Written by Jasmin Low, Caitlyn Gordon, and Ellie Nicholls
The 2024 Formula 2 season gets underway later this week, around the dunes in the desert, with the Sakhir International Circuit playing host to the first event of what is Formula 2's longest campaign. A talented grid will take to the track this year, with plenty of names to get you talking about. Meanwhile, our writers have picked out nine drivers for you to keep an eye on in 2024....
Jasmin:
Oliver Bearman- Prema Racing
The young British superstar Ollie Bearman will return for his Sophomore year in Formula 2, coming off the back of a successful 2023 campaign, finishing sixth in the driver’s standings with four race wins to his name, despite being the youngest driver on the grid.
He was the first driver in the history of the championship to top all four sessions of an F2 weekend (Practice, Qualifying, Sprint Race, and Feature Race) during a whirlwind weekend in Baku, subsequently being hailed as ‘the next Charles Leclerc.’
Alongside Formula 2 in 2024, Bearman will be taking on the role of reserve driver for both HAAS and Ferrari F1 teams, scheduled to take part in six free practice sessions in an F1 car. A member of the prestigious Ferrari Driver Academy, and set to compete with Prema Racing- one of the Feeder Series’ top teams, Bearman is one of the favourites for the championship win in 2024.
Kimi Antonelli- Prema Racing
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a highly acclaimed young driver who is set to drive for Prema in 2024, despite skipping Formula 3 altogether. He is a member of the Mercedes Young Driver Programme, and has been talked about as a possible candidate to step up to Formula 1 in 2025, with the departure of Lewis Hamilton from the Silver Arrows.
His impressive resume includes multiple karting championships, both the German and Italian F4 championships, and in 2023, the Formula Regional Middle East Championship and the Formula Regional European Championship. At just 17 years old, the Italian star will be a force to be reckoned with and is expected to perform well in F2, as the new-spec car levels the playing field for the teams and drivers.
Zane Maloney- Rodin Motorsport
Zane Maloney is another driver returning for his second year in Formula 2. Previously a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, Zane has been newly introduced as a member of the Sauber Academy, the same academy which supported Theo Pourchaire to the F2 title in 2023.
Maloney finished second in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 championship, just five points behind eventual winner Victor Martins. He also won the British F4 title in 2019. Whilst he had a tough year in F2 in 2023, placing tenth overall, Maloney’s 2024 efforts so far in the new-spec car look promising, as he was the fastest driver across the three days of testing in Bahrain in February of 2024.
The Boy from Barbados is definitely one to look out for in 2024, with his evident talent and a reliable car, Maloney could well be in the championship fight.
Caitlyn:
Victor Martins - ART Grand Prix
Entering his second season with the French team, Martins will be on the hunt to secure a second consecutive championship for ART. The team were victorious last season when Theo Pourchaire secured the teams first F2 title.
On the back of winning F3 in 2022, Martins continued his success in the next level of the ladder. After a tough start to the season, Martins quickly adapted and turned around his form.
From mid season onwards, the Frenchman displayed high-level performances, his mighty run of top 10 finishes spanning from the Monaco Sprint all the way through to the Abu Dhabi finale was pivotal in escaping the bottom of the standings.
Martins along the season secured one victory, 10 podiums, highest number of fastest laps (six in total) and won the notable Anthoine Hubert award. The Alpine junior is one of the top names in contention for this year’s title and is definitely a name to keep a close eye on.
Ritomo Miyata - Rodin Motorsport
An exciting new addition to the grid sees the young Japanese talent take on the worldwide series. Miyata brought eyes to his name when he became the youngest driver to win both the Super Formula and Super GT championship all in one season — which only five drivers have ever accomplished before.
He entered the 2023 season with no previous achievements in Super Formula, however, ended the year as the newest star to emerge from Japan beating Red Bull prodigy, Liam Lawson along the way.
Securing a collective five wins and 10 podiums throughout 2023, he decided to make the change to Europe.
Miyata has a busy calendar for 2024, alongside his entry in F2 with Rodin Motorsport, he will also be contesting in the European Le Mans Series and is a training driver in the ‘WEC Challenge Programme.’ Adding the fact Miyata won both the Japanese F4 and F3, this driver is one to keep a close eye on.
Dennis Hauger - MP Motorsport
Heading into his final F2 campaign, the former Red Bull junior will be looking to end his feeder series journey on a high. Hauger enters his third year in F2, with 52 race entries securing only four wins and eight podiums along the way.
An unfortunate lack of luck has hindered Hauger’s F2 career. Despite not being shy of success in lower categories like Italian F4 and F3, Hauger has struggled to find that success in F2. However, that could all change in 2024 as F2 introduces a new spec car which brings in a new rear wing and adopts the F1 ground effect which generates greater downforce.
For 2024, Hauger will be one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, oozing with confidence after a podium finish at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix last November. His lack of statistical success in F2, shouldn’t diminish the Norwegians raw talent that can often go unseen during race weekends. Hauger could be a tough contender for the upcoming season.
Ellie:
Kush Maini - Invicta Racing
Alpine academy driver Kush Maini will return for his second season of Formula Two, joining previous race winners Invicta Racing. Maini had an impressive rookie season last year with Campos, and achieved consistent results across the season as he adjusted to the championship, including a podium finish in the Sprint Race at Australia.
He finished the 2023 season 11th overall in the standings — significantly ahead of his experienced teammate - and it will be interesting to see what he can do at a team more capable of fighting at the front of the field.
Zak O'Sullivan - ART Grand Prix
O'Sullivan will race with the 2023 champions ART Grand Prix for his rookie season in Formula Two, and this combination certainly seems capable of producing winning results.
The British driver has an impressive racing career already- finishing runner up in the Ginette Junior and British Formula Four championships- and even received the Autosport BRDC Award in 2021 after an impressive GB3 campaign that saw him claim the title.
Most recently he competed in the 2023 Formula Three Championship, claiming four wins across the season to finish runner up in the standings.
As well as his various accolades, O'Sullivan has been a member of the Williams Driver Academy since 2023 and drove the FW45 during free practice at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix- clearly establishing himself as a driver to keep an eye on not only in 2024, but also into the future.
Franco Colapinto - MP Motorsport
Also a member of the Williams Driver Academy, Colapinto competed in Formula Three in 2023 and proved himself to be not only a fast driver, but a consistent one. Impressively, he achieved points finishes in all but four of the races and gained ten podiums, including four race wins, across a season that saw him finish fourth overall in the standings.
Heading into his rookie season of Formula Two, Colapinto already has a lot of experience with the machinery, having not only taken part in both post- and pre-season testing, but actually made his Formula Two debut in Abu Dhabi last year, giving himself even more of an advantage going into the season
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