GP2 Asia Series competitor and reigning Party Poker Racing Euroseries 3000 Champion Will Bratt will race in the FIA Formula 2 Championship this year as he bids to continue his journey to Formula One.

Just a day after concluding his maiden GP2 Asia Series campaign in Bahrain as support to the first Grand Prix of the 2010 F1 World Championship, the 21-year-old from Banbury has become the latest signing for the MotorSport Vision-run category which starts on April 17/18 at Silverstone.

The formula was re-established in 2009 and the inaugural champion of the new era, Andy Soucek, has already graduated to F1 as a test driver with the Virgin Racing team.

For 2010, Formula 2 will feature a revised Williams F1-designed and constructed chassis which will be powered by a 425bhp turbo-charged engine. Including an ‘overboost’ system designed to promote opportunities for overtaking, the current F2 car is capable of producing maximum output of 480bhp.

Bratt said: “I'm really excited about the prospect of driving a Formula 2 car.

"It's one of the most high-profile and best-promoted championships on the international stage, plus it's designed to produce a truly level playing field so the onus is on driving talent.

"Obviously, my aim is to learn the car as quickly as possible and enjoy some good, close racing but that's not to underestimate the challenge by any means. My experience racing in Europe should certainly be beneficial but, having said that, we know it’ll be a very tough season.”

Racing internationally for just two seasons, Bratt cemented his position as one of the country’s top young racing drivers last year with championship success in Euroseries 3000. In addition, his efforts in Euroseries 3000 also netted him the 2009 Italian Formula 3000 crown.

Prior to stepping up to international-level competition in 2008 in Spanish Formula 3 (now known as the European F3 Open), the aspiring F1 driver enjoyed a successful three-year tenure in Formula Renault UK where he was a multiple race winner and top three championship finisher in 2007. In that same year, he was also the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy Vice-Champion.

Prior to this, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star won the T-Car Championship in 2004 after a sparkling campaign. Taking 14 race victories and four other podiums from 18 race starts, Bratt was able to sit out the final event such was his dominance.

His maiden Formula 2 test will come with a two-day outing at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk on Easter Monday, April 5 and April 6. The 2010 championship will be contested across a total of 18 races, two at each event, and will visit world-renowned circuits including Silverstone and Brands Hatch, Monza in Italy, Oschersleben in Germany and Valencia in Spain.

The 2010 FIA Formula 2 Champion will receive a full test with the Grove-based AT&T Williams F1 Team and the top three finishers in the driver standings will be eligible for an FIA Superlicence – a key requirement for any racer wishing to compete in Formula One.