Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula Two

  • F2 – Saudi Arabia – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Pole-sitter Verschoor has a great start to retain the lead while Marti jumped ahead of Gabriele Mini to take second after lining up in P3, going around the outside of the PREMA driver at Turn 1.

    Lindblad also had a good first lap for Campos, going from sixth on the grid to fourth, and he was right on the back of Mini going into the final corner of the first lap.

    However, the Brit’s progress was briefly halted as the Virtual Safety Car was deployed with the marshals having to clear Cian Shields’ car from the track.
    Racing resumed on Lap 3 and both Campos drivers were flying. First Lndblad used the DRS to get ahead of Mini going into the final corner.

    His teammate Marti then went around the outside again at Turn 1 to start Lap 4, this time on Verschoor to take the lead of the race.
    Verschoor though returned the favour on the next lap, pulling off a similar move on the Campos driver to retake the position.

    Crucially though, his overtake later earned him his five-second time penalty after being judged to have forced Marti off track to complete the move.

    Onto Lap 6 and the race began to settle down as the drivers looked to manage their medium tyres.
    Out in front, Verschoor had pulled out a 1.5s gap on Marti, who was now coming under pressure from Lindblad.

    The change for P2 came on Lap 8 as Marti ran wide at Turn 8, giving Lindblad the position. The Spaniard went off line again at the final corner and this time it was Mini who overtook him.

    However, the Campos driver retook the position with the help of DRS down the main straight. Mini then lost fourth place to Stanek at Turn 27, but their battle allowed Dunne to close in.
    The trio went three-wide into Turn 1, and the Rodin Motorsport driver came out on top to take 4th.

    As Lap 15 got underway, Jak Crawford used DRS to get ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli into Turn 1, pushing the DAMS Lucas Oil driver up to seventh.

    The American was flying and was right on the back of Mini through the entirety of the lap. He looked to make another move into Turn 1 but collided with the PREMA driver before spinning into a stoppage, bringing out the Safety Car.

    Action resumed on Lap 18 and Verschoor stayed ahead of Lindblad, but Mini’s struggles continued, as Fornaroli overtook him for P6 down the main straight.

    DRS was enabled on Lap 19, but Verschoor was 1.2s ahead of Lindblad as they approached the second sector.

    On to the final lap, and Verschoor’s penalty was confirmed meaning that while the MP driver crossed the line first, Lindblad followed and claimed P1,, making him the youngest winner in the Championship’s history.

    The points finishers are- P1: Lindblad, P2: Marti, P3: Dunne, P4: Verschoor, P5: Stanek, P6: Mini, P7: Fornaroli and P8: Martins.

    Day 3-

    Crawford covered off Martins from the front row, while Sprint Race winner Arvid Linblad lost fifth to Alexander Dunne at Turn 4 after losing a battle with Luke Browning for P4 at the opening chicane.

    Josep Maria Marti then relegated Lindblad to seventh on Lap 2, passing around the outside at Turns 1 and 2 as the Campos Racing teammates kept itc clean going wheel-to-wheel.

    Having been cooped up underneath the rear wing of the Invicta Racing driver for several laps, Browning used DRS along the main straight to take third from Leonardo Fornaroli on Lap 6.
    Dunne made a late dive to bump the Italian down another position into Turn 1.

    Fornaroli, Marti and Gabriele Mini were in on Lap 7 for their mandatory pitstops and switched to the Medium tyres.
    It promoted Verschoor into free air in fifth, the MP driver in the highest placed car on the alternative strategy having started on the yellow-walled compound.

    Leader Crawford pitted on the following lap, as did Browning and Dunne from the top five, they then rejoined in 11th, 12th and 13th respectively.

    Dunne and Browning went side by side into Turn 1 but the Rodin driver went deep into the corner and rejoined, baulking Browning and allowing Fornaroli to sneak by both for 11th on the road.

    The Virtual Safety Car was then deployed to recover debris on track just before Martins and Crawford reached the first DRS zone of the lap, allowing the ART driver some respite with his tyres not yet up to racing temperature.

