HiTech Grand Prix has revealed that Red Bull junior, Juri Vips will be sticking with them for a second season in F2.
Vips’ relationship with the team started in 2019 in Formula 3, where he managed to grab a pole, three wins and a further podium- he finished 4th.
Then in 2020, the Estonian driver made his debut in Formula 2 competing for four rounds with DAMS where he took 16 points and a podium.
In 2021, he managed to pull a seat full time with HiTech he became the first driver to win twice in a single weekend at Baku- second sprint race and the feature race.
Juri then managed to score four more podiums throughout the year, he ended his first year in 6th!
“I’m thrilled to be joining Hitech for another year,” said Vips. “We built a strong relationship in 2021, which enabled me to get to grips with the car and work closely with the team to ensure we gave our very best throughout the season. I’m looking forward to fighting for more victories. Massive thanks to Red Bull for their continuous support.”
My Opinion–
Juri’s announcement was the one I was waiting for the most. I felt like last year he had quite a lot of reliability issues and he got quite unlucky mid-way through the season and sometimes that can affect if you come back for another season or not.
But, with that being said he signed with HiTech which is great! He clearly has faith in the team to stick by them- it will be interesting how well he does this year!
With the season starting in less than two weeks- lets take a look on how a race day works/ points system/ tyres.
Race day format-
Shakedown– At most of the E-Prix’s a shakedown session is held on the Friday-the day before the main event but this all depends on the track being available. When this does happen drivers use this session to check the electronic systems and the reliability of the car, but not overall performance as the cars run at a reduced speed.
Practice- Each event has two practice sessions- an opening 30 minute session which is then followed by a further 30 minute session. This is reduced to only one session on the second day of a double header. The practice is the first time the teams and drivers will take to track under timed conditions in which they can get a feel for the track and adapt to the car set-up.
Qualifying format- Brand new for season 8 the qualifying allows the best teams and drivers to showcase their speed and skills but maintains the possibility of any driver to step up, pull a lap out of the bag which makes them go further up the grid.
The group stage sees two groups of 11 based on their Drivers World Championship position battle it out at 220kW to set lap times in a 10 minute session, with the fastest four progressing to the Duels stage.
The 8 then through will battle it out in the quarter finals where they compete against one another head to head in a knockout at 250kW.
The winning driver of the final dues takes Julius Baer Pole position whilst the runner-up lines up second. The semi-finalists will line up 3rd and 4th, the quarter-finalists between fifth and eighth depending on their lap-times.
The 5th to 12th placed drivers who competed in the pole sitters group will fill the odd positions on the grid. The corresponding drivers from the other group will be classified in the even grid slots- fro example if the pole sitter comes from Group 1, the fifth place driver in Group 1 will line up 9th on the starting grid.
E-Prix- Races or E-Prix begin with a standing start, meaning that the cars are stationary until the lights go green. The drivers line-up on a dummy grid which is a short distance behind the actual grid- they slowly file into their position to start the race.
The E-Prix lasts for 45 minutes, at the end of the 45 minutes and the leader has crossed the finish line, there is still one more lap to go until the race finishes.
Attack Mode was introduced for the 2018/19 season, which let drivers pick up an extra hit of power at their own risk. To fire up Attack Mode, drivers will need to aim their car to drive off the racing line and through the Activation Zone- as taking a slower line through the corner they will be able to collect an extra 30kW of power.
As well as Attack Mode, there is also Fanboost which is where the fans have a chance to impact the race. The five drivers who receive the Fanboost are awarded a significant burst of power which they can deploy in a five-second window during the second half of the race.
Tyres and allocation-
18 inch treaded all weather tyres used by all teams and drivers are supplied by Michelin which is official tyre supplier of the FIA Formula E World Championship. Each driver can’t use more than four new rear and four near front tyres for each event. That means they need to make a total of two sets of tyres last from Shakedown all the way to the end of the race.
Points system–
Formula E follows a standard points system, used in other FIA-sanctioned series – awarding points to the top-10 finishers.
1st – 25pts
2nd – 18pts
3rd – 15pts
4th – 12pts
5th – 10pts
6th – 8pts
7th – 6pts
8th – 4pts
9th – 2pts
10th – 1pt
Additional points are also awarded for securing Julius Baer Pole Position as well as the Fastest Lap in Qualifying and the race.
Julius Baer Pole Position: 3 points
Fastest driver in Qualifying: 1 point
Fastest Lap in race: 1 point (if in a top-10 finishing position)
Red Bull junior, Ayumu Iwasa has joined DAMS for the 2022 season making the move from F3 to F2.
He made his debut with the team at post-season testing, he will be partnering up with Roy Nissany for the season ahead.
Iwasa, competed in Formula 3 last year for HiTech GP where he finished 12th overall with a podium and one win! In his first season of European racing in 2020 he took the French Formula 4 title with nine wins and 15 podiums.
“I’m very excited to take on my first year of F2 with DAMS,” said Iwasa. “We worked together at the test in December, and I learnt a lot about the car and the team. We collected plenty of data, which will be useful ahead of the pre-season test. I’ll be taking on some new tracks this year, which will be a challenge but I’m looking forward to developing my skills throughout the season. I used to live in Le Mans when I was racing in French F4 so it’s great to be competing in F2 with a team based in the area. I can’t wait to arrive in Bahrain and get back on track with DAMS for testing on 2-4 March.”
“We are extremely happy to welcome Ayumu to the team,” said Co-Team Owners Grégory and Olivier Driot. “Ayumu started his single-seater career in Europe very successfully by winning the Formula 4 French Championship which is an impressive feat. He also had a strong first season in F3, managing to take victory in Hungary in front of some very experienced competitors last July. This year is going to be a whole new challenge for him in F2, but Ayumu showed during the Abu Dhabi test that he has the potential to perform at this level. For DAMS it’s also very exciting to work with Red Bull, with who we have had some great success in the past, and we are proud to be starting a new partnership with Honda.”
My Opinion-
I’m a bit mixed feelings on this one, one part of me says he should do another year in F3 considering he only finished 12th, but then the other part of me says he clearly is talented as he won a championship in his first year in European racing but either way it will be interesting to see how he does.
Isack Hadjar will become Formula 3’s newest Red Bull junior in 2022, in which he is making the step up with Hitech Grand Prix.
He will be making his debut with the team in the Formula Regional Asian Championship before linking up with the team for a full campaign of F3.
He joined the team for post-season testing in Valencia where he impressed the British team with a top 10 finish on the 3rd morning.
In 2021, the 17 year old took sixth place in the Asian F3 Championship with five podiums before he competed in the inaugural Formula Regional European campaign, where he finished fifth with five podiums which included two wins.
Hadjar, also arrives to Formula 3 with two years experience in French Formula 4, where he challenged for the title in 2020, in which he ended 3rd with three wins and eight podiums!
