The New Year's celebrations came early for Frederik Vesti. The 18-year old Danish driver has reportedly signed a contract to join Mercedes' junior academy. He joins recent graduates Esteban Ocon and George Russell in an exclusive club of highly talented drivers.
Mercedes' junior formula category has a considerable history of leading its drivers into Formula One. Both Esteban Ocon and George Russell have already enjoyed lengthy careers in the sport. Unlike rivals Red Bull or Ferrari, Mercedes are highly selective with their choices, and prefer a smaller junior team setup. Mercedes' other junior driver of note, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is widely considered the top karting prospect worldwide.
Vesti's most notable result comes with a championship in the Formula Regional European Championship series. He set stunning records by winning 13 out of a possible 24 races; winning the championship by a margin of over 130 points. This performance is likely where he caught Mercedes' eyes.
Vesti most recently raced in Formula Three for Prema. He drove alongside eventual champion and third-place finishers Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant. He completed his first season in the sport with three wins, four podiums, and a pole position. Widely regarded as a stable talent, it has been theorized that Mercedes are looking for a driver to potentially deputize alongside George Russell in the future.
While talented, Vesti's road to F1 remains long. At 18, he is certainly not following the Max Verstappen's route. His respectable fourth-place finish in F3 gives him a good chance of getting signed by a Formula 2 team. Provided he does that, he will still face a tough task to dethrone the more experienced Callum Illot and Robert Schwartzman in 2021. Altogether, if he were to make it into Formula 1, he'd likely have to wait another 2-3 years to do so.
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