    The VSC was withdrawn towards the end of Lap 19 and Crawford on the rear wing of the effective race leader.
    The DAMS driver used DRS to get alongside the Frenchman into Turn 1, and the duo went side by side all the way to Turn 4.

    Crawford got a great exit from Turn 27 to set up the pass on the following lap, taking ninth on the road from Martins with DRS along the main striaght.

    Behind them, Browning had Dunne, Marti and Mini for close company and the Spaniard made the first move, diving to the inside of the Rodin rookie at Turn 27 to P13.

    Race leader, Verschoor was carrying on nicely. He had a comfortable gap back to second placed Kush Maini and continued to lap quicker than Crawford, with several purple sector times and fastest laps approaching 10 laps to go.

    By Lap 24, the Dutch driver had a 26.8s gap over Crawford and the MP driver was into the pitlane for his switch to Supersofts. With a clean stop, he rejoined behind Crawford but crucially ahead of Martins in P4.

    With four laps to go, Verschoor was three seconds back from Crawford. Across the line into the final three laps, it was down to 2.5s and onto the penultimate tour, the Dutch driver cut the deficit to 1.3s.

    Through the first sector on Lap 27 and Verschoor was into DRS range on the DAMS driver ahead. Out of Turn 27 and he was right underneath the rear wing and across the line with DRS, Verschoor surged by for the race lead on the final lap.

    The Dutch driver claimed victory with a redemption drive.
    Crawford was second ahead of Martins, who held off Fornaroli for the final spot on the podium.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verschoor, P2: Crawford, P3: Martins, P4: Fornaroli, P5: Marti, P6: Browning, P7: Lindblad, P8: Dunne, P9: Mini and P10: Maini.

  • F2 – Saudi Arabia – Day 1

    Practice-

    Victor Martins made a positive start to Round 3, ending up fastest for ART Grand Prix in Free Practice. A 1:45.671 was the time to beat in a session that got quicker with every lap completed.

    Roman Stanek started positively too for Invicta Racing, finishing second ahead of Dino Beganovic, who made a late improvement to go third for Hitech TGR.

    After the tyre preparation laps, Joshua Duerksen set an early benchmark with a 1:49.034 for AIX Racing.

    The times fell with every subsequent lap as Martins put ART on top with 10 minutes run on a 1:47.735, until Kush Maini pipped him by 0.012s.
    Stanek was next to go quickest, a 1:47.689 by the Invicta driver meant the top three was separated by just 0.046s.

    The trio improved once again but this time it was Maini who led the way, 1:46.437 for the DAMS Lucas Oil driver leaving his 0.3s clear ahead of Stanek and F2’s latest Feature Race winner, Alexander Dunne.

    Jak Crawford put in an improved to cut the deficit to teammate Maini to just 0.013s, but Martins went back to the top shortly afterwards.

    Duerksen returned to P1 with 15 minutes to go of the session as the Paraguayan set a 1:46.387, leaving the top five separated by less than a tenth of a second.

    Stanek then restored Invicta to the top of the pile as he moved onto a 1:46.217. Crawford cut the gap to 0.031s as he improved to second as Martins then went third and 0.087s off the top.

    Gabriele Mini took P1 for PREMA Racing, but only briefly, as a storming lap by Stanek resulted in a 1:45.820 and the fastest time once again.

    Into the final five minutes, and times continued to fall, Martins laid down the marker of a 1:45.671 to go back ahead of Stanek.
    A last minute improvement from Beganovic put him third ahead of Duerksen.

    Qualifying-

    DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford left it to his last lap of the day to take pole position in Jeddah, beating ART Grand Prix rival Victor Martins for the top spot by just 0.022s in a fascinating qualifying session.

    Martins had looked set for pole after completing his first flying lap, but Crawford’s 1:43.579 was enough to take the top spot, as Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli rounded out the top three.

    Martins set the early pace after the first set of laps, the Frenchman completing a 1:44.559 to lead Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne by 0.323s.

