When an All Black gets dropped from the team, it is usually because their form has slumped and they need to sit on the bench, take stock and re-apply themselves. We see this happening in other top sports both in NZ and around the world. So a headline in The Press, “Armstrong switches F2 team, replaces Lawson” you could be forgiven for thinking fellow Kiwi driver Liam Lawson’s form had taken a turn for the worse.
Not so, and if anything it is slightly confusing to know why Armstrong has moved to the Hitech Grand Prix team that Lawson has vacated?
The Hitech Grand Prix team has been around since 2002, mainly competing in Formula 3 series. Besides a season in GP2 ( now called Formula 2) back in 2005, Hitech has only been involved in the FIA F2 Championship for the last two seasons.
Lawson drove for the team in his second F3 season before moving to F2 in 2021, again with Hitech. He has now moved to Carlin for his second season in F2 and maybe for good reason.
It’s Armstrong third season in F2, having started with ART Grand Prix, moving to DAMS in 2021 and now competing in the 2022 season with Hitech Grand Prix.
From the outside looking in, it’s hard not to think that unfortunately Armstrong may have reached his highest rung on the ladder to Formula One. He is no longer a Ferrari Academy driver and appears to have no association with any other F1 team, which is now an unwritten requirement for a future F1 driver.
Lawson, on the other hand, is very much ensconced in the Red Bull camp and we should not be surprised to see him on the F1 grid in the next couple of years. His move to Carlin, regarded as one of the top three F2 teams, is a strategic move. A step up.
For Armstrong, now he has the 2022 season planned, he must be looking ahead to other options in 2023, which may include a move to IndyCar. Not making F1 is not a failure as the his experience will open many doors for him to choose from.
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