Catch up on the essentials
- The 18-year-old Briton, who was announced earlier this year as the first member of the new Audi Driver Development Program, will remain within the German manufacturer's junior structure for the move.
- Slater's rookie Formula 3 season with Trident featured one Feature Race victory, three pole positions and eight podiums.
- Allan McNish, Director of the Audi Driver Development Program, said the move to Formula 2 was the natural next phase of Slater's development, pointing to his title fight until the final round as evidence of his speed and racecraft.
Selected from this article · 2026-09-15
Read on for the full pictureAudi's first development signing moves to Formula 2
Formula 3 runner-up Freddie Slater is set to step up to Formula 2 in 2027 after signing with Invicta Racing, the squad that won back-to-back Formula 2 Drivers' and Teams' Championships in 2024 and 2025. The 18-year-old Briton, who was announced earlier this year as the first member of the new Audi Driver Development Program, will remain within the German manufacturer's junior structure for the move. Audi's first F1 works driver pairing is scheduled to race from 2026, with the marque having joined Formula 1 as a power unit and future team entrant.
2026 F3 campaign sets up the promotion
Slater's rookie Formula 3 season with Trident featured one Feature Race victory, three pole positions and eight podiums. After four consecutive Feature Race podiums, he carried the championship lead into the summer break, but he added only 15 points across the final five rounds and finished the year 14 points behind Ugo Ugochukwu. The total still made him the top rookie in the field, ahead of sophomore Tuukka Taponen and fellow debutant Taito Kato, and completed a junior career that also included the Ginetta Junior Championship, Italian and UAE Formula 4 and the 2024 Italian F4 and 2025 Formula Regional European Championship titles.
Audi and Invicta frame the next step
Allan McNish, Director of the Audi Driver Development Program, said the move to Formula 2 was the natural next phase of Slater's development, pointing to his title fight until the final round as evidence of his speed and racecraft. Invicta Racing, whose recent driver progression has included Gabriel Bortoleto, Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara, has emerged as a regular pipeline between Formula 3 and the higher single-seater ladder. Slater said he was excited to step up with Invicta, thanked the Audi program for its continued support, and said there was still a lot to learn ahead of the new campaign.
Calendar context ahead of the 2027 debut
The announcement was made on the day the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is scheduled to begin, with the round framed in Formula 1's published schedule as the 15th race meeting of the season. Slater's F2 debut is set for the 2027 campaign, with team preparations and any pre-season testing to follow in the intervening months.
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