| Max Esterson | |
|---|---|
 Esterson driving theDallara F2 2024 during the2025 Spielberg Formula 2 round | |
| Nationality |  American Britishvia dual nationality |
| Born | Maxwell Esterson (2002-10-09)October 9, 2002 (age 23) New York City, U.S. |
| FIA Formula 2 Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2024 |
| Car number | 23 |
| Former teams | Trident |
| Starts | 25 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 31st in2024 |
| Previous series | |
| 2023–2024 2022–2023 2021 2020 2020 | FIA Formula 3 Championship GB3 Championship National Formula Ford F2000 Championship Series F1600 Championship Series |
Maxwell Esterson (born October 9, 2002) is an Americanracing driver andesports driver who most recently competed in theFIA Formula 2 Championship forTrident.
He previously competed in theFIA Formula 3 Championship withJenzer Motorsport and in theGB3 Championship withFortec Motorsports.
Esterson started hissim racing career oniRacing at the age of 11.[1][2] He then went on to become one of the top sim-racers in the world, including finishing in 7th place in the 2019 VRS Pro GT Championship.[3] This string of results quickly showed as he was ranked within the top 35 road course drivers in the world and top 4 in the US on the iRacing program. In 2020 he became champion of theFormula Race Promotions iRacing Challenge.[4] He followed this by winning the 2021 Road to Indy TireRack.com eSeries.[5] During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Esterson tutored multiple drivers on iRacing, includingScott Dixon andRichard Westbrook.[6]
Esterson started karting when he was almost 16.[7] In 2019 he contested his first partial season in karting at Oakland Valley Race Park, competing withMcAleer Racing.[2][8]
Esterson made his single-seater racing debut in 2020, competing in theF1600 Championship Series withTeam Pelfrey.[2][7] He took one victory and finished the season in fifth.[7][9] He also contested a single race in theF2000 Championship Series atPittsburgh International Race Complex, which he won, setting at the time the track-record.[10][7] At the end of the year Esterson made his debut at two of the world's biggest races, theFormula Ford Festival and theWalter Hayes Trophy.[7][8] Running with Low-Dempsey Racing, Esterson qualified 2nd in his heat at the Formula Ford Festival, and finished 6th in the Grand Final.
In 2021 Esterson competed in the BRSCC Avon Tyres National Formula Ford Championship for Low Dempsey Racing where he scored two wins and finished third in the Championship.[11][12][13] He then went on to finish second in the50th Anniversary BRSCC Formula Ford Festival and won the 2021Walter Hayes Trophy as part of theTeam USA Scholarship.[1][14][15][16]
He returned to theFormula Ford Festival andWalter Hayes Trophy with Ammonite Motorsport in 2022.[17] At the Formula Ford Festival he took pole by 0.8sec, won his heat, won his semifinal and was on pole for the final. Esterson led every lap of the Final and was then awarded victory as the race was shortened due to torrential weather conditions.[18][19] In the Walter Hayes Trophy Esterson again qualified on pole, won his heat race, won his semifinal and led every lap of the Grand Final for the second year in a row, finishing first but he was then dropped to fifth after a controversial ruling handed him a 4.5-second penalty for a collision with another driver.[20][7]
In 2022 Esterson progressed to theGB3 Championship, partneringTommy Smith andMarcos Flack at Douglas Motorsport.[21][22] He started out by taking his first top ten finish in Race 3 at the season opener inOulton Park, before scoring a pair of fourth places atSilverstone. The third round of the season atDonington Park would prove to be his most successful one, as Esterson achieved his maiden podium in the first race, before winning Race 2 from pole position, thus securing his first win in slicks-and-wings machinery.[23][24] He finished the season in seventh.[7]
