With the calendar pushed back from March, to begin in July. High in the Styrian hills, the Kiwi driver was certainly eager to get on track when racing finally got underway.

He hit the ground running with a sensational podium in his debut race. Further scoring another podium in the second weekend at the Red Bull Ring just one week later. Showcasing his supreme talents from the beginning, as he got to grips with the step up into Formula 2 machinery.

The season provided a learning curve for the 20-year-old, with his machinery sometimes lacking the sheer qualifying pace in such a tightly fought grid, his race was often fought with some strong pushes forward at lights out.

Developing as a driver as the season continued, the determined Ferrari-backed driver put his all into every performance. Investing his time with the team, to understand the fastest and most complex of junior single-seaters and master the new 18-inch Pirelli tyres, to discover each area he could improve his racecraft.

Throughout the year Marcus had some thrilling wheel-to-wheel battles with his rivals. Towards the end of the season Marcus’ continued hard work earned him points paying performances in Mugello and Sochi, along with narrowly missing out on a podium in Bahrain.

In a challenging season, battling through hardships, Marcus certainly never gave up, as the resolute racer put his all into every performance, pushing hard for every opportunity that came his way.

“The championship started well, arguably we could’ve won the second race as well, but unfortunately we had a mechanical problem that caused us to retire.”

“I’ve had a really good relationship with my engineers this year, they’re a great group and we've worked hard together. I respect them massively and I’ve learned so much from them.”

Signing off the season with a healthy haul of points earned in Bahrain, Marcus heads into winter with full focus on capitalising on his experience in 2021.

“I’ve been learning a lot and trying to take everything in and keep my eyes open, learning how to find performance in the future. Throughout the season I’ve been pushing hard and never lost faith, my focus is on putting together a championship campaign next season”