Thiemo Storz to make Formula Two bow in 2011

Thiemo Storz

Germany's Thiemo Storz will contest his maiden season in international single seater racing after becoming the latest name to be confirmed for the 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship.

Storz has enjoyed success in a wide variety of series since making his single seater debut in 2008 – including a dominant campaign in the 2009 Formula 2000 Light Italy series, where he claimed nine wins, ten podiums and 11 poles from the 11 races.

Still only 19, Storz elected to sit out much of the 2010 season in order to prepare for his final exams. He did however test in a multitude of championships in order to assess his options for 2011, including a successful spell in Formula Palmer Audi where he finished second behind champion Nigel Moore in his maiden race at Rockingham. He gained his first experience of the Williams JPH1B F2 car when he joined all four days of winter testing at Portimão and Barcelona at the end of 2010.

"Formula Two is a fantastic opportunity for me, and I'm very excited to be joining," Storz said. "It's a quality championship, with a great car, fantastic calendar and very good price, and I'm very happy to be a part of it this year.

"In 2010 I didn't do much racing mainly because I was focusing on my education, but I did use the time to test in a lot of series to find a solution for 2011 and we came across F2. I feel it is the perfect moment for me to join, and also the perfect moment for F2 in motorsport – if you look at the prize, the price and what the championship offers you, it’s absolutely one of the best series in the world for young drivers like me!

"It's a bit difficult to know exactly how I'll get on in 2011, but winter testing gave me a lot of confidence in the car and I was constantly around the top ten, so it would be good to repeat that kind of performance during the season. There are some great events, especially racing at the Nürburgring which for me will be very special, and I hope to keep improving throughout the year so that I can be fighting for podiums at the end."

Jonathan Palmer, Formula Two Chief Executive, said: "Thiemo did a fantastic job when he first raced with us in Formula Palmer Audi in 2010 when I was impressed with his pace and competitiveness from the very start. Although some may think F2 is a big step for Thiemo, we have seen time and again how the total equivalence of car performance in F2 and ability to learn rapidly by comparison with the fastest enables relatively inexperienced drivers to be very close to front running pace, often surprising and impressing with their results. I have no doubt Thiemo will do just that in F2 during 2011."