MP Motorsport names Zendeli as first 2021 F2 signing
Race-winning Formula 2 outfit MP Motorsport has announced German driver Lirim Zendeli as its first signing for the 2021 season.

Zendeli won the ADAC Formula 4 championship in his third season in the category in 2018 before stepping up to FIA Formula 3 the following year with Charouz.
After a difficult season in which he scored only six points and finished down in 18th place in the standings, Zendeli switched to Trident in 2020 and enjoyed much better fortunes, scoring a lights-to flag-win in the Spa feature race to bag a top 10 finish in the championship.
The 21-year-old got his first taste of Formula 2 machinery with MP Motorsport in the Bahrain test last week, finishing sixth quickest on the final day, and will step up to the series full-time next year with the same team.
“I’m very happy to be driving for MP Motorsport for my first year in Formula 2”, said Zendeli. “With four victories, they showed true race-winning form in 2020, and I am eager to add to their success in 2021.
"The Bahrain test with the team proved to be extremely productive, so I’m confident that we will be able to feature right at the front as soon as the season gets underway.”
MP Motorsport is expected to field an all-new line-up in 2021 following rookie star Felipe Drugovich’s move to UNI-Virtuosi and question marks over Giuliano Alesi’s future in the series.
The outfit fielded Haas Formula 1 reserve driver Louis Deletraz alongside Zendeli in the three-day, post-season test in Bahrain last week.
“It’s a real pleasure to welcome Lirim to our team”, said Sander Dorsman, team principal at MP Motorsport. “Lirim’s talent was obvious to us from the moment that he started winning in German Formula 4 back in 2017.
"We worked very well together in last week’s test, and I’m looking forward to a season that will hopefully see us challenge for wins. I’m sure he will do well in his debut season in Formula 2.”
MP Motorsport finished sixth out of 11 teams in the 2020 F2 season, with Drugovich scoring three of the team’s four wins and Nobuharu Matsushita clinching the other victory prior to his late-season exit from F2.
2021 F2 line-up:
Team | Driver |
---|---|
ART | TBA TBA |
Campos | Ralph Boschung TBA |
Carlin | TBA |
Charouz | TBA |
DAMS | TBA TBA |
Hitech | TBA TBA |
HWA | TBA TBA |
MP Motorsport | Lirim Zendeli |
Prema | Robert Shwartzman Oscar Piastri |
Trident | TBA |
UNI-Virtuosi | Felipe Drugovich TBA |

Previous article
Ilott won't return to Formula 2 in 2021
Next article
Daruvala: Engine woes made Tsunoda comparison unflattering

About this article
Series | FIA F2 |
Drivers | Lirim Zendeli |
Teams | MP Motorsport |
Author | Rachit Thukral |
MP Motorsport names Zendeli as first 2021 F2 signing
Trending
F1’s feeder series champions – hits and misses
#ThinkingForward with Bruno Michel
Remembering Anthoine Hubert
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
How Mick Schumacher earned his Haas F1 chance
Michael Schumacher may have won seven Formula 1 titles, but he didn't even compete for a crown at the second tier. Son Mick put that right in 2020, and proved to Ferrari that he was deserving of a shot at motorsport's elite category in 2021…
How Aitken’s fortunes turned around for his shock F1 chance
As a consequence of George Russell's step up to Mercedes to cover for the COVID-positive Lewis Hamilton, Jack Aitken will make his Formula 1 debut for Williams at the Sakhir Grand Prix. Long on F1's peripheries, Aitken finally has a chance to shine.
How F1's foundation has responded to the coronavirus threat
While Formula 1 felt the public brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, the virus also put the Formula 2 and Formula 3 categories on hiatus. But their roles in feeding F1 with drivers meant their survival was crucial to their parent series' long-term future
The year Leclerc fully revealed his star status
In the latest feature in our series looking back on the 2010s, we revisit Charles Leclerc's sensational Formula 2 season - where he strode among on-track highs and lows, as well as tragedy away from motorsport, to earn a place on the Formula 1 grid
From Formula 1 exiles to part of the family
It wasn't long ago F2 drivers couldn't even get passes to the F1 paddock. Now, as Ross Brawn and Bruno Michel explain, attitudes are totally different
How Schumacher is really doing in Formula 2
Mick Schumacher's first victory in Formula 2 ignited a media frenzy, but how has Schumacher handled the pressure, and has he shown Formula 1 potential? Here's the story of his season to date
Can F2's underrated star 'do an Albon'?
There's a driver on the 2019 Formula 2 grid that has shown plenty of promise over the years, but is still a step away from making it to the top level. But one current F1 rookie's journey to grand prix racing has given this underrated driver hope.