Last night the newly-established German team of Hirsch-Ren took to social media to announce their first signing of the 2027 season, letting the world know that Johan Halvosen will be the first half of their main driver-lineup for the 2027 Formula Virtual season. The Dane enters his tenth season in the sport at the ripe age of 35, bringing a host of experience and knowledge to the freshly bought ex-ARROW consortium in an attempt to solidify and progress into a real contender within the sport.
With a surplus of experience in the category at every part of the grid, whether it be his full debut season with Meteor in 2016 where he finished 3rd in the World Driver's Championship, to more recent times with North Star and Maserati finding their feet in Formula Virtual's midfield pack and pre-qualifying respectively. The two-time race winner hopes to provide a more reliable option for the newly rebranded outfit of Hirsch-Ren and lay the foundations for what the team hopes will be a lengthy and promising stint with the team, hoping to use his expertise to ensure their car and feedback is up to scratch for the upcoming season.
The mid-thirties veteran will hope he can shake off the rust since his last drive back in 2024 for the Scuderia Maserati team and return to his younger years for one last shot at the Formula Virtual World Championship, he said in a media interview this week that he was "Grateful for another opportunity to show what he's got" and that his new team "Won't regret putting their faith in him to deliver consistently". Halvosen later stated on his social media that he feels a "huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders" since taking a break from the sport during its hiatus in 2024, citing "burnout and a lack of purpose" within a team struggling to make the grid proper during his two year stint at Maserati.
The late night reveal means Hirsch-Ren join the host of teams starting to assemble and announce their 2027 roster, with another main driver slot and reserve slot free for the team to fill in the coming weeks and months, with rumours of the team launching a relatively big bid into one of their past competitors, with media outlets stating the team has no desire to sign their old driver, Yakumi Takahashi , anytime soon.