“I am really happy to race with Hitech for a full campaign in FIA F3 and Formula Regional Asia,” said Hadjar. “I’m excited to see what we are able to achieve together and be working with a new team as I make my step up. There will be a lot to take in and plenty to learn, but I am ready for the challenge! Thanks to Red Bull for their support.”
Aston Martin have announced that Mike Krack will become their new Team Principal, after the recently departed Otmar Szafnauer.
Even though the name is not familiar in the F1 world, Krack has appeared in many motorsport roles. He headed up BMW’s global motorsport operation since 2014, which meant he was in charge of the manufacturer’s Formula E, GT and IMSA programmes. As well as overseeing their expansion into the new LMDh category.
Prior to his BMW days, he spent 18 months with Porsche as head of track engineering for their LMP1 project, working alongside current McLaren Team Principle, Andreas Seidl.
However, this isn’t his first time in F1, he previously worked at Sauber and BMW Sauber, which includes working as an engineer with current Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel when he was the test driver.
“It is a thrill and an honour to have been appointed to the position of Team Principal of Aston Martin,” said Krack. “I am very grateful to Lawrence [Stroll] and Martin [Whitmarsh] for giving me such a fantastic opportunity. Aston Martin is one of the greatest automotive brands in the world, and to have been asked to play a leading role in delivering the on-track Formula One success that such an illustrious name so richly deserves is a challenge that I plan to embrace with energy and enthusiasm.”
Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll said: “Winning in Formula One is all about bringing together the best efforts of all the principal players – drivers, engineers, mechanics, everyone – and Mike is perfectly placed to do just that. We are about to embark on year two of our five-year plan, the objective of which is to win Formula One World Championships,” added Stroll.
“All the ingredients we require are coming together. Mike will play a central and leading role, reporting to Martin Whitmarsh [Aston Martin Group Chief Executive Officer] and leading our technical and operational functions, our collective aim being to fulfil those lofty ambitions. We are on our way.”
My Opinion-
To be honest, I didn’t know who would replace Otmar but, Mike seems like the right choice. He has had a lot of experience in Motorsport, so his not going in their blind-sided but the thing which stuck out the most to me was him working with Vettel in the past- it will be interesting to see the relationship between the pair over the year.
For the first time in FOUR years, Prema will field an all new line-up in Formula Two. With the recent news of Dennis Hauger joining and now Jehan Daruvala.
Red Bull junior, is returning to Prema after being at Carlin for two season in F2. He was with the Italian team in Formula 3 for the 2019 Championship, that was where he challenged for the title, he ended the season in third with two wins and five podiums in total.
When he took the step up into F2, Daruvala took two more podiums which includes a win in his rookie year- where he finished 12th overall. In his second season (2021), he managed to grab two wins, as well as 3 more podiums, in which he ended the year in 7th.
“I’m really happy to be back at PREMA and continue to be part of the Red Bull Junior Team for the 2022 FIA F2 Championship,” said Daruvala. “We have worked together in the past and share a fantastic relationship. PREMA is a champion team and I can’t wait to get started and look forward to a successful F2 campaign.”
Discussing the return of Daruvala, Team Principal René Rosin said: “We have had a great relationship with Jehan when we raced together in FIA F3 and we have deep respect for his skills and work ethics. I think he fits our team very well and I’m looking forward to seeing how much progress he has made in the last couple of years. He performed impressively in post-season testing and he has a great deal of experience also in terms of race formats and procedures. Together with the Red Bull Junior program, we will provide him with all the support he needs to pursue his goals.”
My Opinion-
I think he needs a championship winning team to show what he can do, he knows the team well after competing with them in 2019 so it makes sense for him to only go back to them. Prema have another strong line up once again! And both Red Bull junior drivers in the team.
Prema, have now completed their 2022 line-up with Jak Crawford taking the final seat.
The Red Bull junior, made his debut in Formula 3 in 2021 with HiTech Grand Prix, he finished 13th overall, also in 2021 Jak competed in Euroformula Open Championship where he finished 3rd overall, even after missing two rounds due to his commitment to F3.
The American, made his debut with Prema at post-season testing in Valencia where he finished five out of the six session in the top 10 and led the second day overall.
Crawford started his single-seater career in 2018 where he took second place in the NACAM Formula 4 Championship and moving to the USF 2000 Championship for 2019. In 2020, he made the move to the European racing scene where he joined the Red Bull junior team as well as finishing second in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship.
“I’m very excited to be joining PREMA for a second season of FIA F3 as well as contesting the Formula Regional Asian Championship with them. I am very much looking forward to building on what I learned last year in my rookie season, and hoping to emulate the success that other drivers have had with the team in the past. FIA F3 will be the main focus for me this year and I am eager to get the season underway.” said Crawford.
“We have always kept a close eye on Jak,” added PREMA Team Principal René Rosin. “He established himself as one of the most promising drivers since his Formula 4 days, and finally working together will be extremely interesting. I’m sure that there is enough potential to aim high for 2022. We already had the chance to work with him in testing, and we look forward to continuing that process in the Formula Regional Asian Championship. I’m equally delighted to continue our work with the Red Bull Junior Team in order to develop the next generation of high-profile racing drivers.”
My Opinion-
I think this is the right move, his now got experience in Formula 3, and I think now he is with Prema he will show everyone what he can do and I am personally looking forward to it!
The first date for a reveal of the 2022 car has been announced and that being by Aston Martin! They will show the world their challenger, AMR22 on the 10th February 2022.
The team finished 7th in the Constructors standing last year, where they saw new driver for the team Sebastian Vettel get their first ever trophy as Aston Martin.
AM, have had a lot of changes in recent years, with Lawerence Stroll becoming owner and wanting to take F1 by storm and has ‘grand plans’ for the British team!
The car reveal will be streamed online from Aston Martins headquarters, where drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll be joined by key members of the team.
The AMR22 is the first Aston Martin F1 Car which is to be created to the new technical regulations and then represents the biggest design in decades, which makes a significant moment in Aston Martin history.
It has been confirmed that Dennis Hauger will be racing in Formula 2 for the 2022 season, he will be sticking with Prema in which he won the Formula 3 Championship with last year.
The 18 year old managed to clinch the title last season, where he got nine podiums, including four wins and three pole positions. But before he managed to clinch the title, he finished 17th with HiTech Grand Prix in 2020 as he initially struggled with the step up to F3.
In 2019, the RedBull backed driver took to victory in the Italian F4 Championship where he won it, which included 12 wins, 7 pole positions and 16 podiums in total. In the same year, Hauger also competed ADAC Formula 4 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing where he finished 2nd overall with 6 wins, 5 pole positions and 10 podiums in total.
