Cem Bölükbaşı Joins Charouz Racing System for Formula 2 Debut in 2022

Turkish racer Cem Bölükbaşı will make the jump up to the FIA Formula 2 championship in 2022 after signing with Charouz Racing System.

Bölükbaşı is a renowned sim racer who has turned real life racer in recent years, and he took two wins in the EuroFormula Open championship in 2021 with Van Amersfoort Racing on his way to fifth in the final standings.

The twenty-three-year-old only made his single seater debut when he competed in two Formula Renault Eurocup races in 2019 with M2 Competition, while his only other single seater experience is with BlackArts Racing in the F3 Asian Championship last year. 

His career has also seen him compete in a number of GT races in the GT4 European Series as well as a one-off appearance in the LMP3 class of the European Le Mans Series.

Bölükbaşı tested an old Formula 2 car for the first time last October in Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic, and has now signed up to join the Charouz team full-time in 2022.

“I’m really, really happy to join Charouz Racing System for the FIA Formula 2 2022 season,” said Bölükbaşı. “I worked so hard to get an opportunity like this and first of all, I want to thank Charouz for putting their trust in me, I’ll do my very best to honour it.

“I obviously can’t wait to get in the car for the testing sessions, after my first taste of an old GP2 car later last year. It’s as close as you can get to a Formula 1 car and I’m fully determined to give my 110% to learn how to master it and prove my potential as a driver.

“I also can’t wait to start working with the team, the season ahead is gonna be very long and demanding and establishing the best possible relationship with all the guys is going to be crucial for the final outcome.”

Antonín Charouz, the Team Owner of Charouz Racing System, says Bölükbaşı has shown in his short time in racing that he has the skills to be competitive, and he sees the Turkish racer having a strong rookie campaign in 2022.

“We’re more than delighted to welcome a brilliant driver like Cem in our Formula 2 team,” said Charouz.  “It will be a challenging and exciting new experience for him, but he has already shown that he has the numbers to learn quickly and get some good results in some of the most competitive and difficult Formula 1-feeder categories.

“It’s going to be a long and tough season with 14 rounds, and that could be something he can take advantage of. On our side, we’ll obviously do everything we can to provide him the best car and guide him in his learning path.”