THREE DRIVERS THAT COMPETED IN LAST YEAR’S FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP HAVE SECURED SEATS IN FORMULA 1 FOR 2021, SHOWING THAT THE PREMIER FEEDER SERIES IS STILL THE MOST VIABLE ROUTE TO THE TOP.
Among those is reigning champion Mick Schumacher, who many of this season’s grid will be looking to emulate when things get underway in Bahrain this weekend. A different format is also set to shake up a series that regularly provides some of the most exciting racing even further.
WHAT IS NEW FOR THIS YEAR?
Although the cars remain unchanged, a significant alteration to the format of race weekends will give Formula 2 a different look this year. Like in 2020, the championship will be fought over 24 races, but the calendar has shrunk from the traditional 12 rounds to eight to try and reduce costs – with three races per weekend.
The new Jeddah Street circuit in Saudi Arabia has been added to the calendar – one of five ‘flyaway’ races as the series becomes less European-centric. But, the more familiar venues of Monte Carlo, Silverstone and Monza remain, allowing the series to still retain some of its traditional roots.
The main feature race has been moved to a Sunday, with two sprint races taking place on the Saturday. As before, a 30-minute qualifying session on Friday will decide the grid for the feature race. The top 10 qualifiers will be reversed to form the grid for the first sprint race, with the top 10 finishers reversed in setting the grid for the second sprint race.
WHAT EFFECT WILL THE CHANGES HAVE ON THE RACING?
With two out of three races each weekend featuring reverse-grids, the order could be shaken up more than ever before. Qualifying will still be important given that four points will be awarded to the pole-sitter and the session will still determine the grid for the feature race, which has a 25 points up for grabs for the winner plus an additional two for the fastest lap. But the sprint races could play an even more significant part in the championship battle, with a combined maximum of 34 points available across these two races at each round.
The new format could add an extra strategic element to the weekend. How will drivers that take pole for the feature race approach the reversed-grid sprint races? Will they try and fight their way forwards from 10th in the first sprint race, and do something similar in the second one, in order to score solid points across both races? Or will they opt to sacrifice points in the first sprint race by trying to remain in 10th, to maximise their chances of a pole and victory in the second sprint race?
THE CONTENDERS
22 drivers will be on the grid for the start of the 2021 season, with 10 of them having ties to F1 teams. Again, there is a mix of drivers with previous F2 experience and rookies looking to make an immediate impact.
Prema
Reigning champions Prema boast another strong driver lineup, fielding the last two FIA Formula 3 title winners. Robert Shwartzman remains with the team after a strong rookie season in F2, where he won four races and finished fourth in the championship. He will need to improve on his qualifying weakness from last year, but his strong racecraft could pay dividends with the new weekend format. The Ferrari junior arguably starts as the favourite for the crown as he tries to stake his claim for a 2022 F1 seat.
A consistent season helped Oscar Piastri win the 2020 FIA F3 championship, despite failing to qualify on the front-row once, which is very similar to the way in which Mick Schumacher – the man he replaces – won last year’s F2 title. This approach could stand the Alpine F1 junior in good stead with two reversed-grid races but, like Shwartzman, regularly qualifying in the top ten will be important. Challenging for the title in his rookie season is a big ask but being with Prema, who he already knows well from his F3 campaign, gives him a great platform to shine.
Virtuosi
Virtuosi will be aiming to take the fight to Prema again after a strong 2020 season. Guanyu Zhou remains with the team for his third F2 campaign after an inconsistent run last year where, despite starting as one of the title favourites, was largely outshone by team-mate Callum Ilott. That has dented the Alpine F1 junior’s chances of an F1 promotion, but he will hope his late-season form plus his 2021 Asian F3 title-winning campaign will give him momentum.
Zhou is likely to face stiff competition from new team-mate Felipe Drugovich, the Brazilian notching up three wins in an impressive rookie F2 season with MP Motorsport last year. Able to dominate races when in the lead, Drugovich also produced blistering qualifying form on occasion. The switch of teams should give Drugovich the platform to fight at the front on a more consistent basis this term, and he starts as one of the title favourites.
Carlin
Dan Ticktum has divided opinion throughout his junior career, but a promising rookie F2 season with DAMS last year reminded many of the talent that the two-time Macau GP winner and former Red Bull junior has. Now on the books of the Williams F1 team, Ticktum’s switch to Carlin gives the Briton a great opportunity to fight for wins and even the championship this year.
Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala was a bit of an anonymity at times alongside the very fast Yuki Tsunoda last year, but strong end of season form – where he took his maiden F2 win – was a reminder of the talent that the Indian driver has. Remaining with Carlin for a second season, Daruvala will be aiming for more consistency and could be an outsider for the title if he can hit the ground running.
Hitech
Hitech shone in its maiden F2 campaign last year, taking three wins with the experienced pairing of Nikita Mazepin and Luca Ghiotto. The team have another strong lineup for its sophomore season, albeit one with less experience.
