Breaking news has just shocked the Formula 2 world. Christian Mansell has announced he will not be competing in the near future only a week from the F2 season opener in Australia.
A sad moment for motorsport fans
Mansell, who had signed for Rodin Motorsport and was supposed to complete a totally rookie lineup alongside Irish talent Alex Dunne, has issued the following statement on his social media accounts:
“Hi Everyone. Just to let you know for personal reasons I have decided to step away from racing for a little while. Will keep you updated as to future plans. Love, Christian.”
Many feeder series colleagues have reached out to express their support to him, with Pepe Marti, Chloe Chambers, Richard Verschoor, Nico Lacorte and Tommy Smith leaving loving comments on the announcement.
Mansell is a Type 1 Diabetic, and has always been vocal on his condition, as well as on the importance of mantal health in the motorsport world:
“That’s why I’m such a big advocate for mental health, and that’s why I’m such a big advocate for sports people living with diabetes. Because at the end of the day, we can do it. And I think the more and more that I put myself on the world stage and show kids…”
“I’ve gotten messages from parents saying that their kids would have never done anything sport related. I actually recently had a mother text me on my Instagram saying that their child is now doing karting. So it’s very, very sweet,” said Mansell on the topic.
2024 had been a very positive year
In 2024 Mansell had scored 112 points in his second Formula 3 season, for which he had teamed up with Art GP. He scored five podiums, including three second place finishes in the feature races held at Sakir, Monza and Barcelona.
He had also a very positive Formula 2 debut, scoring ten points in just three rounds with Trident and a best finish of P6 in Qatar. In his post-testing interview with Pit Debrief and other media outlets, Mansell had been upbeat ahead of his full season F2 debut
Rodin Motorsport has not yet announced a new driver for the upcoming 2025 Formula 2 season, issuing the following statement on the matter:
“Rodin Motorsport can confirm that Christian Mansell has announced he will be taking a step away from racing. We will share further details on our lineup soon.”
