Nannini to complete dual F2/F3 campaign, joins Deledda at HWA
Matteo Nannini will complete a dual campaign in Formula 2 and Formula 3 this season with HWA, joining Alessio Deledda in the senior of the two championships
F2 and F3 have traditionally hosted races on the same Formula 1 weekends, but will no longer share the bill this year as part of a new cost-cutting drive to ensure teams visit fewer countries and can share staff across the two series.
This has opened up the possibility of drivers pulling double duty in F2 and F3 to gain extra mileage, with a total of 45 races on offer across the two categories.
Nannini, nephew of former grand prix driver Alessandro, is the first driver to take advantage of their split schedules, with HWA revealing that he'll race in F2 in parallel with his previously announced campaign in F3.
The 2019 Formula 4 UAE champion stepped up to F3 with Jenzer last year, with a podium finish in the Barcelona sprint race being the highlight of his season.
The 17-year-old has already got his first taste of F2 machinery, having taken part in the Bahrain test in December alongside former Manor F1 driver Roberto Merhi.
"I'm really looking forward to such a busy season!," said Nannini. "Forty-five races in 2021 are going to be demanding, but I feel ready and determined to grow as a driver, having the opportunity to race in both FIA F2 and F3.
"It will be my first year in F2. I know it will not be easy, but I am willing to learn as much as possible.
"I am confident heading into my second season in F3 and I am sure that HWA will provide me with a competitive package to do well."
Deledda spent the last two years competing in F3 with Campos, managing a best finish of 16th in the Paul Ricard feature race in early 2019.
The Italian driver completes an all-new F2 line-up for HWA, which started the 2020 season with Artem Markelov and Giuliano Alesi.
Alesi later departed the German outfit to move to MP Motorsport, with first Jake Hughes and then Theo Pourchaire taking his HWA seat for the final three rounds of the campaign.
"A new experience that I have been waiting for years," Deledda. "I am excited to be participating in such a competitive championship and testing my skills.
"I am sure that, together with a team rich in experience like HWA, we will be able to grow together on this journey that awaits us."
HWA finished 10th out of 11 teams in its first season in F2 last year but enjoyed better fortunes in F3, with Hughes scoring a pair of wins to propel the squad to fifth in the championship.
"We have found a good mix for our team, with a young and very talented driver, together with a slightly older but equally ambitious driver," said HWA team principal Thomas Strick.
"We have taken a conscious decision to field Matteo in both series.
"The advantage for the young driver is that he can be introduced more quickly to the high performance of a Formula 1 car, as the Formula 2 car comes far closer to matching this performance."
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