In 2023 he joinedFortec Motorsports in theGB3 Championship.[10][7] The season started with a series of misfortune, with a multitude of mechanical failures and difficult conditions leading to disappointing finishes in regard to his pace. His qualifying was hampered by a red flag atSpa, followed by a technical failure in race two after a strong drive to fourth.[25] He would again make a strong drive in the reverse grid race, setting the fastest lap of the race and making up twelve places in six laps, only to be taken out at Les Combes.[26] An electrical failure atSnetterton during qualifying meant that he started at the back of the grid for all three races.[27] His woes were exacerbated in the secondSilverstone round, where he had two engine failures during free practice, and an underpowered engine for qualifying, despite this, he was able to recover well across the weekend, recovering to 10th and 9th in the first and second races respectively, from 18th on the grid.[28] At the last race inDonington Park, Esterson would score his only podium with a third place in race two.[29] Esterson finished the season in 11th, four places lower than the previous year.[30]
At the end of 2022, Esterson took part in the post-season test of theFIA Formula 3 Championship withVan Amersfoort Racing.[31]
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In 2023 he joinedRodin Carlin in theFIA Formula 3 Championship ahead of the round atSilverstone, replacingHunter Yeany for both that round andBudapest.[32] Esterson finished a highest finish of 18th place in Budapest. He returned to hisGB3 duties following that, and was replaced in his seat byEuroformula Open racerFrancesco Simonazzi for the final two rounds.[33] He was classified 35th, albeit last in the standings.[34] For the post-season tests, Esterson was fielded in byJenzer Motorsport.[35][36] Esterson also partook in theMacau Grand Prix with Jenzer.[37]
In 2024, Esterson joinedFIA Formula 3 on a full-time basis, teaming up withJenzer Motorsport.[38] During theSakhir Formula 3 Sprint Race, he qualified an impressive tenth, and was able to stay in the top 10 throughout the whole race, holding offGabriele Minì for sixth place.[39] Esterson would only claim one more points finish in 2024, taking seventh in theSpa-Francorchamps feature race, but impressed atSilverstone by qualifying second during a wet-weather session.[40][41] He finished 21st in the standings, highest of all Jenzer drivers.[42]
At the end of 2024, Esterson was announced to make hisFormula 2 debut withTrident for the final two rounds of the season, replacingRichard Verschoor who himself replaced the outgoingDennis Hauger atMP Motorsport.[43]
Esterson continued with Trident for the2025 Formula 2 season, alongsideSami Meguetounif.[44] Having failed to score points throughout the campaign, Trident and Esterson, along with Meguetounif decided to part ways prior to theBaku round; being replaced byFormula 3 graduatesMartinius Stenshorne andLaurens van Hoepen.[45]
Following his Formula 2 exit, it was announced that Esterson would make his sportscar racing debut in the uppermost category of theIMSA SportsCar Championship, driving aPorsche 963 forJDC–Miller MotorSports atPetit Le Mans.[46] Esterson claimed that he considered this race a "test" owing to his lack of experience.[47]
Esterson grew up inNew York City going to theAllen-Stevenson School and attendedRegis High School, graduating in 2021. His older brother, Hugh, is also a racing driver.[2][7][48][49]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | F1600 Championship Series | Team Pelfrey[2] | 15 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 423 | 5th |
| F2000 Championship Series | Ubs Financial Services | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 16th | |
| National FF1600 Championship | Low Dempsey Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| Formula Ford Festival | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | ||
| Walter Hayes Trophy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 14th | ||