“I’m delighted to continue with PREMA in 2022,” said Hauger, who was the 2019 Italian F4 champion. “We had a good year in 2021 with some amazing teamwork, and I really enjoyed it. I’m extremely happy that they keep believing in me, and I’m looking forward to carrying on the hard work we put in together this season as well.”
On the graduation of Hauger, Team Principal René Rosin commented: “We are delighted to continue the work we started with Dennis last year in F3, and that led to so many great results. Of course, being a rookie is not always straightforward. However, in the official postseason test, Dennis made consistent and impressive progress, and we are looking forward to a positive season together. We are also proud to work with the Red Bull Junior Team again, and hopefully, we will be able to add more chapters to our successful history together.”
My Opinion-
I think we all knew this was coming! Even more so with Prema- he had a good year last year and it was shown by him winning the championship. He will want to go for the F2 Championship this year and try to make the move to Formula One as soon as possible. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in F2 this year!
Trident have signed their first driver for the 2022 season, that being Calan Williams after an impressive post-season test with the team in Abu Dhabi.
He managed to finish 6th in the afternoon session of Day 1, he also ran in top 12 throughout Day 2 and managed to complete 254 laps overall.
The Australian is taking the step up from F3 with Jenzer Motorsport, he finished the season as the teams highest point scorer in 2021 where he took his maiden podium.
Before moving to European racing, Williams finished second in the 2016 Western Australian Formula Ford series and won the 2017 Australian Formula 3 Premier Series.
“I am extremely happy to have secured the drive with Trident Motorsport,” said Williams. “They are an incredibly professional team and we have been working very well together over the past couple of months as well as during the Abu Dhabi Post Season tests. It’s such a unique chance that I have to step up into Formula 2. I’ll be working harder than ever to ensure that I perform to the best of my ability. I am very appreciative of Trident Motorsport for the opportunity and belief in me.”
Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci added: “The 2021 Abu Dhabi F2 Post Season Test session was very positive for Calan. He was able to adapt very quickly to the FIA F2 car and this allowed him to be competitive both in terms of performance and during the race simulation.
We were very impressed with his performance. He has a very high work ethic, and it is great to work with a Driver who dedicates his life every day to go faster. There is already a very strong working bond between Calan and the team. We are proud to have secured Calan with Trident Motorsport allowing us to face the FIA F2 2022 Championship together. I am confident of being able to achieve significant results during the 2022 season.”
My Opinion-
I think this is a good move, I’ll be looking at how he does with a new team after being with the same team for two years. With the right technique the Trident car can be up in the point regularly so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in the car.
Today it got announced that Executive Director, Marcin Budkowski has left Alpine which brings a three-year stint at the team to an end.
Budkowski has been a part of Alpine since 2018 where he joined from the FIA- before that he started his F1 career in the aerodynamic department of a few teams first being Prost GP, then Ferrari from 2002 to 2007 where he saw the team win multiple championships.
He then decided to seek a new challenge and joined McLaren in 2007 where he worked in a variety of aerodynamic roles both at factory and on track- he became head of aerodynamics in 2012, however his 7 years at McLaren ended in 2014.
He then went on to the FIA as mentioned above, where he became F1’s technical and sporting coordinator for the FIA, he then became head of the Formula One technical department in 2017. He then joined Renault as executive technical director and in January 2021 he was made a director of Alpine.
Alpine have said that Laurent Rossi CEO will “temporarily” run the operation “to allow everyone to focus on next season’s preparations”. Rossi took over as CEO ahead of last season and since being in the team he has been conducting a review of it, which includes the management structure.
Rossi said: “I would like to thank Marcin Budkowski for his commitment and contribution to the team’s results over the last four years. The team is fully focused on getting the car ready for the first race in Bahrain and deliver a step beyond in performance.”
Budkowski added: “I truly enjoyed being part of the leadership team of Renault then Alpine F1 Team, working with such a talented and dedicated group of people. I will be watching the team’s progress fondly in the seasons to come.”
My Opinion-
I was shocked to hear this because I felt like he didn’t do anything to not deserve the position- but that being said, I feel like Alpine has some big problems in their management area seeing as Cyril Abiteboul left on the 11th January 2021, and now Marcin in January 2022…
Obviously the rumour mill is spinning more and more now since Marcin has now left, will we see an announcement in the next few weeks about a certain Otmar Szafnauer joining the french team? And could this be the same for Aston Martin with Marcin? It’s a wait and see game at the moment…
Turkish driver, Cem Bölükbasi will be making his Formula 2 debut in the 2022 season, with Charouz Racing System.
Cem, first stepped in an F2 car, back in the post season test in Abu Dhabi with Van Amersfoort Racing, he is making a step up from Euroformula Open.
Joining during the season in Euroformula Open, proved no difficulty for the 23 year old as he won his first race at Hungary before taking going on to take seven more podiums which includes a second win, he finished 5th overall. Bölükbasi, took part in GT4 European back in 2020 where he finished 2nd.
Cem hasn’t just took part in racing in real life, he has been an E sports driver too, he raced for McLaren in the 2017 Formula One eSports Series, where he finished 5th. In 2018, he decided to switch to Toro Rosso where he participated in 4 out of 10 races, he finished 12th overall. He also took part in 2019 too. Cem is the FIRST ever e-sports driver to make it into Formula 2!
“I’m really, really happy to join Charouz Racing System for the FIA Formula 2 2022 season,” said Bölükbasi. “I worked so hard to get an opportunity like this and first of all, I want to thank Charouz for putting their trust in me, I’ll do my very best to honour it.
I obviously can’t wait to get in the car for the testing sessions, after my first taste of an old GP2 car later last year. It’s as close as you can get to a Formula 1 car and I’m fully determined to give my 110% to learn how to master it and prove my potential as a driver. I also can’t wait to start working with the team, the season ahead is gonna be very long and demanding and establishing the best possible relationship with all the guys is going to be crucial for the final outcome.”
Charouz Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “We’re more than delighted to welcome a brilliant driver like Cem in our Formula 2 team. It will be a challenging and exciting new experience for him, but he has already shown that he has the numbers to learn quickly and get some good results in some of the most competitive and difficult Formula 1-feeder categories.
“It’s going to be a long and tough season with 14 rounds, and that could be something he can take advantage of. On our side, we’ll obviously do everything we can to provide him with the best car and guide him in his learning path.”
My Opinion-
Ahhh I was waiting for this announcement! Personally I think its great that his been in F1 esports, and now his racing in F2 it shows you can work for both things and make them happen! I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do this year!
Maserati have announced that they will be joining the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from Season 9, where the debut of the Gen3, Formula E’s most powerful car yet.
The arrival of Maserati Trident on the grid will put a end to an absence of more than 60 years out of motorsport to an end, the team is set to make history for being the first Italian brand to compete in Formula E.
Looking back on the past…
Like many car manufactures, motorsport and competition is in Maserati’s DNA, the company was born on track with the Maserati brothers jumping in the car for their racing debut.
