After RUSSIAN TIME confirmed their presence at the FIA Formula 2 championship, it is only a matter of time before the team will announce their drivers for 2018. One of them will be Japanese star Tadasuke Makino, who tested with the team last November, and whose move has been confirmed by Honda.
The biggest news this week in the world of feeder series came from Formula 2, after the championship confirmed their team list for 2018. Beyond the absence of Fortec and the departure of Racing Engineering, the rumour that spoke about RUSSIAN TIME was confirmed and so the 2017 team champions will be back to the series. And today, Honda has confirmed that Tadasuke Makino will be one of the two drivers of the team.
The Japanese driver left a good impression on the team when he tested with them after the 2017 Formula 2 season was over at the Yas Marina circuit at Abu Dhabi. This, along with the good reputation he has with Honda, meant the Japanese carmaker made an effort to give Makino a good seat in the series through Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP). After all, RUSSIAN TIME is the team that took the team championship last year.
Makino raced in Europe for the first time last year, taking part in the FIA Formula 3 European championship, where he suffered during the first half of the season before finally understanding how to make the most out of the machine to get good results. The Japanese driver showed a much better pace during the last few races of 2017, and knowing the talent that he was able to show back in his country, Honda is sending him to Formula 2 with the goal of fighting at the top.
There, Makino will share the track with Nirei Fukuzumi, his partner at the HFDP. Both will try to achieve what Nobuharu Matsushita was not able to; success in the main feeder series of Formula 1. For now, Fukuzumi will have the support of Red Bull Japan to aim for a Toro Rosso race seat. Regarding the second driver at RUSSIAN TIME for the 2018 season, the main candidate should be Arjun Maini.
