Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti has plunged into sportscar racing post his F2 stint as he joins the ELMS grid with COOL Racing.
COOL Racing / CLX Motorsport will field a second entry in the European Le Mans Series LMP2 Pro class alongside the #37 ORECA 07 and the #17 Ligier JS P320, two-time champion in the LMP3 class. The #47 will be driven by an international lineup of drivers composed of Alejandro Garcia, of Mexico, Ferdinand Habsburg, of Austria, and Frederik Vesti, of Denmark. With a mix of youth and experience, the trio of drivers will be looking to compete at the top end of a record entry list of 43 competitors!
Champions at the wheel!
Twenty-year-old Alex Garcia is entering his second season with COOL Racing and will again be racing in the ELMS while also taking the next step in his career. Following a stellar year that saw him take the LMP3 class championship with three wins and two podiums in six races alongside Marcos Siebert and Adrien Chila, the young Mexican driver will be making the step up to the top class. It’s a logical step in his driving career, having also raced in single-seater series, including the highly competitive FIA F3 championship.
Another champion, Ferdinand Habsburg, will be driving the #47 ORECA 07! Following early success in single- seaters, the Salzburg native has become a top name in endurance sportscar racing. Aged 26, he holds one LMP2 victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2021), the World Endurance Championship and Asian Le Mans Series titles that same year, and the European Le Mans Series title in 2022, with four wins. Ferdi’ will be making his return to full time racing with a double programme, as he is also an official Alpine driver in WEC’s Hypercar class.
Vesti to discover endurance sportscars…
Already teammates in the Asian LMS, Garcia and Habsburg will be joined by a newcomer to the world of endurance, Frederik Vesti. The 21-year-old Danish star will be making his debut in the discipline. He has shown his speed in single-seaters having shone in Danish F4 in 2017 as well as being crowned champion in the Formula Regional European Championship with 13 victories and 10 poles in 2019. Since 2021, Vesti has been a member of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Junior programme, notching four wins in F3 before tasting success in F2, finishing second in the 2023 championship with no fewer than 6 wins.
With three entries in the European Le Mans Series, COOL Racing continues its heavy presence in the championship. As it has done since its creation, the team is showing its ambitious spirit with drivers that are young and talented. “We are thrilled and proud to have confirmed such talented driver lineups for the 2024 season,” explains Nicolas Lapierre, the team’s co-founder.
“The backbone of the team is identical, with youth and an obvious sporting potential. It’s important for us to stay with Alex, who continues his development with us and he will be able to count on Ferdi’s experience. Frederik fits well within our philosophy and we can be ambitious in our objectives. Now, all of this must translate to the track in a category that’s more and more competitive. We’ve reinforced our technical organisation in these last few seasons and we’re hoping to capitalise on the experience gained. The 2024 season, with two LMP2 Pro and one LMP3, is an important one for the team.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]