Matteo Nannini is to make an FIA Formula 2 return with Campos Racing in Baku this weekend in place of Gianluca Petecof, who has stepped down from the team.
Former Ferrari junior Petecof has had a difficult start to the F2 season after winning the Formula Regional European Championship in 2020, with reliability issues and incidents hampering the Brazilian at the opening two rounds.
Budget issues have forced Petecof to step aside for the next round, with Nannini taking his place.
It marks an unexpected return for the Italian, who competed the opening round of F2 in Bahrain with HWA Racelab, before stepping down to focus solely on his FIA Formula 3 commitments with the team due to sponsorship issues.
“Hey guys! Wanted to announce that I will not participate in the Baku F2 round this weekend,” said Petecof on Instagram.
“After working together with Campos Racing in the 2 opening rounds, we are not able to continue our campaign for now. We will keep making an effort to be back in the car, hope to bring you all good news soon! Thank you very much for all the support.”
Nannini, who finished on the podium at the F3 opener in Barcelona, is only confirmed for the F2’s Baku round. Campos, whose founder Adrian Campos passed away over the winter, has not confirmed who will be in the car alongside regular driver Ralph Boschung for the remainder of the season.
“I am very happy with the opportunity that Campos Racing have given me,” said Nannini. “I had a special friendship with Adrian Campos. He would have loved me to race with his team and this weekend it will become a reality.
“He will surely be very happy and will look at us from up there. I will give my best on the track. I thank all the Campos family again.”
Featured image credit: fiaformula2.com
