Giuliano Alesi will step up to Formula 2 next season with Trident.
The son of ex-Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi will spend a fourth consecutive season with the Italian outfit after three years in GP3.
He was signed by the Ferrari Driver Academy after a single year in French Formula 4 in 2015 and stepped up to GP3, scoring just one point in his rookie season.
In 2017 however he finished fifth in the standings, helped by three consecutive reversed grid race wins during the summer.
He began 2018 with a fourth such win in Barcelona and took three further podiums on his way to seventh in the final points.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Alesi said about his F2 move.
“First of all I want to thank Trident as it’s going to be a pleasure to continue racing with them in F2.
“This is a new category, a new adventure, which I’m really looking forward to.
“This year hasn’t quite gone as we all hoped, but I’m really looking forward to a successful season with Trident in 2019. We are going to work hard this winter, and try and come back as strong as possible for the season opener.”
Alesi had his first experience of F2 machinery with Trident on two days of last week’s post-season test.
“I’m happy with the first test, because I could manage to do a good lap time and finish P6 on the final day.
“It was my first experience with an F2 car, so I couldn’t put the sectors perfectly together, but in general it went well.
“It’s a good start, and I keep working hard.”