Viktor Östberg and the Lopez FV Team have announced that the Swedish driver will not take up a driver's seat in 2020, despite reportedly extending his contract. Instead, the 23 year old from Karlstad, a 3 hour drive east from Oslo, has been recruited by the Swedish Armed Forces to join the Navy in Karlskrona. Boot camp starts just days after the season finishes, and then he'll be on and off the Navy with a schedule that will allow him to accommodate the role of the team's reserve driver in 2020.
Lopez: "We were aware for some time now that Viktor was on the waiting list to join the navy. He's a charismatic young man who's been with the team ever since we moved to Switzerland, and even though he'll only be capable to work as our reserve driver in 2020, he is still a valued member of our team." Östberg: "I'll still be with the team and available to test when I have time off duty, but for now I'm focused on continuing this season and getting good performances. Motorsport and Formula Virtual has been amazing for me over the past decade. I've achieved more than I could've ever anticipated when we bought our first go-kart. Next year I can act as a reserve driver for Lopez which I am ok with. My grandfather was in the navy for 37 years and growing up I wanted to be like him. I'll keep myself open to returning to full time racing as well, but we'll see what happens." Rumour's are around that Lopez have been keeping an extra eye on both of their youth drivers in Max Meyer and Rafael Palou. Both of them still have one more season in the VWRS up their sleeve however. Mario Juan Lopez has also been rumoured to return to the team next season after Meteor announced they were leaving the series. The team refused to comment on the rumours as betting agencies have put the Argentine driver at the best odds to occupy Viktor Östberg's seat next year.
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