Vasiliauskas returns for second season

Date published : 12 Mar 2010 - 15:47:00

Formula 2 news Vasiliauskas returns for second season12 March 2010Formula 2 race winner Kazim Vasiliauskas has become the latest driver to be confirmed on the 2010 grid after announcing his return to the series. Vasiliauskas played a starring role in the 2009 season, scoring his maiden race victory in Imola after starting from pole and sealing seventh in the overall championship, despite it being his first full season in single seaters. The 19-year-old further belied his age and relative inexperience by taking podiums at Valencia, Donington Park and Oschersleben, and remarkably ended the season as one of only three drivers to have scored points in every round of the season, alongside 2009 Champion Andy Soucek and third-placed Mikhail Aleshin. He also outscored everyone but Soucek and Aleshin over the second half of the season, cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting prospects in world motorsport. Kazim, who topped the timesheets in the recent F2 test at Portimão, made history last year by becoming the first Lithuanian ever to compete in international single seaters. He has also tested GP2 and GP3 during the off-season but chose to return to F2 for a second season. Kazim Vasiliauskas said: "For sure this year I'm expecting to win the championship. Last year my form was very good, and I finished the second half of the year very strongly. Now I have more experience, and I know the F2 operation and most of the circuits on the calendar. I believe in myself completely, so winning is the only target. "This year through testing I was able to compare GP2, GP3 and Formula Two, and for me F2 represents the best package: the car has been improved, everyone has the same machinery and the prize is very good. F2 is for sure the right option for me, and I would like to thank Darsena, my managers, for giving me this opportunity. Of course it also helps that I have already driven in the series, and now I look forward to the season ahead!"