The iconic Maserati Trident badge first made an appearance in the 1926 Targa Florio- an endurance race in the Sicilian mountains and won its class with Alfieri Maserati.
In 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio sealed the Formula 1 World Championship for Maserati. The last time of its single seaters was seen on track was in 1958 where Maria Teresa de Filippis was in the car and was the first woman to qualify for an F1 Grand Prix.
“We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing. We are powered by passion and innovative by nature. We have a long history of world-class excellence in competition and we are ready to drive performance in the future,” said Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO.
Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle said: “We are delighted Maserati will join the Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and play a defining role reimagining the future of motorsport. Formula E races in the heart of the most iconic cities in the world and is followed passionately by a progressive global audience. Our millions of fans will be thrilled to see Maserati line up on the grid as one of the world’s elite electric car brands.”
My Opinion-
I think this is great for lots of reasons, having another team in Formula E is good especially after Mercedes leaving this year. But to have an iconic car manufacturer and the fact they have been in motorsport before is just an added bonus to Formula E and fans!
Arthur Leclerc has took the 2nd out of 3 Prema seats for the 2022 season, making the Italian team to be the only team who have signed two drivers so far.
This will be his second season in Formula 3, but third season with the team as he first joined them in 2020 in the Formula Regional European Championship where he finished runner up with six wins, and 15 podiums.
With that in the bag, the Monégasque earned a promotion into F3, where in his rookie season he won twice, as well as pole position and P2 in Budapest. Overall he finished 10th in the standings.
Leclerc’s single seater journey began back in 2018 where he entered the French F4 where he finished 5th overall, the next year he finished second in the ADAC F4.
“I am extremely happy to continue the work we started with PREMA Racing in the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship,” said Leclerc. “I think we did a good job last year, and 2022 will be a good opportunity to put together everything we have learned so far. I cannot wait for the season to start.”
PREMA Team Principal Rene Rosin added: “It is great to continue our collaboration with Arthur. I am sure that he will carry on the progress we saw in 2021 when he showed he had the potential to be a frontrunner.
“Last year’s experience with the challenging three-race weekends will definitely help him navigate the events with a great focus, which will surely benefit the whole team.“
My Opinion-
I didn’t think he would move up to Formula 2 this year, based on last years result, but its a good signing for himself and Prema. Hopefully we will see him be more consistent this year like in other series’ and then he can make that step up to F2 soon.
Another seat has gone for the Formula Two 2022 season, and it is Théo Pourchaire who has took up a seat at ART Grand Prix.
It will be the Frenchman’s second year in Formula 2, and his third season with ART, the 2020 Formula 3 vice-champion made his Formula 2 debut last season, in which he finished 5th overall with 140 points.
The Sauber junior, became F2’s youngest pole-sitter and youngest race winner in Monaco, where he won the Feature Race from pole, he added two more podiums with one including a win in the first sprint race in Monza.
Pourchaire has been apart of the French Motor Sport Federation FFSA since 2017, he was then signed by the Sauber Driver Academy in 2019 and made his Formula 1 debut in a private test at the Hungaroring in August last year, where he ran the 2019 Alfa Romeo C38.
“I am proud to be continuing in F2 with ART Grand in 2022,” said Pourchaire. “It’s an honour for me to work with such a great team. This will be our third year together and it has become like family to me. To continue with them in the pre-cursor to F1 is very exciting. I would like to thank the Sauber Academy for accompanying me once again. It will be a busy year and I want to have fun and gain experience for my future. We are more determined than ever, and we will be aiming for the F2 title.”
ART Grand Prix Team Manager Sébastien Philippe added: “Continuing our adventure together makes sense! Théo has shown the range of his talents and there are many of them, both in individual terms and athletic ability. His motivation and determination are in tune with that of ART Grand Prix and winter preparation is going well. When you know that you have all the assets on your side, there is only one thing you can aim for, the title!”
My Opinion-
I had no doubt that Théo wouldn’t not sign, it cemented things the other day when he took to Twitter to say he signed, but didn’t announce what team until today! Pourchaire is very talented for his age, and I hope this year we can see him as a contender for the Championship.
With the Formula E 2022 season starting in less than 3 weeks, lets take a look at our teams and drivers for the year.
Driver Changes-
Of course, we have had some drivers changes. Oliver Rowland switched from Nissan e.dams to Mahindra Racing. Maximillian Günther has made a switch from Andretti Autosport to Nissa e.dams.
Lucas di Grassi the former Audi Sport driver, replaced Norman Nato at Venturi Racing. Then towards the end of the Formula One season, it got announced Antonio Giovinazzi will be switching to Formula E and racing for Dragon / Penske Autosport.
Former Indy Car driver, Oliver Askew has joined Andretti Autosport, making him the first American to compete in the series full time. Filling our final spot, is Dan Ticktum who is partnering Oliver Turvey at NIO 333 team, where he has switched from Formula 2.
Below is the all the drivers and teams in this years Formula E season, will any of these drivers be able to knock Nyck De Vries of the top spot?
The dates for testing for both Formula 2 and Formula 3 have been revealed.
Before both of the series gets underway at Sakhir on March 18th to 20th, there is a 3 day pre-season test at the circuit on the 2nd to 4th March, both series will alternate across the 3 days for each session and test. This is the third time F2 has used the country for the first bit of on track action. F3 used the track for pre-season testing back in 2020.
After the season opener, F3 will go to Spain’s Jerez circuit on the 5th to the 6th of April for the second lot of tests, even though this venue is not on the calendar it is said to be used for set-up work and improving tyre management as the layout holds similarities to the Hungaroring.
Formula Two holds its second round in Jeddah in late March before its in-season test the next month at Barcelona on the 12th to 14th of April, where they will be going again for round 4 of the 2022 season.
After F2 have finished their tests, many of the teams will stay put in the paddock as F3 visits Barcelona for their 3rd test from the 15th to 16th. Out of the 11 teams in which take part in F2 and the 10 in F3, Virtuosi Racing and DAMS are the only teams to solely do F2, and Jenzer Motorsport only takes part in F3.
Having just one pre-season test for both Formula Two and Three followed by further in-season tests was something which had been planned for the 2020 season before the coronavirus pandemic took effect and cause further disruption to the schedule.
Lance Stroll, I feel like his not been spoke about much recently? Has he had just a quiet season and working behind the scenes to focus on this years car or has he just struggled? Lets take a look into his season…
Overall his season is okay, obviously not the best but not the worst either… 9 times he got in the points, making him finish 13th out of all 20 drivers on 34 points, his new team-mate Vettel was in 12th and scored 43 points. Stroll had 3 DNF’s across the season, one being the tyre blow out in Azerbaijian, and then the Hungarian race and the last one being Brazil where he had lasting damage from contact with Tsunoda.
