BWT Arden announced the signing of Artem Markelov as Anthoine Hubert’s replacement for rest of 2019 FIA Formula 2 (F2) Championship.
Having only raced with the one car of Tatiana Calderon at Monza, BWT Arden will be back to full strength in Sochi and Abu Dhabi as Markelov will make his F2 return for the second time in 2019.
The Russian has been racing in Super Formula after a lengthy stint in GP2/F2. He filled in for Jordan King at MP Motorsport earlier this season and now he gets another chance at BWT Arden.
He gets the seat in unfortunate circumstances with the death of Hubert and as a mark of respect, F2 has decided to not use #19 for the remainder of the season, with Markelov’s car to be numbered as #22.
“First of all I want to give my best to the family of Anthoine,” said Markelov. “This guy was not only a good driver, he was a great man who was happy all the time and always gave us a smile. He showed everyone his talent.
“Thanks to the team for trusting me in this situation and I’m going do my best for them. We are going to drive together in memory of Anthoine. I’m really happy I’ll be driving for BWT Arden for the rest of the championship.
“It’s a really nice opportunity to drive at my home grand prix again. I hope for a strong result and I’ll work hard to achieve it.” Meanwhile, BWT Arden Team Manager Kenny Kirwan added:
“Following on from recent tragic events and our return to Sochi as a two-car team, we are proud and humbled to have Artem join us for the remaining races of the season.
“Artem is a proven race winner in this category and we very much relish the opportunity to work together and to continue where we left off with Anthoine, who we miss very dearly.”