Trident have announced that they will be retaining Marino Sato for the 2021 Formula 2 campaign, while they have also added Bent Viscaal to their line-up for the opening round of the season in Sakhir.
21-year-old Sato will enter his second full season of F2 with the Italian team, having impressed them with his progress during 2020. The Japanese driver claimed eighth place at Mugello and came close to the top-10 on multiple occasions.
Sato made his F2 debut in the final part of 2019, the same year that saw him cruise to the Euroformula Open title with nine wins, 11 podiums, six poles and five fastest laps. Sato also competed in the European Formula3 Championship and the Italian Formula 4 Championship, scoring one win.
"I’m really looking forward to continue our journey together with the Trident team,” said Sato. “We had a very tough season last year but we improved race-by-race. I need to thank everyone involved in making this happen!"
21-year-old Viscaal will make his F2 debut with Trident in the opening round of the season in Bahrain. The Dutchman, who is also set to drive for the team in pre-season testing, will make the step up from a race-winning season in Formula 3.
Viscaal was second in the 2018 Euroformula Open Championship with one win, 12 podiums and four poles. The Dutchman also ran in the 2017 Spanish Formula 4 championship, finishing third with five wins and 12 podiums.
“I cannot wait to make my debut in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Trident Motorsport,” said Viscaal. “I will be on-track for collective pre-season testing in just about two weeks, and I am really excited!
“We did great preparation work. I have been aware of the value of Trident Motorsport for quite some time, and it’s finally time to work together. I am sure that we will achieve great results."