Frederik Vesti was very successful in the junior categories on the ladder to Formula 1, winning the FRECA championship in 2019.
The Danish driver’s good form continued as he progressed towards F1 and narrowly missed out on winning the Formula 2 title last year.
Vesti battled Frenchman Theo Pourchaire over the season before losing out at the final round of the season at Abu Dhabi.
Despite his success over the junior categories and knocking on the door of Formula 1, Vesti was never truly in contention for a seat at the highest level.
Throughout 2024, he has shifted away from single-seaters and moved to endurance racing, competing in ELMS and at Le Mans.
Peter Windsor explained on his YouTube channel that there may have been a key reason why Formula 1 teams overlooked Vesti despite his good results.
Peter Windsor feels F1 teams overlooked Frederik Vesti because he wasn’t ‘cool on Instagram’
Vesti showed very good speed throughout his junior career but, like Pourchaire, missed the opportunity to move up to Formula 1.
The Danish driver is now looking to do endurance racing. He has already driven at Le Mans before competing in IMSA next year.
Some drivers have more significant social media profiles than others, and the budget a driver can bring to a team makes a real difference.
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Windsor explained that Vesti’s potentially lower Instagram profile than some other drivers may have affected his chances of moving to Formula 1.
He said: “Nobody talks about Fred Vesti. And yet he is one of the most sublime short corner, great rotation drivers on the planet Earth right now. Really, really good. Nobody talks about him. Why? Because he’s not cool on Instagram or whatever, I guess. I don’t know.”
Frederik Vesti admitted he is not fully comfortable with LMDh cars yet
Vesti will move to IMSA and race in North America next season, a significant shift for the Danish driver after racing in Europe.
He will have to learn new tracks and kick off the season at the 24 Hours of Daytona alongside his Cadillac teammates Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber.
The Cadillac driver drove the car at the Bahrain International Circuit in the post-season Rookie Test, which should help him adjust.
Despite the added track time, Vesti explained he can’t drive on instinct in the LMDh car, which is a change in weight and complexity with the hybrid system from the F2 car.