21-year-old Ivan Samarin will contest his maiden season in international single seater racing after signing up to join the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship.

Samarin graduates to F2 after finishing as runner-up in Formula 3 Russia in 2008, which followed two championship-winning seasons in Formula 1600 Russia in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Ivan boasts a record of nine wins and 17 podiums in his 40 single seater races to date.

The Russian driver also enjoyed an encouraging debut run in Formula Two when he took part in the two day winter test at Portimao, Portugal in December. He set an impressive pace to end the opening day in the top six overall, and eventually finished the test just eight tenths of a second behind pacesetter Kazim Vasiliauskas.

Samarin - backed by the BW Racing Team - is the second Russian driver to have competed in the revived FIA Formula Two Championship after Mikhail Aleshin finished third in last year's campaign.

Ivan Samarin said: "I am really excited to be joining Formula Two for the 2010 season. The concept of the championship really appeals to me - of course the costs are key but more importantly it is great that every driver has the same car and opportunity. The car is fun to drive and it is definitely the logical step up from Formula 3. It will be tough but I am aiming for the top three - it is down to me and I hope to be challenging for podiums by mid-season."

Jonathan Palmer, Formula Two Series Director, said: "Russia is producing some excellent drivers now. Mikhail Aleshin was terrific in Formula Two last year and Sergey Afanasiev did a great job in finishing as runner-up in International Formula Master. Ivan rightly has ambitions to be in F1 and we're delighted to have him in the championship as a step towards this goal. F2 is the perfect place for Ivan to learn and develop his skills, against drivers in equal equipment. Being able to compare his performance with the fastest driver, every session, through the shared data concept and onboard camera aids uniquely available in Formula Two will help Ivan prove his undoubted talent and provide the opportunity for him to be at the front of the field."

To read more about Ivan Samarin, visit his 2010 driver's page here.

Interested drivers should contact the Championship Co-ordinator, James Gornall, at james.gornall@formulatwo.com or on 0044 1234 332439.