Markelov linked to Williams 2019 F1 drive
Formula 2 frontrunner Artem Markelov has been linked to a possible future at Williams – and the Russian has indicated that he will either graduate to F1 next year or stop racing.
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
With Lance Stroll and his backing set to move to Force India, possibly before the end of the current season, Williams is clearly searching for extra finance for 2019, and Markelov and his Russian Time support could fit the bill.
Crucially, he is one of the few drivers on the market who has a budget and a superlicence, having passed the FIA’s 40-point requirement when he finished second in last year’s F2 championship. He is lying in fifth place in the 2018 series.
He is currently part of the Renault F1 junior programme, but with Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo confirmed for next year, there is no race seat on the horizon at the French marque.
One complication is that Williams already has Sergey Sirotkin and SMP Racing on board, and it’s understood that the two Russian drivers and their support packages might not be compatible, despite the potential marketing synergies should the team take two drivers from the same country.
“I think that news you will know more in the end of the year, because we are still don’t know yet 100 percent,” Markelov said when questioned about his future at Spa. “But hopefully we’ll get some possibilities to drive an F1 car next year.”
Asked if Williams would be an interesting possibility he said: “Yeah, hopefully they will look at me and try to put me in a car and give me this opportunity. So we’ll see.”
Markelov insisted that he wouldn’t stay on for another season in F2, saying he’d done “too much already.”
Regarding an alternative should he not land an F1 role, he said: “Maybe finishing. Why not? Finishing or Formula 1. So, a nice word for the writing. Finish or Formula 1.”
A Williams seat is also very attractive to Mercedes, as it could be the only option for the manufacturer to place Esteban Ocon in 2019, should the Frenchman not end up at McLaren.
If Ocon has a seat elsewhere, then Mercedes can focus on getting F2 points leader George Russell into Williams.
Artem Markelov, RUSSIAN TIME
Photo by: FIA Formula 2
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
How an F1 underachiever became a Japanese political player
Markelov secures F2 return with HWA for 2020
Markelov to skip Super Formula season finale
Markelov's replacement for Okayama announced
Porsche lodges appeal over da Costa's Misano Formula E disqualification
Ricky Taylor looking for redemption at Long Beach
How Senna’s early Pacific GP exit raised his Benetton suspicions
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Can F2's relaxed title favourite prove a point to Alpine?
Why F1's junior logjam isn't entirely a product of current issues
The brightest lights in F2's departing six-year warhorse
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments