Written by Jann Erin Castro, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
This year’s Formula 2 grid has been bustling with activity! Up until the final race weekend in the Formula 2 calendar, the merry-go-round of driver swaps continues to make the silly season even sillier.
What started out as a triumphant moment for MP Motorsport’s Franco Colapinto graduating to Formula One turned out to be a domino effect of driver changes throughout the 2024 season.
The Belgian round was the last time teams retained their original lineups that started the season, before Colapinto’s elevation into Formula One kicked off the dominoes in the Formula 2 driver market.
Colapinto moves up to Formula One
It came as a surprise to many when the 21-year-old Argentinian driver was announced as Williams’ driver in place of Logan Sargeant — who himself was a graduate from Formula 2.
Although, his pathway into F1 could already have been foreshadowed. Colapinto is a member of the Williams Driver Academy, and even drove the Williams FW46 in FP1 at the British Grand Prix.
With nine races left in the season, Colapinto’s F2 team MP Motorsport sought their next driver in line, Danish-German driver Oliver Goethe. Goethe stepped up from Formula 3 where he finished seventh in the overall driver’s championship with Campos Racing.
Goethe is no new face to MP Motorsport, having raced with them back in the Spanish F4 Championship in 2020, before stepping up to the Formula Regional European Championship with the team for the following year. The Dutch team was more than glad to welcome him back home.
Barnard charts a new path in Formula E
20-year-old British driver Taylor Barnard raced for AIX Racing at the start of the season, before signing with McLaren’s Formula E team in late August.
Having taken part in season ten’s Formula E rookie test with NEOM McLaren, and topping the timesheet as the fastest rookie, there was no doubt about the team’s decision to make Barnard their reserve and development driver.
Upon the departure of NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes to Maserati, the team was quick to promote Barnard to drive alongside Sam Bird for the 2024-2025 season.
This left AIX with an empty seat that was eventually filled in by 23-year-old Niels Koolen who signed with Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2025 Indy NXT season. Koolen only filled in for Monza and Baku, as AIX has confirmed that he would not be returning for the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Over the Qatar GP weekend, Formula 3 Hitech PulseEight driver Cian Shields stepped up to fill in the team’s empty seat for the remainder of the season.
Mansell makes his move
20-year-old Czech driver Roman Stanek terminated his contract with Trident due to lack of funding and equipment concerns. He also explained that he was only contracted for 11 rounds.
Stanek’s departure left an open seat in Trident which Formula 3 graduate Christian Mansell was more than eager to assume.
Having finished fifth in the 2024 F3 championship with ART Grand Prix, Mansell’s show of skill garnered him his seat in Formula 2 for the remaining races of the season, where he’s impressively been finishing in the points.
Bringing in Browning
Luke Browning also stepped in to fill in the empty seat at ART Grand Prix, following Zak O’Sullivan’s departure. Like Stanek, O’Sullivan too struggled with funding, which affected his chances of finishing his promising rookie season in F2.
Although disappointed to leave, O’Sullivan remained grateful to ART and Williams — where he is also one of their Academy drivers — for their support. He shared that he will continue working with the Grove-based team as their Academy driver, despite uncertainty about his future.
On the other hand, Browning was quick to assume the seat, having shown that he is ready for greater heights. He finished third in the overall F3 championship with Hitech PulseEight.
Beganovic steps up for the switch
The list of Formula 3 drivers stepping up to Formula 2 didn’t end with Browning, as Ferrari Driver Academy’s Dino Beganovic is filling in for Dams Lucas Oil for the remaining two races of the season.
For reasons undisclosed, Juan Manuel Correa left the F2 season, opening up a vacant seat at DAMS Lucas Oil alongside Jak Crawford. The 2024 season saw Correa’s first podium in F2 since having discontinued his 2019 season as well, due to a fatal accident which led to him having to tie up the ranks again from F3.
While Beganovic’s step-up to F2 has been long-awaited, it is still unconfirmed if his campaign will go beyond two races and continue on for the 2025 season.
Hauger’s new home in Indy
MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger was one of the promising drivers in F2, with a good run of a season to show for it. His hard work recently landed a contract for Andretti’s Indy NXT squad for 2025, opening up an opportunity to test the car soon after.
As he began his new chapter with Indy NXT, Richard Verschoor made the move from Trident to MP Motorsport.
Dutch driver Verschoor reunited with the Dutch outfit for the remaining two races of the season, and through to 2025. Both Hauger and MP shared their excitement and best wishes for Verschoor, who has won the Macau GP with the team in the past.
The swap then saw Trident facing yet another empty seat on their team. Jenzer F3 driver Max Esterson stepped up for Verschoor to drive alongside Mansell, who also just filled in at Baku.
Esterson has only been confirmed to drive for the remaining two races and there have yet to be hints on whether he will be continuing his journey in F2 next season.
Betting on Bennett
After three seasons in F2, Brazilian driver Enzo Fittipaldi and Van Amersfoort Racing agreed to part ways with just two races left in the season.
This served as an opportunity for GB3 runner-up, and DIVEBOMB’s partnered racer John Bennett to step up the ranks straight to Formula 2. The British driver has already made quite the impression on debut, keeping out of trouble and bringing home a points finish in the Qatar Feature Race. finishing eighth.
Maloney passes on the baton to Fornarolli
Just when you think the driver swaps had finally come to an end in the penultimate race of the season, Zane Maloney bids farewell to his rookie campaign in Formula 2, as he steps into Formula E with the rebranded Lola Yamaha ABT. Maloney had an impressive season, kicking it off with back-to-back wins in Bahrain.
As the boy from Barbados moves onto his professional career with Formula E, an empty seat in Rodin Carlin opened an opportunity for F3 2024 champion Leonardo Fornarolli to advance his Formula 2 debut to as early as Abu Dhabi.
Fornarolli will be filling in for the last race with Rodin, before taking the reins for Invicta in 2025.
The driver swaps and step-ups have surely made for an interesting Formula 2 season, while also allowing more drivers to showcase their skills and talent in a car closer to the makings of a Formula 1 car.
Alongside the headlining lineup changes, this year’s Formula 2 contingent have also made their impact in the sport. PREMA Racing teammates Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be graduating to Formula One in 2025 with Haas and Mercedes, as will current championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto to KICK Sauber.
The next generation of young drivers have surely made a lasting impression in the sport, continuing to rise through the ranks, and ensuring the junior category of Formula continues to remain more and more interesting.
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