    The drivers though were able to push on for a second attempt on their Supersoft tyres, and on this occasion, it was Arvid Lindblad on top thanks to a 1:44.250.
    Martins kept his place in the top two though, albeit 0.073s off the Campos Racing rookie.

    Several drivers, including Lindblad, then set off for a third flying lap. However, they aborted those attempts to head into the pit lane for a new set of tyres.

    With just over 11 minutes to go in the session, the drivers came back out on the track on their new sets of tyres.

    Gabriele Mini used that fresh rubber to rocket up to the top of the timesheets, only for Luke Browning to quickly drop him down in P2.

    As the rest of the field looked to complete their laps though, the red flags were waved following John Bennett’s crash into the barrier at Turn 17.

    Once the car was cleared from the track the session resumed with 5 minutes remaining, which led to a flurry of activity with only enough time for one flying lap.

    Crawford rose to the top with a 1:43.579, beating Martins by just 0.022s to give DAMS their first pole since Melbourne in 2023.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Crawford, P2: Martins, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Browning, P5: Lindblad, P6: Dunne, P7: Marti, P8: Mini, P9: Verschoor and P10: Stanek.

  • F2 – Bahrain – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Pole-sitter Duerksen got the start he needed to retain the lead, but Victor Martins was squeezed on the approach to Turn 1. He was off the road into the polystyrene boards, leaving him with front wing damage and at the back.

    Sebastian Montoya’s race was also over early as he was pointed the wrong way and out of the running on the opening lap.
    That brought out the Safety Car as his PREMA Racing car was recovered and Turn 1 was cleared up.

    The Safety Car was in at the end of the lap and Duerksen retained the lead ahead of Beganovic and Rafael Villagomez.
    Verschoor had closed to within DRS range of Villagomez ahead and with a switchback out of Turn 4, seized third position on Lap 10.

    Up Ahead, the leading pair of Duerksen and Beganovic were three seconds clear of the pack, but the Swede was sticking with the race leader closely.
    Onto Lap 11 and with DRS up the hill to Turn 4, Beganovic moved to the inside and claimed the race lead.

    As many settled into tyre preservation mode, Dunne was on the move again with a dive at Turn 1, passing Villagomez for fourth on lap 13.

    The Safety Car was back out on lap 16 after Max Esterson came to a stop in his Trident car. It brought several drivers into the pit lane for a stop.

    Back to racing conditions on Lap 19, Beganovic ran slightly wide at the final corner, inviting pressure from Duerksen behind.
    The Paraguyan re-took the top spot at Turn 1 while behind them, a four car scrap for third went the way of Verschoor, but Marti was able to pass Dunne for fourth a few corners later.

    The Rodin driver made slight contact with Browning and fell behind the Hitech TGR driver on Lap 20.
    An attempt to re-pass Browning at the first opportunity into Turn 8 opened the door for Arvid Lindblad to take seventh from the Irishman on corner exit.

    Lap 22 of 23 and Beganovic drew alongside Duerksen, but he couldn’t make the pass stick at Turn 4. That gave Verschoor the chance to take second, but Marti got the switchback on both of them out of Turn 8 to seize second for himself.

    On the final lap and Marti’s charge continued and with DRS he claimed the lead into Turn 1.
    The AIX driver couldn’t fight back and had to defend from Verschoor, but his running wide at Turn 11 allowed the MP driver to gain second just a handful of corners from the finish.

    Marti earned his first win of the year in some style, ahead of Verschoor and Duerksen.
    However, after the race Duerksen was disqualified as he breached the Technical Regulations. It promotes everyone up one position, with Dino Beganovic taking the final podium position.

    Day 3-

    Fornaroli aced his start but wheelspin for Martins dropped him down to seventh by Turn 1. Dunne seized second ahead of Roman Stanek and Rafael Villagomez.
    The Mexican driver was able to sneak his way by for third at Turn 10, while Josep Maria Marti had charged up to fifth from P11 on the grid on soft Pirelli tyres.

