M2 Competition are proud to announce Esteban Muth as the second member of their Formula Renault Eurocup team for 2019.
The 17-year-old was born in M2’s home town of Uccle, Belgium, and joins Kush Maini at the team, who make their debut in the hotly-contested series this year.
After finishing seventh in French Formula 4 last year – his maiden season of single-seater racing – Esteban joined M2 for the New Zealand-based Toyota Racing Series in January.
Taking the title fight down to the final round of the season, the protégé of multiple Le Mans 24 Hours winner Andre Lotterer finished the year fifth overall and second in the Rookie of the Year points, having taken one win and three podiums during the five-round season.
The 2019 season brings a new challenge for M2, who have raced exclusively in New Zealand’s TRS to date and achieved incredible success.
The team; founded by Jonathan Moury and Mark Pilcher in 2010, have won five Drivers’ Championships in the past seven years with Nick Cassidy, Lance Stroll, Lando Norris, Robert Shwartzman and Liam Lawson, plus five consecutive Teams’ crowns.
M2 have taken delivery of their first two Tatuus T-318 cars with shakedown of the first chassis taking place at Cremona, Italy, earlier this month.
The Formula Renault Eurocup comprises a 10-round calendar in 2019 with highlights including support slots at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and at GT3 racing’s jewel in the crown; the Spa 24 Hours.
Esteban Muth said: “I’m very happy to move into the Formula Renault Eurocup with M2 Competition. They’re based where I was born, in Uccle, so in spirit, they’re my local team. It was great to have the experience of racing with them in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, which allowed me to learn the team and develop as a driver in a car that has a similar level of performance to a Formula Renault. The level of the engineers and mechanics is very high and that’s helped me to quickly get used to a much faster car than the F4 I raced last year. I won a race and had three podiums in TRS against a really strong group of drivers, and that’s very good preparation for this series, which has produced world champions in the past and is definitely one I’m aiming to perform well in.”
Jonathan Moury, Team Principal, said: “We are delighted to have Esteban Muth on board for our debut season in the Formula Renault Eurocup. Esteban came to us for the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand with just one season of single-seater racing behind him, and he hugely impressed us with his pace and racecraft. He won a race and went to the final round in title contention, which shows the rate of his development, despite a hugely-competitive field of drivers. Plus it’s nice to have a Belgian driver in our Belgian team. Esteban, Kush, and our final driver will make an extremely strong line-up.
