Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Trident has announced it has parted ways with its two Formula 2 drivers, and is believed to already have replacements lined up for the next round in Baku.
The early termination of Max Esterson and Sami Meguetounif’s contracts was made official via a statement posted to social media today, following media reports that the pair were on their way out imminently.
“By mutual agreement with Sami Meguetounif and Max Esterson, we have decided to part ways before the end of the 2025 season. Thank you, Sami and Max, for your commitment. It has been a pleasure to have had them both on our team and we wish them all the best for their future,” read Trident’s statement.
With three rounds to go, Trident is currently 11th and last in F2’s teams standings with just two points from the first 21 races.
Meguetounif is responsible for both of those points, having finished 10th in the Imola and Red Bull Ring feature races, while Esterson’s sole top-10 result was 10th place in the Red Bull Ring sprint race and therefore did not earn him any points.
The rookie pair sit 19th and 21st in the standings, both having stepped up to F2 after one year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, with only one other driver this having gone points-free.
“This F2 season hasn’t delivered the results our team’s effort and preparation have deserved,” said Esterson. “There’s been hard work from every member of the team, but it hasn’t yet converted into the consistent pace or points we all expected and need.
“That’s tough to accept, but stepping up to this level was always part of a plan to gain experience at highest level of junior single seater racing. Even if it didn’t produce the results I wanted, I showed that on occasion I could run on pace when everything was working well.”
The American driver added: “I hope to find the right opportunity to be back on the F2 grid later this season if seat opens up in somewhere, and while my focus is set on returning to FIA Formula 2 in 2026, if we are unable to find a competitive spot in F2 we will be well prepared to pursue almost any of the world’s other top-level racing series.”
With the F3 season having concluded at Monza, several drivers can be expected to make the step up to F2 over the last three rounds of that championship, as happened last year.
Two F3 racers to have been linked with taking over the Trident seats for Baku are 19-year-old Norwegian and McLaren Formula 1 junior Martinius Stenshorne and 20-year-old Dutchman Laurens van Hoepen, according to reports by GPblog.
Stenshorne has spent the last two years in F3 with Hitech GP, coming 18th in his rookie campaign and fifth this year with two victories and three other podiums.
Van Hoepen has been a rival on the F3 grid with ART Grand Prix, coming 13th in 2024 and 12th in 2025. He has five podiums from his two seasons there.