Highly-rated Red Bull junior Liam Lawson is expected to shine, having finished fifth with the team in FIA F3 last year, taking three victories. He has also been a strong contender in the Toyota Racing Series in his native New Zealand in the last couple of years, beating countryman and fellow F2 driver Marcus Armstrong to the 2019 crown.
Fellow Red Bull protege Juri Vips had a disrupted 2020 season, due to Covid-19 restrictions, but appeared in four F2 rounds for DAMS in place of the injured Sean Gelael, notching up one podium finish. A full season with Hitech gives the Estonian a chance to impress, but he will need to do well against team-mate Lawson if he is to have any chance of an F1 promotion to Alpha Tauri in the future.
ART
ART will be aiming to bounce back from a disappointing season last year, having failed to add the titles they won with George Russell and Nick De Vries in 2018 and 2019.
Alpine F1 junior Christian Lundgaard remains with the team after a very promising, but inconsistent, rookie season in 2020. On his day, he was as fast as anybody, as he proved at the Mugello round where he was the class of the field. If he can repeat that form more often this year, he will be one of the main title contenders.
At 17 years-of-age, Theo Pourchaire will be the second youngest driver on the F2 grid this year. But, after finishing runner-up in FIA F3 last year, he is not to be underestimated. Pourchaire has enjoyed a rapid rise up the single-seater ladder over a three-year period and is part of the Sauber academy run by Alfa Romeo F1 team principal Frederick Vasseur. He already has four F2 starts under his belt after competing for HWA in the final two rounds in Bahrain last year, and could be one to watch.
MP Motorsport
Although not a regular front-running team, MP Motorsport still won four races last term, making the most of the reversed-grid sprint races and occasional opportunities in the feature races.
Richard Verschoor was the final driver to a secure place on the 2021 F2 grid, having signed for the team – who he also competed with in FIA F3 last year – only this week. The Dutchman’s career highlight so far came when he won the Macau GP with the team in 2019, having also won two Formula 4 titles previously. The sprint races may be the Dutchman’s best opportunity to shine.
The same is likely for team-mate Lirim Zendelli, who beat Liam Lawson to win the ADAC F4 title in 2018. Two years in FIA F3 netted one race victory, and he will be aiming to add to the win-tally in his rookie F2 campaign.
Charouz
Zendelli’s 2020 team-mate David Beckmann also graduates to F2, albeit switching to the Charouz team, which occasionally shone last year. Having won two sprint races in FIA F3 last year, the German could be an occasional victory contender in Saturday’s reversed-grid races.
Guilherme Samaia switches to a potentially more competitive team, after a difficult rookie F2 season with Campos last year. With the move comes more expectation, where he will need to fair well against team-mate Beckmann, having yet to score a single-seater victory outside of his native Brazil.
DAMS
Williams reserve driver Roy Nissany is back for a third season in F2, and will hope that a move to the DAMS team will give him the opportunity to be more competitive, having finished 19th in the standings last year.
Ferrari junior Marcus Armstrong switches to DAMS after a difficult year at ART, where he failed to win a race and regularly struggled in qualifying. The Kiwi’s form improved at the final two rounds, and he will be looking to try and take a victory or two this campaign to remind people of the talent that was evident in F4 and F3 previously.
Campos
Campos head into their first season without its popular founder Adrian Campos, who tragically passed away over the winter. And the team will also want to bounce back from an uncompetitive season in 2020. Talented Brazilian teenager Gianluca Petecof joins the team, having won the Formula Regional championship with Prema last year, and is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He could be one to watch if the team is competitive.
Ralph Boschung will bring valuable experience to the team, the Swiss racer returning to F2 for his fourth full campaign, after one appearance with the team as stand-in for Jack Aitken at Campos at the Sakhir GP last year. He is still searching for his first F2 win – something that will be difficult to achieve unless Campos can improve.
HWA Racelab
HWA had a tough maiden F2 campaign last year, and are pinning their hopes on two rookies in 2021. Matteo Nannini, nephew of former F1 driver Alessandro, will be the youngest driver on the grid and only graduated from karting two years ago. It will be a learning year for the Italian, who will be running dual campaigns in both F2 and FIA F3 with the team.
Fellow Italian Alessio Deledda brings more experience, having raced in F3 machinery for the past three years. He is still searching for his first win in single-seaters, and it will be a tough ask for him to break his duck as he steps up to F2.
Trident
Trident finished last in the championship last year so will be hoping for an improved 2021 campaign, especially with two talented drivers at its disposal
Bent Viscaal steps up from FIA F3, having won one race with MP Motorsport last year. The Dutchman has finished runner-up four times in various single-seater championships, most notably in Euroformula Open where he was beaten to the title by Felipe Drugovich in 2018.
Marino Sato remains with the team after a disappointing rookie F2 season last year, having failed to build on the promise shown during his dominant 2019 Euroformula Open campaign. With a year under his belt, he will be hoping to be more competitive this term.
Featured image credit: @formula2 official twitter