    Those running in the top eight were all fitted with the softer compound, Joshua Duerksen in P9 leading those on the white-walled hard tyres on the alternative strategy.
    That was until lap 5 when Luke Browning took ninth from the AIX Racing driver out of Turn 4.

    After Marti had passed Stanek, Martins was on the move up ahead, taking fifth from the Czech driver at the Turn 8 hairpin.

    Having trailed by over a second in the early laps, Dunne closed to within DRS range of race leader Fornaroli approaching the pit window opening, half a second back in P2.

    With DRS on Lap 7, Dunne took the lead of the race into Turn 1 from Fornaroli, who’d reported his tyres were beginning to fall away from him.
    Marti mirrored that move for third position a few metres behind the leading pair, while Martins took advantage himself, getting the run into Turn 4 to take fourth from Villagomez.

    Lap 10 and Stanek was able to re-pass Villagomez with DRS into Turn 4 to move himself back into the top five.

    Martins was the first of the leaders to pit for hard compounds tyres, rejoining in P17.
    Stanek, Browning and Duerksen were all in on the following lap for their pitstops, coming back out behind Martins but ahead of Verschoor.

    Fornaroli and Marti pitted at the start of Lap 16 for their mandatory stops, and left as they entered, rejoining the track between seventh placed Martins and Browning in P10.

    Browning was the lead driver on Softs and moved himself up to fourth at Turn 4 with a pass on Martin on Lap 18.
    The Hitech driver’s charge continued, and he was onto the back of Fornaroli on lap 21. He used DRS to take third down the main straight to maintain his progress up the order.

    Martins wasn’t able to repel his fellow Williams Racing Driver Development talent as on Lap 23, the Brit took second from the ART driver wit DRS into Turn 1.

    Browning’s progress stalled out however, as the leader extended his advantage in the following phase of the race to over six seconds.

    Fornaroli’s hopes of a podium weren’t over, as he was able to close in on Martins in third,
    He was told his pace through the last corner was a strength and he used it to good effect to get a run on Martins to take the place with five laps to go.

    One lap later and Marti was through on the Frenchman and into fourth with a 1.4s deficit to Fornaroli ahead.
    He cut into DRS range entering the final lap and with DRS into Turn 4, Marti had the momentum but some stout defence by Fornaroli kept the Italian ahead.

    Neither could catch Dunner though, who earned his maiden F2 win by over eight seconds from Browning!

    The full top 10 are- P1: Dunne, P2: Browning, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Marti, P5: Martins, P6: Verschoor, P7: Beganovic, P8: Lindblad, P9: Mini and P10: Duerksen.

  • F2 – Bahrain – Day 1

    Practice-

    Oliver Goethe got the Sakhir race weekend off to a great start for MP Motorsport, leading teammate Richard Vershoor in Free Practice around the Bahrain International Circuit.

    The Red Bull Junior driver saved his best effort for the final minutes, a 1:47.789 leaving him fastest going into Qualifying.
    Campos Racing’s Josep Maria Marti rounded out the top three.

    Joshua Duerksen got the ball rolling in the session, recording a 1:48.954 as the early benchmark time for AIX Racing.
    DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford went second in the opening 10 minutes, just 0.022s down on the Paraguayan.

    Marti moved to P1 as the clock ticked into the final 20 minutes. He set a 1:48.379 for Campos, 0.008s quicker than Victor Martins who moved up to P2 in his Williams liveried – ART Grand Prix car.

    Much of the remaining laps were dedicated to race running, though Goethe surged to the top in the final two minutes with a 1:47.789 for MP.

    Qualifying-

    It was a direct fight between Leonardo Fornaroli and Victor Martins for top spot, with the former earning his first Formula 2 pole position in the end.

    The Invicta Racing driver secured P1 with a 1:44.008 to pip the Frenchman by over a tenth, while Hitech TGR’s Luke Browning earned third position at the chequered flag.

    After several build laps, ART’s Martins set the early pace and benchmark to beat, going to the top with a 1:45.110.

