Created in 2017, the FIA Formula 2 Championship has become the road to Formula 1. In 2021, three of its former drivers made the step-up to debut behind the wheel of the fastest cars in the world. The 2020 champion Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, joining the Haas team, and the Japanese superstar Yuki Tsunoda, driving the Honda Powered Scuderia Alpha Tauri. The championship has also paved the way for brilliant names like Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris, Alexander Albon, and Nicholas Latifi to achieve the dreams in Formula 1.
Written by Bruna Brito, Edited by Aiden Hover
Regulation
Racing on the same weekends and tracks as Formula 1, the 22 identical cars, powered by V6 – 3.4 litre single turbocharged Mecachrome engine, are put to the test across three races, being two 120-kilometer Sprint Races on Saturday and a 170-kilometer Feature Race on Sunday. The category also allows 45 minutes for free practice and 30 minutes for the Friday qualifying.
The novelty for the 2021 season is that due to there only being one qualifying session taking place per weekend, Friday’s qualifying classification will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s Feature Race – with the starting grid of Saturday’s first Sprint Race being determined by reversing the top 10 finishers of Friday’s qualifying session results. The starting grid of Saturday’s second Sprint Race will be determined by reversing the top 10 finishers of the first race.
The maximum number of points that a driver can score over a race weekend has been increased from 48 to 65 for the 2021 season. The driver who takes pole position in Friday’s qualifying session will be awarded 4 points. Also, 2 points will be awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap in each race. Similar to what happens in Formula 1, a driver who is not classified in the top ten positions at the end of the race will not be eligible for points awarded for the fastest lap.
For the main points, Sprint Race 1 and Sprint Race 2’s Top 8 finishers will be awarded points (15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1) while the Top 10 finishers of the Feature Race will score (25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1).
In terms of the series’ tyre usage, unless a driver has used wet-weather tyres during the Feature Race, they must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres. The new sporting regulations state that each driver will now be allocated six sets of dry-weather tyres per weekend: four “prime” compound sets (one more than 2020) and two of the “option” compound. Each driver will also be provided with three sets of wet-weather tyres.
Pirelli Tyres for Formula 2 2021 Season
Calendar
The calendar for this season will consist of 8 rounds starting in Bahrain and, following the Formula 1 schedule, will have events across Europe to then end at the luxurious Yas Marina Circuit in December.
F2 Calendar
Drivers and Teams
This year’s Formula 2 grid will see 13 returning drivers and 9 new recruits. Prema Racing will be represented by Robert Shwartzman from the Ferrari Academy and the Australian Alpine Academy member, Oscar Piastri. The team has crowned the 2 latest Formula 2 champions. In regards to this season, Robert declared, “the goal is to be more consistent and do a better job than last year.”
Robert Schwartzman
Guanyu Zhou stays with the British team Uni-Virtuosi for his third season. The Chinese driver has also a close relationship with the French Formula 1 team Alpine, occupying the position as test driver. Zhou will be the teammate to Brazilian, Felipe Drugovich, who won three races last year and is looking forward to obtaining his super license this year.
Carlin has Dan Ticktum and Jehan Daruvala behind its wheels. Dan, who recently moved from Dams to start this brand new chapter in his career, said “The goal is to win the championship.”
Hitech Grand Prix will see the red bull academy driver of Juri Vips return for a full-time seat, competing directly against the New Zealander rookie, Liam Lawson.
After two victories with the team, Christian Lungaard keeps his seat for Art Grand Prix and will race alongside Theo Pourchaire. The 16-year-old driver said that the step up to Formula 2 is his chance to gain more expertise in such a category.
Christian Lundgaard
With 4 victories last year, the Dutch team, MP Motorsport will be hoping for more with their new lineup of Richard Verschoor and Lirim Zendeli.
Charouz Racing System is also risking the debut of Formula 3 driver, David Beckmann, and the Brazilian Guilherme Samaia.
The popular DAMS has two new drivers for the 2021 season, Marcus Armstrong and Roy Nissany – both from Williams Academy. Tt will be improving for good results after a disappointing 8th last year.
The Spanish team, Campos Racing, is also looking forward to a better season as they are represented by the 18-year-old Brazilian driver, Gianluca Petecof, who recently ended his contract with the Ferrari Academy and the speedy Ralph Boschung.
Gianluca Petecoff
HWA Racelab will be represented by Alessio Deledda and Mateo Nannini.
Last but not least, the Italian team Trident has the returning Japanese driver, Marino Sato for this season, and his partner, Bent Viscal who earned himself a debut with trident following a podium and a win in his debut Formula 3 season.
Are you as excited as we are for this year’s Formula 2 season? Let us know who you are rooting for this year on our social media and be sure not to miss any action.
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