Baku, December 5, AZERTAC

UNI-Virtuosi will replace Russian Time in next year’s Formula 2 Championship, organisers confirmed on Tuesday, according to Motorsport Week.

Russian Time has competed in Formula 2, and predecessor GP2, since 2013, with the Virtuosi organisation running the squad in recent years.

Russian Time won the 2017 Teams’ title and also guided veteran Artem Markelov to the runner-up spot in the standings, behind current Ferrari-bound F1 racer Charles Leclerc.

UNI-Virtuosi will take over Russian Time’s entry and assets for 2019.

“I am pleased to welcome UNI-Virtuosi as part of the F2 field in 2019,” said F2 CEO Bruno Michel.

“We are familiar with the hard-working group of people who will run the team.

“They have been very successful in our championship and I know we can expect the same level of performance from them next season.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Russian Time, Svetlana Strelnikova and Artem Markelov for their dedication over the years.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with them and to see Artem grow into one of the most interesting drivers to watch on track.”

UNI-Virtuosi Team Owner Andy Roche added: "UNI-Virtuosi Racing’s owners, Paul Devlin, Declan Lohan and I are fully committed to continue with the same mind set which led Russian Time to the 2017 Teams' championship, 13 race wins and 38 podiums.

"The team will continue with the same engineering staff and structure to ensure this success continues in to 2019 and beyond."

Russian Time fielded Ferrari protégé Guan Yu Zhou and multiple race winner Luca Ghiotto during post-season testing.

A final decision on its 2019 driver line-up is expected in the near future.