors."

So far this season, Illott has three wins, three runner-up finishes and four poles for the Prema team and sits fourth in the F3 championship.

"I'm really happy to make my F2 race debut, especially at the British Grand Prix, competing in front of the famous home crowd that so many drivers have described as a special and unique experience," Ilott said. "It's a great opportunity to get a chance to race in a category I have definitely got my eye on for the future. The opportunity has come together late so we had no chance to get on the sim or spend much time with the engineers unfortunately. Nonetheless, I still want to make the most of the weekend aiming to do a good job in qualifying use the races to get useful experience of the different tires, and gain a good understanding of tire management, an element that makes a big difference in the category."