Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Sauber junior Lena Buhler will return to Formula Regional this year as the 2023 F1 Academy runner-up signs with ART Grand Prix to race in the European championship.
The 26-year-old Swiss has been racing in single-seaters since 2020, starting off in Spanish Formula 4 where she came 15th in the standings and two fifth places were her best results.
She then stepped up to FREC with R-ace GP. In her rookie season she missed the opening round and finished no higher than 20th to end up 38th in the standings, then in 2022 she was entered for three rounds but only contested three races. Buhler also did two FRegional Asian Championship rounds that year, and had a best finish of 12th.
In 2023 she attracted the support of Sauber and stepped down to F4 again, starting the year in the United Arab Emirates championship. She came 33rd in the standings, with two 15th places her best showings, but then raised her game when she joined ART GP in the all-female F1 Academy series which used the same car.
Buhler stood on the podium on her second start, and went on to take two wins, 11 other podiums and two poles to be championship runner-up.
“FRegional was the natural next step after F1 Academy, and I am delighted and proud to make this progression,” said Buhler.
“I want to thank Sauber Academy, my team and of course my sponsors for believing in me and for all their support last season – I cannot wait to get started again, and to achieve even greater results together. Over these past few months, I trained hard preparing for my debut [sic], and I am highly motivated – it won’t be an easy task, but I am ready for the challenge.”