Formula One is known as the pinnacle of motorsport, with some of the fastest cars going at around 220 miles per hour in some of the top speed circuits in the world. In Formula One, only the top 20 drivers in the world are able to compete in the sport. However, the drivers do not easily show up to the sport without having prior experience. Formula Two is the step that Formula One drivers often “graduate” from before entering the world of Formula One. Here is the breakdown of Formula Two and the drivers and teams that form it.
Courtesy of FIAFormula2.com
Race Weekends
Formula Two, unlike Formula One, has 11 teams instead of 10 but it still consists of 2 drivers for each team. The layout of the race weekend is much different than that of Formula One. Starting off on Friday , there is a free practice session that lasts 45 minutes in which the drivers are able to test out the track with the car and have a feel of what their weekend might look like. On that same Friday, there is also a 30 minute qualifying session that sets up the grid for Sunday’s Feature race. On Saturday is where the difference really plays out in comparison to Formula One. On Saturday, there is a sprint race instead of a qualifying session. The starting grid for the sprint is set by reversing the top 10 of the qualifying session.
Point System
Points are also distributed differently in Formula Two than in Formula One. When a driver receives pole position for Sunday’s race, they automatically receive two points. As for the point system for Saturday’s sprint race, the first eight drivers receive points that follow in the order 10,8,6,5,4,3,2, and 1. For Sunday’s feature race, the points are distributed in the same way as in Formula One, rewarding the points to the top 10 finishers. Following the order 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1.
There are many current Formula One drivers who were top of their “class” during their time in Formula One. Current rookie driver for McLaren was the 2021 Formula Two champion while second year veteran Zhou Guanyu came in third overall that same year. While the rookie for AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries was the Formula Two champion for the year 2019. The most current Formula Two graduate would be Logan Sargeant from the Williams team, who came in fourth overall in the championship standings for the Formula Two season last year.
Courtesy of TheAthletic.com
There are many young talents in the current 2023 Formula Two grid, so let us dive into who they are and their teams as well.
MP Motorsport- The team is based in the Netherlands
Team principal: Sander Dorsman
Drivers: Red Bull Junior Team Drivers Dennis Hauger and Jehan Daruvala
Rodin Carlin - The team is based in Great Britain
Team principal: Trevor Carlin
Drivers: Red Bull Junior Team Drivers Zane Maloney and Enzo Fittipaldi
PREMA Racing - The Italy based has been known to produce the most Formula One drivers that have come from their team.
Team principal: René Rosin
Drivers: Ferrari Driver Academy Member Oliver Bearman and Mercedes Junior Team Driver Frederik Vesti.
ART Grand Prix - The team is based in France.
Team principal: Sébastien Phillippe
Drivers: Sauber Academy Driver Théo Pourchaire and Alpine Academy Driver Victor Martins.
Hitech Pulse-Eight -The team as well as Rodin Carlin is based in Great Britain.
Team principal: Oliver Oakes and their
Drivers: Red Bull Junior Team Drivers Jak Crawford and Isack Hadjar
DAMS- The team is also a French based team.
Team principal: Yannick Hubert.
Drivers: Red Bull Junior Team Driver Ayumu Iwasa and Ferrari Driver Academy Member Arthur Leclerc.
Invicta Virtuosi Racing- A Great Britain based team as well.
Team Principals: Andy Roche and Declan Lohan
Drivers: Alpine Academy and Alpine F1 Reserve Driver Jack Doohan and Amaury Cordeel
PHM Racing by Charouz- One of the only teams based in Germany.
Team principal: Paul Muller
Drivers: Williams Official Test Driver Roy Nissany and Brad Benavides
Trident- An Italian based team.
Team principal: Maurizio Salvadori
Drivers: Roman Stanek and Clemént Novalak
Van Amersfoort Racing- A Netherland based team
Team principal: Tom Claessen
Drivers: Juan Manuel Correa and Richard Verschoor
Campos Racing- The only team that is based in Spain.
Team principal: Adrián Campis Jr.
Drivers: Kush Maini and Ralph Boschung
Courtesy of @Formula2 on Twitter
Some may not consider Formula 2 to be as important or interesting as Formula 1 yet, it is looked at by many Formula 1 teams to be the test to see if drivers are ready to handle the challenges that come with the final step in the motorsport industry. Formula 2 is also a great way to start if you are interested in motorsports. By watching Formula 2, you will also be able to see the development of many drivers and see what it takes to be in Formula 1 and you might be able to see your favorite Formula 2 driver become a future Formula 1 World Champion.
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