Max Esterson
American racing driver (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maxwell Esterson (born October 9, 2002) is an American racing driver and esports driver who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for RLL Team McLaren. He previously competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Trident and in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Jenzer Motorsport.
AmericanOctober 9, 2002
| Max Esterson | |
|---|---|
Esterson driving the Dallara F2 2024 during the 2025 Spielberg Formula 2 round | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | Maxwell Esterson October 9, 2002 New York City, U.S. |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2026 |
| Current team | RLL Team McLaren |
| Racing licence |  FIA Silver |
| Car number | 59 |
| Starts | 2 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 41st in 2025 |
| Previous series | |
| 2024–2025 2023–2024 2022–2023 2021 2020 2020 | FIA Formula 2 FIA Formula 3 GB3 National Formula Ford F2000 Championship Series F1600 Championship Series |
Single-seater career
Sim racing
Esterson started his sim racing career on iRacing at the age of eleven.[1][2] He then went on to become one of the top sim-racers in the world, including finishing in seventh 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-four in the US on the iRacing program.[citation needed] In 2020, he became champion of the Formula Race Promotions iRacing Challenge.[4] He followed this by winning the 2021 Road to Indy TireRack.com eSeries.[5] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Esterson tutored multiple drivers on iRacing, including Scott Dixon and Richard Westbrook.[6]
Karting
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 with McAleer Racing.[2][8]
Formula Ford
2020
Esterson made his single-seater racing debut in 2020, competing in the F1600 Championship Series with Team Pelfrey.[2][7] He took one victory and finished the season in fifth.[7][9] He also contested a single race in the F2000 Championship Series at Pittsburgh 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, the Formula Ford Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy.[7][8] Running with Low-Dempsey Racing, Esterson qualified second in his heat at the Formula Ford Festival, and finished sixth in the Grand Final.[citation needed]
2021
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 the 50th Anniversary BRSCC Formula Ford Festival and won the 2021 Walter Hayes Trophy as part of the Team USA Scholarship.[1][14][15][16]
2022
Esterson returned to the Formula Ford Festival and Walter 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]
GB3 Championship
2022
In 2022, Esterson progressed to the GB3 Championship, partnering Tommy Smith and Marcos Flack at Douglas Motorsport.[21][22] He started out by taking his first top ten finish in Race 3 at the season opener in Oulton Park, before scoring a pair of fourth places at Silverstone. The third round of the season at Donington 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]
2023
In 2023, Esterson joined Fortec Motorsports in the GB3 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 at Spa, 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 at Snetterton during qualifying meant that he started at the back of the grid for all three races.[27] His woes were exacerbated in the second Silverstone 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 tenth and ninth in the first and second races respectively, from 18th on the grid.[28] At the last race in Donington 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]
FIA Formula 3
At the end of 2022, Esterson took part in the post-season test of the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing.[31]
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2023
In 2023, Esterson joined Rodin Carlin in the FIA Formula 3 Championship ahead of the round at Silverstone, replacing Hunter Yeany for both that round and Budapest.[32] Esterson finished a highest finish of 18th place in Budapest. He returned to his GB3 duties following that, and was replaced in his seat by Euroformula Open racer Francesco 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 by Jenzer Motorsport.[35][36] Esterson also partook in the Macau Grand Prix with Jenzer.[37]
2024
In 2024, Esterson joined FIA Formula 3 on a full-time basis, teaming up with Jenzer Motorsport.[38] During the Sakhir Formula 3 Sprint Race, he qualified an impressive tenth, and was able to stay in the top-ten throughout the whole race, holding off Gabriele Minì for sixth place.[39] Esterson would only claim one more points finish in 2024, taking seventh in the Spa-Francorchamps feature race, but impressed at Silverstone by qualifying second during a wet-weather session.[40][41] He finished 21st in the standings, highest of all Jenzer drivers.[42]
FIA Formula 2 Championship
2024
At the end of 2024, Esterson was announced to make his Formula 2 debut with Trident for the final two rounds of the season, replacing Richard Verschoor who himself replaced the outgoing Dennis Hauger at MP Motorsport.[43]
2025
Esterson continued with Trident for the 2025 Formula 2 season, alongside Sami Meguetounif.[44] Having failed to score points throughout the campaign, Trident and Esterson, along with Meguetounif decided to part ways prior to the Baku round; being replaced by Formula 3 graduates Martinius Stenshorne and Laurens van Hoepen.[45]
Sportscar career
Following his Formula 2 exit, it was announced that Esterson would make his sportscar racing debut in the uppermost category of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, driving a Porsche 963 for JDC–Miller MotorSports at Petit Le Mans.[46] Esterson stated that he considered this race a "test" owing to his lack of experience.[47] Esterson was later confirmed to make his debut in the GTD Pro class with RLL Team McLaren at the 2026 24 Hours of Daytona.[48]
Personal life
Esterson grew up in New York City going to the Allen-Stevenson School and attended Regis High School, graduating in 2021. His older brother, Hugh, is also a racing driver.[2][7][49][50]
Racing record
Career summary
| 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 | 23rd |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTP | JDC–Miller MotorSports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 209 | 41st | |
| 2026 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro | RLL Team McLaren | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 222* | 12th* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete GB3 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 |
Complete Macau Grand Prix results
| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |  Jenzer Motorsport |
Dallara F3 2019 | 21st | 16th | 20th |
Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 |
Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 |
23rd | 0 |
* Season still in progress.
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | JDC–Miller MotorSports | GTP | Porsche 963 | Porsche 9RD 4.6 L Turbo V8 | DAY | SEB | LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | ELK | IMS | PET 12 |
41st | 209 | |
| 2026 | RLL Team McLaren | GTD Pro | McLaren 720S GT3 Evo | McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 | DAY 12 |
SEB | LGA | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | VIR | IMS | PET | 12th* | 222* |