F2 rising star to take time out from racing for 'personal reasons'

F2 driver Christian Mansell has announced via social media he has "decided to step away from racing for a little while" ahead of his debut season in the championship.

The 20-year-old, who is due to compete for Rodin in the year ahead, has three F2 rounds under his belt from last term, having moved up with Trident upon conclusion of the 2024 FIA F3 campaign.

It is unclear what the "personal reasons" Mansell has cited are, or when he will return to racing. Rodin has confirmed it will share further details on his immediate replacement soon.

The Australian has used his platform to champion not only social issues, such as LGTBQ+ rights, but also raise awareness to drivers who compete with a disability, even a hidden ones - Mansell himself has Type 1 Diabetes.

Speaking after F2 pre-season testing, he explained his motivation for using his following for advocacy.

"I think personally it's a fantastic thing to do, obviously using your platform for something that is positive rather than just letting it sort of sit," he told media including RacingNews365. "I think it's something that obviously I've been passionate about and I've not seen many people do.

"I've always been about a point of interest, a point of difference. Obviously with me being diabetic and a lot of other things, it felt right to keep on being that point of difference to people. So I sort of leaned into it more and people really responded quite well.

"And yeah, so I'm going to continue to do that. I'm obviously limited with the new sort of rules with the FIA on how much we can speak about stuff, but still obviously very passionate about that."

The 2025 F2 championship gets underway in Melbourne on Friday 14 March.

The social media post shared by Mansell can be seen below.