“Abu Dhabi F2 Test” Super Formula Lights champion Teppei Natori’s participation is announced

We are delighted to announce that Teppei Natori, a member of the Buzz Driver Management Programme, will join the Trident team for the F2 test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi from 16-18 December.

In 2019, he competed in FIA-F3 and EURO FORMULA OPEN races. After a period of training in Europe, Natori went to Japan in 2020 to compete in the Super Formula Lites Championship under the management of Buzz & Co Group. This year he moved to B-Max Racing to compete in the Super Formula Lites Championship, battling it out with Giuliano Alesi, who had previously competed in the Formula 2 Championship.

The F2 Joint Test, which Natori will be taking part in, is a test for young drivers who are aiming to enter the F2 Championship next season. Many of the drivers are part of the development programmes of Ferrari, Alpine, Mercedes and Red Bull, bringing together the next generation of F1 drivers. It is the final step on the road to Formula One, as many of today's F1 drivers stepped up to Formula One via the F2 championship.
The test is held in the same week as the F1 Young Driver Test, which takes place immediately after the last race of the season and attracts much attention from F1 officials and the media.
 
The Buzz Driver Management Program, to which Natori belongs, is a young driver development program established by the Buzz & Co Group with the aim of "supporting and managing talented young drivers and developing the next generation of F1 drivers". Natori and Kian Nakamura, who last month became the first Japanese driver to win the FIA Karting World Championship in the OK/JUNIOR class, are also members of the programme.
This program is made possible by Buzz & Co Group's strong connections in European motorsports, and we will continue to support talented Japanese and Asian drivers, such as Natori and Nakamura, in order to develop drivers who can compete on the world stage.

Having competed in national and international championships with the support of the Buzz & Co Group since 2019, Natori officially joined the Buzz & Co Group's Young Driver Development Programme in 2021. As a result of winning the series championship in his first year, Natori has been offered the chance to participate in the Trident F2 joint test.
Natori visited the Trident factory to meet with the team and start a program using the simulator. We are preparing for the F2 joint test.
 
Comment from Teppei Natori
“This year I joined the Buzz Driver Management Program and moved to a new team to work with B-Max to build a strong car and win the series championship.
I would like to thank all the team members, sponsors and all the fans for their support. After winning this championship, I accepted team leader Hasegawa's offer of an F2 test. After receiving the offer, I visited the team factory in Milan and found it to be a very competitive team. This is a great opportunity for us to move towards our goal of Formula One and we will do everything we can now to make the most of this opportunity. Thank you for your continued support.”
 
Comment from team representative Daisuke Hasegawa
“There are some very fast drivers in Japan and I was not sure at first which one to take to the test. After talking to each driver directly, I felt Natori's passion and determination for Europe. He has had one setback in Europe in 2019, but for me, that's not a setback. I was able to ask him how he felt when I wanted to give him a chance, and after discussing it with the association as a prize for winning the Super Formula Lites series championship, I had a feeling that this was the right time to give him that chance. We hope that Natori will make the most of this test in F2 and drive as well as he did when he won the championship. We hope that he will do well this time and that he will be able to go even further next season.”
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