Swiss racer Léna Bühler has announced she is breaking her racing hiatus and will return behind the wheel for the upcoming F4 UAE season, as she joins R2Race.
Léna Bühler announced she will return to racing after a half-season hiatus, and will join Emirati team R2Race for the upcoming Formula 4 UAE championship, starting from the first championship round at Dubai on 13/14 January. It will be Bühler's return to F4 after a highly promising year in 2020, when the Swiss racer made her debut in race cars in the Spanish F4 championship, scoring six point-scoring finishes and two top-five, as well as a front row start. Léna made the step up to one of the most competitive junior series in Europe, Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021, before contesting a partial campaign in 2022. Her sophomore season in FRECA came to an end after the Monaco round, when she announced her departure from the series for financial reasons. Nevertheless, Bühler has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to secure her long-term future in the sport and, six months later, the Swiss talent sealed a deal that will bring her back behind the wheel. "Finally I'm very happy to announce my comeback in motorsport after a long wait", Bühler said. "Ready to restart and work hard." Léna is in fact set to travel to the United Arab Emirates and contest the five-event championship that will allow her to get back in the rhythm, while helping the team with her single-seater experience. While Bühler has in fact not raced the new Tatuus T-421 car, at its second year in the Emirati-based series, she has already raced on two of the three circuits visited by the UAE championship. "I'm pleased to announce Léna as our driver for the F4 UAE season", continued Alessandro Tonoli, Team principal of R2Race. "She has a quite good experience and for sure she will provide her precious support". Léna Bühler had contested two rounds of last year's Formula Regional Asian Championship at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Autodrome, proving good speed among a highly-competitive field and claiming her best result to date in F3 machinery. Bühler hinted that there's more on her 2023 plans, as her participation in the F4 UAE Championship "will be a good preparation for what comes next season", she added. "Thank you to R2Race for the collaboration - also thank you to all my sponsors that will be following me throughout this season." Léna joins another female racer, Victoria Blokhina, in the ranks of the Emirati team. After the non-championship Trophy round that supported the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, F4 UAE starts its season at Dubai Autodrome alongside the popular 24H of Dubai, before moving for the first time in Kuwait, to the newly-built Kuwait Motor Town, which will host two back to back rounds. Dubai and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi will round out the 2023 season - which has so far attracted the interest of many of the most important F4 teams in Europe.
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