His qualifying is where you can see the inconsistency, reaching Q3 six times and then its just a mixture from 12th to 20th… I don’t know if he felt like he had a better race car than one lap pace but it just looks like he has struggled so much compared to last year where he scored in 10 out of 17 races, and where he finished 11th in the drivers standings on 75 points.
Below, is a table of Lances’ qualifying position compared to his race position:
Grand Prix
Qualifying position
Race position
Bahrain
10th
10th
Emilia Romagna
10th
8th
Portugal
17th
14th
Spain
11th
11th
Monaco
13th
8th
Azerbaijan
DNF
DNF
France
NC
10th
Styria
10th
8th
Austria
10th
13th
Great Britain
15th
8th
Hungary
12th
DNF
Belgium
15th
20th
Netherlands
12th
12th
Italy
12th
7th
Russia
8th
11th
Turkey
9th
9th
United States
16th
12th
Mexico
20th
14th
Brazil
15th
DNF
Qatar
12th
6th
Saudi Arabia
18th
11th
Abu Dhabi
13th
13th
Obviously, I know the car has changed, but can it really change that much? Considering his team-mate got two podiums in his first year with the British team (one being DSQ) but it seemed like he pushed the car more than Stroll did?
But saying this, with things changing this year could we potentially see a Lance Stroll who is continuously making Q3 appearances or scoring points almost every race? If this does happen then I can’t wait to see it!
It has been announced by Aston Martin that Otmar Szafnauer has left the company and his role.
The team will be managed by the leadership team which is already in place until a replacement is appointed.
Szafnauer has been with the team since 2009, back in the Force India days. He played an integral role in the teams performance with the team going on an upward path.
His role in the team also saw him secure a long-term agreement with Mercedes to use the Powertrains from 2014 onwards.
Back in November there was speculation Otmar would be joining Alpine, as Laurent Rossi the CEO of Alpine revealed he was planning to undertake an assessment of his leadership team. However the rumours got shut down pretty quickly…
Aston Martin says: “We would like to thank him for the service provided to the team over the past 12 years and wish him well for the future as he will undoubtedly take on new challenges. Fortunately, we are led and managed by a strong group of individuals, and we are comfortable to take a little time to explore options before announcing a new team structure.”
My Opinion-
Well, I’m not shocked in the slightest but it does make you think, could Otmar be going to Alpine? I could see him going there and it really benefiting the team so for now it’s just a waiting game to see if he does go there…
During the season, we tend to look at the Championship contenders/ teams which are doing well more so than other teams/drivers. But seeing as the season has ended, now would be the perfect time to take a look back through the careers of some of the other F1 drivers on the grid. My main question being in this post is, is Esteban Ocon underrated?…
Lets take a look back…
The French man has had a good career so far, working his way through F3, GP3, DTM and the Formula 1, his first full season being in 2017 where he signed for a two year deal with Force India now called Aston Martin, his team-mate back then was Sergio Perez.
But during the 2018 season, it is said that Ocon had an “informal agreement” with Renault for the 2019 season, because Lance Stroll was moving to Force India. But, the bad news for Ocon was Renault signing Daniel Ricciardo instead of Esteban Ocon which left no room for the now 25 year old.
So Esteban became Mercedes reserve driver for the 2019 season- however he did not get the chance to fill in for a driver during the season but apparently became “very close” to replacing Valtteri Bottas, but they decided to stick with the Fin.
After a year out, the french driver came back into F1 in the 2020 season with Renault and then now the newly named Alpine. He then signed a new 3 year deal which takes him up to then of 2024.
Now looking onto this season. Overall he finished 11th, just 7 points away from his team-mate. We saw him get his first win in F1 in Hungary after he kept a cool-head knowing the fact Hamilton was on a war path to get higher up the gird, his team-mate Alonso, done some amazing defending helping the young driver to ensure on getting the win. As well as this, Ocon almost got on the podium in Saudi Arabia, as they crosed the line and Valtteri Bottas took it from him just!
My Opinion-
I personally, do think his underrated, if he had the right car underneath him I believe we would see a very good driver, I have a feeling he would be fighting for podiums etc. He is also very good at helping the team and him and Alonso get on well which we have all seen, if things go well for Alpine this year, we could see a few shock drives from Esteban.
So, its a new year but for penalty points that doesn’t mean its a fresh start… Last year I done a post in August during the break and I took a look at penalty points, now I’m looking to see how much it has changed since then.
As usual penalty points get taken of after being on the record for 12 months, with it currently being winter break no-one has any coming off until the season starts up again.
Driver
Points Currently
Difference from August
Yuki Tsunoda
8
+4
Max Verstappen
7
+7
Sergio Perez
7
-1
Sebastian Vettel
6
0
Nikita Mazepin
6
+1
Nicholas Latifi
6
0
Valtteri Bottas
5
+1
Lando Norris
5
-3
Lance Stroll
5
-1
Antonio Giovinazzi
3
-1
Pierre Gasly
3
+2
Lewis Hamilton
2
-2
Fernando Alonso
2
+2
Kimi Raikkonen
2
-3
Esteban Ocon
1
+1
George Russell
1
-3
Daniel Ricciardo
0
-1
Charles Leclerc
0
-2
Carlos Sainz
0
-1
Mick Schumacher
0
0
Updated Penalty Points January 2022
A driver who needs to be careful is the reigning champ, he got his penalty points in September onwards so if he doesn’t want a race ban then he needs to keep it clean from March to August which holds 14 races as his only 5 away from doing so.
Even though Yuki has more than Max, Yuki can start clearing his sooner from April to July he got 4 points so if he keeps it clean from the start of this season he should be half of what his got now by the Summer Break.
With Guanyu Zhou joining and Alex Albon returning both drivers will start of with 0 penalty points. But with the calendar being 23 races long and it being such a compacted season anything could happen!
We have had an amazing season and its only right that as the year is coming to the end I take a look back on the year and pick out some brilliant moments/races we have had this year.
Which 3 drivers were the best this season?
I am going to pick the two most obvious ones, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers gave it their all this year and came back fighting after things which have happened on track. My third pick would be Carlos Sainz, I feel like his just beat his ex team-mate to the third place spot but only because of how well and quick he settled into Ferrari, he managed to grab four podiums in his first year, so it will be interesting to see how he can do in his second year!
Biggest shock of the season?
I would say the Esteban Ocon win in Hungary or Daniel Ricciardo’s in Monza. The Alpine win was quite surprising considering the car changed quite a bit from last year and obviously Alonso’s marvellous defending from Hamilton helped secure his team-mates win but Esteban was there when he needed to be and it was nice to see him rewarded for it! Danny Rics win in Monza wow, if someone asked me back in June if Ricciardo would of been one of the winners this year I would have said no! And I think thats what made the win so great, he and the whole McLaren team just deserved the 1-2 and they had no problems at all on the Sunday.
