Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Hitech GP team principal Oliver Oakes says that if his Formula 1 entry bid is accepted by the FIA it will not impact his team’s participation in the support series.
At present, Hitech races in Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3, having been on the grid in the former since 2020 and in the latter since 2019. The Silverstone-based team also competes in Formula Regional Middle East, GB3 and the British and Emriati Formula 4 championships.
Oakes’ intention to take Hitech into F1 has long been known, and the team confirmed an entry bid had been lodged to the FIA last month when it also announced a significant new investment update. The team’s owning company Hitech Global Holdings “agreed the sale of a 25% interest in the group” to Kazakh billionaire Vladimir Kim, who made his wealth in mining.
“Hitech will always be doing what it’s doing [in F2 and F3], that’s always been the vision,” Oakes said to media including Formula Scout during the most recent F2 and F3 round at Silverstone.
“We really like the junior formulae, and I think as [my fellow team bosses] will agree, there’s nothing more difficult as a series than those two categories. We’re limited on staff, it’s hugely competitive and as we see each year, the desire of the teams goes up, the competition goes up, that it definitely keeps us – I wouldn’t say young, because I’m losing my hair – but it definitely keeps us on our toes. And that’s definitely something we’ll always keep doing.”
Hitech has a long history in junior single-seaters predating Oakes’ ownership. The original team that used the Hitech name, the David Hayle-led Hitech Racing, was a mainstay in British F3 through the 2000s and won the 2007 title with Marko Asmer.
A Brazilian arm of Hitech was then set up with Rodrigo Contin at the helm, and it competed in F3 races across South America through the 2010s. Oakes launched Hitech GP in 2015, with FIA European F3 being the first series he tackled with the team.