Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa says winning next year’s Formula 2 title is his target after signing up for another season with DAMS.
Ayumu, who is also part of the Honda Formula Dream Project, finished fifth in this year’s championship in his first season driving for the French outfit.
The 21-year-old claimed two Feature Race wins, in Belgium and Abu Dhabi, and finished on the podium on a further four occasions.
Iwasa will link up with Ferrari-backed Arthur Leclerc, who has graduated to Formula 2 in place of Charouz-bound Roy Nissany.
“I’m really happy with my first F2 season, I learned a lot during the year and we were able to improve at each race,” said Iwasa.
“It’s a great feeling to continue with DAMS for another year, I feel at home in the team and we work well together. Everyone was on the same page and that helped us secure plenty of strong results.
“It’s going to be helpful to come into the new campaign in a familiar environment, along with my experience of several tracks that were new to me in 2022.
“My target is to challenge for the F2 title in 2023. We know we have the potential to achieve it, but we’re not looking too far ahead yet, instead concentrating on being ready for the start of the season. Thanks to DAMS for their faith and support and I can’t wait to get started in 2023!”
Team Owner Charles Pic outlined that DAMS was “very keen to keep” Iwasa for 2023 and believes the Japanese youngster has the ability to challenge for the crown.
“It’s great for us to continue our relationships with Red Bull and Honda, they trust in our methods and we’ll do our best to succeed together,” said Pic.
“Ayumu proved that he has the potential to fight for the title, he was a major competitor in the second half of the season and we hope he can use this experience to kick on in 2023.
“We’ve got a strong line up with Ayumu and Arthur, so we’re hoping they can push each other to improve throughout the year.”