The best individual drive?
Lewis Hamilton, Brazil. Even if your not a Lewis fan you have to admit he done amazing that weekend! To be demoted down the field twice over the course of the weekend is just wow and to top it off he won. I definitely think that will be a race which will be talked about for a long time!
The best qualifying moment?
Hmmm, I had a few for this, but one of the best moments for me was Sochi, where the top 3 was Norris on pole, Sainz 2nd and Russell 3rd. It was like a little preview of what is to come and what made it better was that Russell was in a Williams!
A team I think thats improved…
Ferrari. Plain and simple! Partly because of the new team-mates Carlos & Charles, as they get on great on and off track, they seem to qualify together and finish quite close together to so it feels a lot more equal at Ferrari. Another part of the improvement would be the car, they’ve managed to figure out what went wrong in 2020 and switched it around so quickly and to pull of P3 in the Constructors.
Most heartbreaking moment?
I would say Lando Norris, loosing his win in Sochi after the whole switching/non switching tyre situation. I felt like he deserved a win this season and I’ve said it since the beginning! Sochi was a learning curve for him and the team and it will most likely give him the hunger to go for the win next year.
A team I thought would do better?
Aston Martin. They outshined in quite a few races last year, but obviously they just couldn’t get it right this year. They did have their podium in Baku and as well had one in Hungary but got disqualified, so they did have the pace at some places, I just thought they would’ve done a bit better and it felt like they didn’t try and upgrade their car during the season.
What driver and team need to do better in 2022?
For driver I would say Lance, I feel like this year he was just floating about I didn’t see something amazing from him, where as his team-mate who only joined the team this year down really well, hopefully AM come up with a good car next year which will suit Stroll and we will see more of what he can do.
For the teams I managed to nail it down to two! Williams and Haas. Even though Williams scored a good set of points this year, it can only go up from here, new regs for everyone so a clean slate and it will be interesting to see how the British team can cope with it all. Now Haas, obviously we have all seen whats been going on with them, but I feel with Schumacher in the car and again new regs next season they could possibly have a chance at scoring points hopefully frequently, these two teams I’m going to be keeping my eye on when the season starts up.
It has been announced that Oliver Bearman will be racing in Formula 3 for PREMA Racing, who he joined for the successful post-season test in Valencia.
The 16 year old Brit became the first driver to win both Italian and ADAC Formula 4 Championships in the same season, which saw him earn a spot in the Ferrari Driver Academy.
2021 was Bearmans second year of single seaters, he grabbed 15 podiums, 11 wins and eight poles in Italian F4 as well as 11 podiums, six wins and five poles in ADAC F4.
“I’m really looking forward to stepping up to FIA F3 with PREMA, as my first official year being part of the Ferrari Driver Academy,” said Bearman. “We worked really well together in the post-season test at Valencia, and their results in previous years across everything which they do, speaks for itself. I can’t wait to get started in Bahrain!”
PREMA Team Principal Rene Rosin added: “We are looking forward to working with Oliver in 2022. The results he achieved this year speak for themselves, and we have obviously been observing him as rivals. The step for him will be huge and particularly challenging, with a lot to learn, but we will do everything we can to help him maximize his potential and be competitive right from the start. It will be extremely interesting to see the season develop, and what we will be able to accomplish together.”
My Opinion-
I think this is great! Ollie is a very talented driver especially at 16 years old, and because of his achievements so far he deserves to get this seat in F3. It will be interesting to see how he does next year he is most definitely one to watch!
With the season over and the year coming to an end let’s take a look back of the Formula 2 2021 Championship and see who were our winners across the weekend, how many retirements we had and my opinion on who is the driver of the weekend!
Sakhir–
Bahrain saw the rookies Liam Lawson win the first Sprint Race and Oscar Piastri win the second Sprint Race with Guanyu Zhou winning the Feature Race.
Lots of drama over the weekend which included some daring moves where people got away with where as others race ending early.
Over the course of the weekend my driver of the weekend is Liam Lawson, his first race weekend in F2, he qualified P8 then went to win the first Sprint, the second one wasn’t as good which saw him score no points and then the Feature Race he finished 3rd, after the weekend he walked away in P2 in the standings.
Monte Carlo-
The lovely Monaco saw Zhou win the first sprint race, Ticktum win the second and Pourchaire win the feature race.
Pourchaire didn’t just win the feature race, his weekend started when he got pole position. But the tight walls of Monaco wasn’t as kind to some we saw 4 retirements in the first Sprint Race. The second saw 7 retire. Then the Feature Race saw 4 retire.
My driver of the weekend is… Oscar, even though he didn’t win and he didn’t need to he still got on the podium twice and managed to put himself in a good position for the second sprint race.
Baku-
We went back to Baku for the third round of the season in which we saw, Shwartzman take the first Sprint Race win, and then Juri Vips take BOTH Sprint Race 2 and Feature Race wins.
Baku brought the drama for everyone but HiTech, the team managed to stay away from it all. There was 4 retirements in SR1. 6 in SR2 and 3 in the feature race.
My driver of the weekend got picked very quickly because he managed to win two races. Its Juri Vips, I feel like this was his best weekend in F2 this year and he fully deserved the wins he got.
Silverstone-
The 3 winners at Silverstone were: Robert Shwartzman SR1, Richard Verschoor SR2 and Guanyu Zhou for the Feature Race.
Silverstone managed to catch quite a few of the drivers out but not as many as the previous races we have had as we saw 5 retire in SR1. 3 in SR2 and none in the Feature Race.
Ah I feel like there is two drivers of the weekend, one being Richard Verschoor he deserved his win in the sprint race, and the other being Dan Ticktum he didn’t win but he did manage to get on the podium twice which Oscar done back in Monaco.
Monza-
Round 5 and our winners at Monza were: Théo Pourchaire SR1, Jehan Daruvala SR2 and Oscar Piastri Feature Race.
Monza wasn’t as kinda as Silverstone was we had 7 retire in SP1. Only 2 in SP2, and 6 in the Feature Race.
I think my driver of the weekend would be, Guanyu Zhou he finished 2nd in Sprint Race 1 and the feature race. And he still managed to grab a point in the second feature race.
Sochi-
Well, I think we will all remember Sochi for a very long time and not for the good reasons. When we finally did get racing we only had 2 out of the 3 races. The first and only sprint race won by Dan Ticktum and the Feature Race winner were we saw Oscar Piastri take back to back feature race wins.
Even though we had two races, we still had retirements 4 in Sprint Race 1 and 4 in the Feature Race.
Dan Ticktum would be my driver of the weekend being the first out of all the drivers, he obviously finished 1st in the first race and then 5th in the feature race so he managed a good lot of points considering the conditions they had to deal with on the Saturday.
Jeddah-
A new track for the drivers but it was Marcus Armstrong who took the first Sprint Race win, and Oscar Piastri taking both the second Sprint Race win and the Feature Race win.