| 2021 | National Formula Ford Championship | Low Dempsey Racing | 20 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 414 | 3rd |
| Formula Ford Festival | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 2nd | ||
| Walter Hayes Trophy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st | ||
| 2022 | GB3 Championship | Douglas Motorsport | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 292.5 | 7th |
| Formula Ford Festival | Ammonite Motorsport | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st | |
| Walter Hayes Trophy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th | ||
| 2023 | GB3 Championship | Fortec Motorsports | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 215 | 11th |
| FIA Formula 3 Championship | Rodin Carlin | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35th | |
| Macau Grand Prix | Jenzer Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 20th | |
| 2024 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | Jenzer Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 21st |
| FIA Formula 2 Championship | Trident | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31st | |
| 2025 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | Trident | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0* | 21st* |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTP | JDC–Miller MotorSports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 209 | 41st |
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Douglas Motorsport | OUL 1 19 | OUL 2 11 | OUL 3 81 | SIL1 1 4 | SIL1 2 4 | SIL1 3 105 | DON1 1 3 | DON1 2 1 | DON1 3 117 | SNE 1 10 | SNE 2 10 | SNE 3 75 | SPA 1 4 | SPA 2 3 | SPA 3 173 | SIL2 1 9 | SIL2 2 10 | SIL2 3 Ret | BRH 1 10 | BRH 2 18 | BRH 3 Ret | DON2 1 11 | DON2 2 8 | DON2 3 18 | 7th | 292.5 |
| 2023 | Fortec Motorsports | OUL 1 7 | OUL 2 4 | OUL 3 Ret | SIL1 1 13 | SIL1 2 8 | SIL1 3 22 | SPA 1 6 | SPA 2 Ret | SPA 3 21 | SNE 1 20 | SNE 2 16 | SNE 3 169 | SIL2 1 10 | SIL2 2 9 | SIL2 3 C | BRH 1 11 | BRH 2 11 | BRH 3 Ret | ZAN 1 13 | ZAN 2 13 | ZAN 3 92 | DON 1 6 | DON 2 3 | DON 3 89 | 11th | 215 |
| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |  Jenzer Motorsport | Dallara F3 2019 | 21st | 16th | 20th |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rodin Carlin | BHR SPR | BHR FEA | MEL SPR | MEL FEA | MON SPR | MON FEA | CAT SPR | CAT FEA | RBR SPR | RBR FEA | SIL SPR 24 | SIL FEA Ret | HUN SPR 18 | HUN FEA 21 | SPA SPR | SPA FEA | MNZ SPR | MNZ FEA | 35th | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Jenzer Motorsport | BHR SPR 6 | BHR FEA 24 | MEL SPR 26 | MEL FEA 14 | IMO SPR 18 | IMO FEA 21 | MON SPR 14 | MON FEA 17 | CAT SPR 22 | CAT FEA 23 | RBR SPR 18 | RBR FEA 17 | SIL SPR Ret | SIL FEA 18 | HUN SPR 16 | HUN FEA 15 | SPA SPR Ret | SPA FEA 7 | MNZ SPR Ret | MNZ FEA Ret | 21st | 11 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Trident | BHR SPR | BHR FEA | JED SPR | JED FEA | MEL SPR | MEL FEA | IMO SPR | IMO FEA | MON SPR | MON FEA | CAT SPR | CAT FEA | RBR SPR | RBR FEA | SIL SPR | SIL FEA | HUN SPR | HUN FEA | SPA SPR | SPA FEA | MNZ SPR | MNZ FEA | BAK SPR | BAK FEA | LSL SPR 14 | LSL FEA 18 | YMC SPR 14 | YMC FEA 17 | 31st | 0 |
| 2025 | Trident | MEL SPR Ret | MEL FEA C | BHR SPR Ret | BHR FEA 21 | JED SPR 18 | JED FEA 18 | IMO SPR 17 | IMO FEA 19 | MON SPR 13 | MON FEA Ret | CAT SPR 19 | CAT FEA 14 | RBR SPR 10 | RBR FEA 15 | SIL SPR 21 | SIL FEA 13 | SPA SPR 14 | SPA FEA 16 | HUN SPR 19 | HUN FEA 19 | MNZ SPR Ret | MNZ FEA 15 | BAK SPR | BAK FEA | LSL SPR | LSL FEA | YMC SPR | YMC FEA | 21st* | 0* |
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | JDC–Miller MotorSports | GTP | Porsche 963 | Porsche 9RD 4.6 L V8 | DAY | SEB | LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | ELK | IMS | PET 12 | 41st | 209 |
| Italian F4 Championship |
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| Former drivers |
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