Christian Mansell announced that he is going to take a break from racing ahead of the Formula 2 season-opener.
The Australian announced on social media that he decided to step back from motorsport due to “personal reasons.”
Mansell was scheduled to compete in his first full season in FIA Formula 2 for Rodin alongside Irish driver Alex Dunne after racing in the final three rounds last year.
After months of anticipation, the second tier of motorsport is less than two weeks away from its season-opener. Albert Park in Australia hosts round one with 13 more events to follow.
Rodin have very little time to find Mansell’s replacement ahead of the first round next weekend in Melbourne.
The Australian team have a deep-rooted network of teams throughout the junior ladder. This begins in British F4 and GB3 in the UK up to F2, knocking on the door of Formula 1. This could make life easier when looking for a driver but Rodin need to make the correct decision.
Callum Voisin could be Rodin’s perfect option
Callum Voisin is set to embark on his second season in Formula 3. He developed at Rodin Motorsport in a year of improvement in 2024.
FIA F3 is a sizeable step-up for any driver, as is the added pressure of racing alongside Formula 1. The distinct Pirelli tyres can also make it difficult for rookies to grasp the series.
Voisin had a steep learning curve ahead of him last season. Although the 2023 GB3 champion hit a purple patch towards the end of the year.
The British driver took his first podium at Silverstone, followed by a maiden win at Spa. He was also a step ahead of his teammate Joseph Loake who also graduated from GB3.
Voisin has been ice cool throughout his career, a quality that served him well last season. He battled in the midfield after consecutive years of winning races.
He is the best placed of Rodin’s FIA F3 team to replace Mansell. Voisin is most experienced of the trio and knows a lot of the tracks on Formula 2’s calendar.
Reigning GB3 champion Louis Sharp is alongside him while Pole Roman Bilinski is stepping up from FRECA and a jump straight to Formula 2 may be a step too far.
Nico Varrone is a more left-field option for Rodin but impressed in testing
Franco Colapinto’s arrival onto the Formula 1 grid last season sparked a boost of interest in F1 in Argentina. They have a deep-rooted history in motorsport, successful drivers, and has hosted a Grand Prix.
Nico Varrone has proven to be blisteringly fast in a range of cars after climbing the single-seater ladder up to British F3. He then ran out of funding and switched to sportscars before he won the LMP2 Pro-Am category at Le Mans last year.
He is focusing on a full season in the World Endurance Championship for Proton Competition in the Hypercar class.
Varrone finished in 15th place after 1812km of racing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar to kick off his the year and his first season in WEC’s top class.
Cadillac will join the Formula 1 grid in 2026, which could open the door for the 24-year-old to race at the highest level. He has a lot of work to do as talent in junior categories have more recent experience in single-seaters.
The first step is obtaining a superlicence and gathering valuable experience in single-seaters after five years away from the brutal world of junior racing.
It is almost obligatory for Varrone to compete in Formula 2 this year to have a slim chance of Cadillac giving him an opportunity with names such as Sergio Perez and IndyCar’s Colton Herta potentially being available.
He does have a link to Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors. The F1 hopeful also has a drive with Corvette in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Varrone did impress in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi for AIX Racing and completed 63 laps in a day. The 24-year-old ended the afternoon session in second place, just 0.072 behind the pace setter Pepe Marti.
Varrone admitted that proceedings kicked off too late last year to find a drive for round one despite being quick.
He told Carburando radio: “Obviously, I will not be starting the championship because the truth is that the test and everything happened too late. In F2, the seats have been confirmed since August or September, and they are all closed. But I will be competing.
In Formula 2 seats always open in the middle of the year, in May or whatever. I don’t know exactly when.
But we are on reserve in three teams and as soon as a chance opens up, a free seat, the idea is to be in the championship. And to start when there is a seat available. That is the plan.”