With it being a new track to all drivers its to be expected that we have retirements over the weekend, 4 drivers retired in Sprint Race 1, 7 in Sprint Race 2 and 2 in the Feature Race.
This is probably the most easiest choice i’ve had to make in a while, Oscar Piastri would be my driver of the weekend, I think the Jeddah weekend showed people how talented he really is (if they already didn’t know). He won two races, the latter making it 3 back to back to back feature race wins, he stuck it on pole as usual and just done everything right this weekend.
Yas Island-
The weekend where we saw our 2021 Champion crowned! But the race winners were: Jehan Daruvala SR1, Guanyu Zhou SR2 and Oscar Piastri won the final Feature Race of the season.
The first Sprint Race was quite calm considering Formula 2! We only had two retirements. We then had a crazy second Sprint Race where we had four retire (one being the champ himself) and the Feature Race we had three retirements.
My driver of the weekend would be, Oscar again and not just cause he got crowned the champion, but because he deserved it, the first Sprint Race saw him battle his own team-mate for the championship in the race which decided it all and Shwartzman was not going to let him have it so easy.
Overall-
I mean what a year! So many rookies joining us and them winning/ being on the podium/ scoring points, but also the drivers who have been with us longer, we have definitely been blessed with a fantastic set of races this year. I already can’t wait for next season to start and we haven’t even had all the announcements yet! Hopefully next year will be just as good.
Now the 2021 season is over and all drivers have been announced for next season, lets take a look whose with who and what were expecting from drivers.
Mercedes-
Lewis Hamilton & George Russell. A 7 time world champ and a Mercedes Junior on the same team! This is what we have been waiting for (especially me!), I feel like they could both learn from each other but probably George more so than Lewis, but I’m mainly just looking forward to seeing GR in a competitive car (hopefully) and see him score points on the regular.
Red Bull-
Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez. RB have kept it the same which is understandable after a good first year for Perez in the team he helped Max/the team out on many occasions this year and it really is just good team-work.
Ferrari-
Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz. No change for the Italian team- good team work with from both sides of the garage especially in Carlos’ first year with the team.
McLaren-
Lando Norris & Daniel Ricciardo. Again no change, hopefully 2022 is a better year for Ricciardo and his more comfortable with the new car. And we’ve all seen what Lando has done this year!
Alpine-
Esteban Ocon & Fernando Alonso. No change for Alpine, which I think is justified after seeing Alonso defend Hamilton so his team-mate could win, then Alonso got back on the podium in his first year back.
Alpha Tauri-
Pierre Gasly & Yuki Tsunoda. Pierre has had such a consistent season so I think it would of been silly if he wasn’t there, and Yuki has had a good season as a rookie scored his best finish in Abu Dhabi so hopefully he gets more consistent in the new season.
Aston Martin-
Lance Stroll & Sebastian Vettel. I had no doubt about either, with Seb scoring podium this year, I felt like Stroll could’ve done better so hopefully a better season for the team next year!
Williams-
Nicholas Latifi & Alex Albon. Now this one I’m excited for! Quite a good season for Nicky for it being his 2nd in F1 but his with Alex next year and I’m glad to see him returning to the grid! Hopefully we see good things from the pair.
Alfa Romeo-
Valtteri Bottas & Guanyu Zhou. Alfa Romeo is the only team to have two new drivers in 2022, Bottas starting a new journey with them which I’m excited to see what he can do, it’s not unknown for drivers to go to a less rewarding team for a bit of a challenge. Guanyu Zhou, is moving up from F2 after he finished 3rd in the standings this year, it’ll be interesting to see how he can do next year. But I think the pair will work quite well together, and Bottas will help Zhou a lot to help him find his footing.
Haas-
Mick Schumacher & Nikita Mazepin. No change for Haas for 2022 which is probably a good thing, I’m hoping we see Haas be able to score points next year I wanna see what they can do in a more competitive car.
Ever since, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the rumours have been flying about left, right and centre. But the main topic being- Could Lewis Hamilton retire?
Nobody actually knows if he is going to or not except himself, after after everything which has gone on in the past week he may be possibly be thinking about it. Lewis led the majority of the Abu Dhabi GP and looked set to win, which meant he would get a record breaking 8th title, until the safety car and changes to lapped cars changed the top 2 around. Since then he has been quiet on social media- he didn’t do post season testing due to being knighted (not related to retirement), but the main thing people don’t understand is him not going to Paris for the FIA ceremony, he was then at Mercedes in the UK for Valtteri Bottas’ farewell the day after the ceremony.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff threw Hamilton’s career into doubt this week, hinting the Formula 1 icon could retire. He said: “I would very much hope Lewis continues racing because he is the greatest driver of all time. As a racer his heart will say I need to continue because he’s at the peak of his game. But we have to overcome the pain that was caused upon him on Sunday. He is a man with clear values.”
This isn’t the first time the Austrian has hinted at retirement for the Brit earlier this year they discussed it, he confirmed that before Lewis signed a new deal that they went over the topic.
Now with this all coming over social media the past week after whats happened, its understandable if he would want to retire, Lewis outs everything into F1/Mercedes, he makes a change even when his not racing on track and his so well-known of course these rumours would come about!
My Opinion-
One word. No. I don’t see him retiring for a few years yet, his signed a two year deal with Merc, and his a team person his been so committed even when he didn’t win the 2016 drivers championship he has still carried on and came back to win the championship the year after.
If anything I think this will fuel him, he will want to come back after the winter break jump straight back in the car and win both championships not just the Drivers, but the Constructors too. As for his social media break, its understandable its been such a tough season for all drivers and his no doubt upset what went down in the race so its fully justified.
The final lot of testing for Formula 2 has came to an end today, after 3 days of testing in Abu Dhabi, lets take a look at how they got on…
Day 1-
Returning to MP Motorsport, Drugovich set the benchmark during the opening 30 minutes posting a 1:35.577.
There were several red flags during the morning session of the first day, with Clèment Novalak, Amaury Cordeel, Frederick Vesti and Thèo Pourchaire all stopping on track at some point, as well as a coming together between Jüri Vips and Formula 3 champ, Dennis Hauger.
Vips, had briefly set the 3rd fastest time but after the collision he then fell to 6th. Virtuosi’s Doohan jumped to third, ahead of Carlins Liam lawson and Ralph Boschung closed the top 5.
During the afternoon sessions, there were two stoppages quite early on where Cordeel and Vips both needing red flags.
Olli Caldwell was the early pace setter with a 1:40.217 before being replaced by Daruvala. Vesti took the times below 1m 38s for the first time, he then saw Daruvala drop a 1:36.063 which saw him return to P1.
Drugocich and Pourchaire briefly bumped the Prema down to second but Daruvala managed to make his way up to first again, Doohan then got in on the action and moved his way into third to finish as the quickest rookie for the second session in a row.
