Max Esterson
Maxwell Esterson (born 9 October 2002) is an American racing driver and sim-racer who most recently competed in the GB3 Championship with Fortec Motorsports. He also has competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Rodin Carlin. He is also a former Red Bull athlete. Career

Sim racing 
Esterson started his sim racing career on iRacing at the age of 11. He then went on to become one of the top sim-racers in the world, including finishing in 7th place in the 2019 VRS Pro GT Championship. This string of results quickly showed as he was ranked within the top 50 road course drivers on the iRacing program. In 2020 he became champion of the Formula Race Promotions iRacing Challenge. He followed this by winning the 2021 Road to Indy TireRack.com eSeries. Karting 
Esterson started karting when he was almost 16. In 2019 he contested his first full season in karting at Oakway Valley Race Park, competing with McAleer Racing. Formula Ford

2020 
Esterson made his single-seater racing debut in 2020, competing in the F1600 Championship Series with Team Pelfrey. He took one victory and finished the season in fifth. 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. At the end of the year Esterson made his debut at the Formula Ford Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy. 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. 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. 2022 
He returned to the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy with Ammonite Motorsport in 2022. At the Formula Ford Festival he took taken pole. Esterson was then awarded victory as the race was cancelled after a few laps due to torrential weather conditions. In the Walter Hayes Trophy Esterson initially finished first but he was then dropped to fifth after receiving a 4.5-second penalty for a collision with Tom Mills. GB3 Championship

2022 
In 2022 Esterson progressed to the GB3 Championship, partnering Tommy Smith and Marcos Flack at Douglas Motorsport. 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. He finished the season in seventh. 2023 
In 2023 he joined Fortec Motorsports in the GB3 Championship. 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. 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. An electrical failure at Snetterton during qualifying meant that he started at the back of the grid for all three races. 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 10th and 9th in the first and second races respectively, from 18th on the grid. At the last race in Donington Park, Esterson would score his only podium with a third place in race two. Esterson finished the season in 11th, four places lower than the previous year. 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. 2023 
In 2023 he joined Rodin Carlin in the FIA Formula 3 Championship ahead of the round at Silverstone, replacing Hunter Yeany for both that round and Budapest. 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. He was classified 35th, albeit last in the standings. For the post-season tests, Esterson was fielded in by Jenzer Motorsport. Esterson will also partake in the Macau Grand Prix with Jenzer. Personal life 
Esterson grew up in New York City going to the Allen-Stevenson School and attended Regis High School, graduating in 2021. Racing record

Career summary 

*Season still in progress. Complete GB3 Championship results 
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results 
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

* Season still in progress. References

External links 

Living people
2002 births
Racing drivers from New York City
Regis High School (New York City) alumni
Formula Ford drivers
Team Pelfrey drivers
Fortec Motorsport drivers
FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers
Carlin racing drivers
Jenzer Motorsport drivers