OLLI CALDWELL’S dreams of becoming a Formula 1 driver have taken a huge leap forward after he was signed by the highly-regarded Alpine team.

The 19-year-old from Farnham has been invited to join the Alpine Academy and will line up this season on the ultra-competitive Formula 2 grid.

Caldwell has impressed at every stage in the junior single-seater ladder, which has seen him take race victories in Formula 4, Formula Regional and FIA Formula 3.

Mia Sharizman, the Alpine Academy director, said: “We are only measured by our success on track and our goal as an academy is always to win the championships our drivers are competing in.

“Olli comes into the academy after a solid year in F3 where he managed four podium finishes and a race win. We accept it might take a few races to adjust to the new surroundings, but we’re confident he will hit the ground running towards the second half of the season.”

Caldwell will now have to become accustomed to a racing driver’s global lifestyle – he has just returned from a training camp in Tenerife, and F2 races take place on the same days, and the same track, as its big brother F1.

The drivers who impress in F2 can move into the megabucks F1 circus – and Caldwell is acutely aware of the challenges that lie ahead.

“Alpine contacted me after my successes in Formula 3 and invited me to join the academy.

“I did two years in F3 and after a win and getting a few podiums, I was delighted to get the chance to move up F2. There are only 20 cars on the grid so competition is pretty intense.

“My dream now is to do well in Formula 2 and learn as much as I can and eventually get into Formula 1 – but there’s a lot of hard work to do to get to that point.

“A lot of people dream of making it to F1 and I’m now in the last junior category before F1, but I still need a lot of big results to get there. But I’m one step closer.

“The academy will give me a lot of support and I can go into the Formula 1 factory every day, and I get to work with the F1 team to see how they do things.

“I can now go on training camps and simulator days and learn so much. It will all help develop me as a driver, even if I don’t make it eventually into Formula 1.

“We race on the same tracks as F1 – we have 14 rounds this year.

“I will be able to use the track simulators – and maybe even the Formula 1 simulator – so I get to know each track very well before we go out there, rather than just relying on the weekends.”

The F2 cars are no slouches – Caldwell expects to reach speeds of around 320kmh (around 199mph) on the fastest tracks.

“The cars are very physical to drive and we will experience quite severe G forces during races– up to 4G, four times our bodyweight, on some of the hardest tracks, like Silverstone,” said Caldwell.

“I’m especially looking forward to driving at Silverstone this summer. I have driven there before but the last time I raced there was during Covid, so to race there this time, on my home track filled with spectators, will be special.

“I’m really looking forward to that.”

Caldwell has a smooth rather than aggressive driving style, which in the world of F2, when looking after tyres is integral to racing plans, should hold him in good stead.

Caldwell would love to follow in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, who came through the junior ranks to become one of the best F1 drivers of all time.

“I really admire what he has done – I’d love to do what he has done but that will be a very difficult challenge for anyone,” he said.