Day 2-
The morning session got started off and it was very much the same, as Drugovich, Doohan and Daruvala took up the familiar top 3 positions. There was several stoppages during the session with Frederik Vesti, Juan Manuel Correa, Guilherme Samaia, Ayumu Iwasa and Sargeant all requiring red flags during the 3 hour stint.
Drugovich increased his lead at the top, he improved to a 1:35.614. Théo Pourchaire moved to fourth after putting on a new set of tyres. Carlin’s Liam Lawson beat his old HiTech team-mate Jüri Vips to fifth.
Now onto the afternoon session, it was led by Carlins rookie Sargeant who jumped to the top of the leaderboard in the final half hour of the session with a 1:36.155. Joining him up there, Daruvala for the fourth consecutive time in the top 3!
But it was Lawson who set the afternoon pace with a 1:36.802 but eventually fell to P6, ahead of Doohan. Vesti, Hughs and Teppei Natori all caused stoppages in the afternoon session but that didn’t stop seven of the 22 drivers breaking the 50-lap mark.
Day 3-
The most coolest day out of the 3, where we saw Doohan and Drugovich once again dominating going first and second during the early stages of the session. Doohan’s time of a 1:36.110 was enough to make it P1 with Drugovich just 0.029s off, and Ralph Boschung went to 3rd with less than a tenth off as well.
The Carlin duo, Lawson and Sargeant finished in fourth and fifth, the top 5 of the session being separated by less than a tenth. Luckily for the teams and drivers there were no red flags during the morning session which meant half of the field had completed more than 50 laps.
Now onto the afternoon session and we had newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing on top, as Cem Bolukbasi set a 1:37.978 being the benchmark. But it was Drugovich and Daruvala who once again finished first and second with the MP driver setting a 1:36.342.
Boschung and Mercedes junior, Frederik Vesti caused only two stoppages in the afternoon which still meant a lot of running left in the final session and Jüri Vips took full advantage of that as he topped the lap count with 56 and finished fourth.
Formula 3 Champ, Hauger enjoyed his strongest session yet finishing 3rd with Prema, whilst Roy Nissany completed the top 5 with Dams.
MP Motorsport have announced the driver who will be teaming up with Clément Novalak in the F2 2022 season, and that is Felipe Drugovich.
He first joined the team in 2020 in his rookie season, where he delivered three wins, four podiums and one pole position before switching to UNI-Virtusoi for the 2021 season.
Since then he has added four podiums to his tally with the British team, which includes the two in the final round of the season which helped them in the teams battle.
“I’m really delighted to reconnect with MP for my third season in FIA F2”, said Drugovich. “I have such wonderful memories of my debut season with them in 2020, starting off with a win in my very first F2 weekend and collecting two more victories after that. The team and I are eager to repeat that form in 2022, and then some more!”
“It’s great news to have Felipe return to as the old nest, we’re really happy to welcome him back at MP”, said MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman. “We gelled so nicely back in 2020, and with Felipe’s added experience I’m convinced we can do it all over again or even improve on our 2020 form. I’m also pleased that we have our line-up confirmed this early in the winter season. Having both Drugo and Clem on board so soon means that we can fully focus on the season ahead, and prepare ourselves as best we can.”
My Opinion-
Ah its so nice to see him back with MP. I feel like MP have a strong line-up for next year it will definitely be a team to watch and they have secured their line up early so they now can fully focus on testing and prepare for next year!
Dams are the next team to confirm one of their drivers for the 2022 season, and they are retaining Roy Nissany for a second season.
The Williams Formula 1 Test driver scored his first podium with Dams in the second round of the season this year at Monte Carlo in Sprint Race 1.
The 27 year old then took two further top 10 finishes in the Monaco and Monza feature races, to secure his best finish to date in Formula 2, ending the season in 16th in the Drivers Championship.
Nissany just doesnt have experience in F2, his made an appearance in F1 during FP1 sessions for Williams, his also raced in several junior categories including ADAC Formel Masters, European Formula 3 and Formula Renault 3.5
“I’m extremely happy to continue with DAMS, we have become a family which has made me feel very confident and comfortable,” said Nissany. “I’m sure we will carry on with the amazing progress we have achieved so far, constantly pushing ourselves upwards. I’m really focused on continuing my development within the team throughout the new season and getting some solid results next year.”
DAMS Co-Team Owners, Gregory and Oliver Driot added: “We’re very happy to confirm Roy as part as our F2 line-up for next year, we have been able to build a strong relationship in our first year together. Both Roy and the team have their goals for the season to come, as we showed some very strong performances throughout 2021 but sometimes failed to materialise them into proper results.
With two races per week instead of three, the new format will make it less unpredictable and it should help us transform our pace into consistent results. The three-day post-season test held in Abu Dhabi in the forthcoming days will be the kick-off for the preparation for next year and we are looking forward to it.”
My Opinion-
I was quite surprised to see the announcement come through, as his already done 3 years in Formula 2 so this could be his last. It does make sense however for him to stay with Dams as his now built up that relationship with the team.
The Formula 2 Championship promoters have confirmed that Van Amersfoort Racing will replace HWA Racelab entry and assets for the 2022 Formula 2 season. The Dutch team will be running for the first time this week in the post season test taking place in Abu Dhabi.
This follows two months after Formula 3 announced their grid that Van Amersfoort Racing will be joining F3 next season (2022).
VAR started over forty years ago, with a number of different drivers coming through. From the likes of Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher, Dennis Hauger and Jonny Edgar all having driven for the team over the years.
FIA Formula 2 Championship CEO Bruno Michel said: “I am very pleased to welcome Van Amersfoort Racing to the Championship. I am certain that they will be a great addition to our grid, with them also competing in Formula 3 from next year. Joining F2 is always challenging, but their expertise and professionalism will undoubtably help them get to grips with the category quickly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank HWA RACELAB for their collaboration for the past two seasons, and I wish them success for their next challenge.”
Rob Niessink, CEO of Van Amersfoort Racing adds: “After having recently announced our entry into the FIA F3 Championship, it now is an absolute pleasure to become part of the FIA F2 Championship as well. We are simply proud and consider this step as an important milestone in the long history of our team. It will be a challenge we don’t take lightly, and it might not come as a surprise that watching “our” F2 cars leave the pit-lane for the first time during the upcoming post-season test at Abu Dhabi will be a big moment for us. I want to thank Bruno Michel and HWA RACELAB for their support in making this happen.”
My Opinion-
I have heard of the Dutch team before with some drivers having driven for them in the past shows only good things. With them joining both Formula 2 and 3 grids it only shows good things in my opinion, looking back on the history of their drivers, it looks like they take time in spotting which drivers they want and they are all very talented now…
Jordan's Track Talk 