    Rodin Motorsport driver, Alexander Duune was just 0.002s down on that effort to go second but they were both blown out of the water by Fornaroli, who laid down a 1:44.642 for the top.

    Half of the field opted to wait and as the first 11 returned to the pitlane, the others joined the circuit for their first attempts.
    Josep Maria Marti was the quickest of the second group, going up to P2 for Campos Racing and 0.223s down on the provisional pole sitter.

    With eight minutes remaining, everyone rejoined the circuit for their final attempts. Martins improved to re-take the top spot with a 1:44.163 and he was comfortably clear, but Fornaroli denied him once more, going back to P1 to earn his maiden F2 pole position.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Fornaroli, P2: Martins, P3: Browing, P4: Dunne, P5: Stanek, P6: Verschoor, P7: Meguetounif, P8: Villagomez, P9: Beganovic and P10: Duerksen.

  • Rodin Motorsport confirm Cordeel

    Amaury Cordeel will join Rodin Motorsport for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 campaign, replacing Christian Mansell who took to social media to say he is stepping away from racing for a little while due to personal reasons.

    Cordeel returns for his fourth season in F2, and achieved his strongest campaign to date in 2024 with multiple points finishes and his highest points total.

    Prior to stepping up to F2, Cordeel earned the 2018 Spanish F4 title.
    The 22 year old said that he was very happy to be back in F2.

    I’m delighted to be back competing in the FIA Formula 2 World Championship with Rodin Motorsport. I’m very much looking forward to working with the team to maximise our potential and achieve some strong results together.
    Cordeel on the news.

    We’re very pleased to welcome Amaury into the team for the 2025 season. We have a lot to learn about each other quickly, having missed pre-season testing, but we’re looking forward to taking advantage of his experience and knowledge of the current F2 car and all that he has learned from his time in the series so far. He is a great addition to the team, and we look forward to working with him this season.
    Benn Huntingford, Rodin Motorsport Sporting Director.

  • Martins completes 2025 grid

    Victor Martins will return to the FIA Formula 2 grid with ART Grand Prix for the 2025 campaign, filling the final spot on the F2 grid this year.

    The French driver will be taking part in his third season in the Championship after securing one win, finishing as the top rookie in 2023 in fifth position, and helping the team claim the Teams’ Championship.
    His second season then resulted in another victory en route to seventh in the Standings.

    He will now partner new teammate Ritomo Miyata. Speaking about his confirmation with ART, Martins said that he was happy to be back with the team he secured the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup and 2022 FIA Formula 3 titles with.

    I’m very excited to continue the adventure with ART Grand Prix in 2025. We share a common goal: doing everything we can to win the title. I’m surrounded by the best people to achieve my ultimate dream—Formula 1. This winter, we worked extensively on all the areas we needed to improve from 2024, and now we’re ready to turn those efforts into results on track. The season is starting, and it’s time to focus on testing in Barcelona.
    Martins on the news.

    Continuing with Victor in 2025 was an obvious choice. We have a long history together, marked by successes and challenges overcome as a team. He has proven he has the speed and talent to compete at the front in Formula 2. This season needs to be the one where everything comes together, and we will do everything we can to help him achieve his goals.
    Sebastien Philippe, Team Principal.

  • Villagomez re-signs with Van Amersfoort Racing

    Van Amersfoort Racing have confirmed that Rafael Villagomez will return with the team for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 campaign.

    The Mexican driver finished his rookie season in the Championship last year with 24 points and a best finish of seventh in the Melbourne Feature Race.

    It continues his affiliation with the team after spending three season racing with them in FIA F3, having also finished eighth in 2021 edition of the Euroformula Open in VAR colours.

    Speaking about his confirmation for the 2025 season, Villagomez said he was excited to continue the work he and VAR have done in F2 so far.

    I’m extremely excited to stay and carry on in Formula 2 with VAR. Important year for myself and the team. Towards the end of the year things started shape up better so I’m looking forward to carry on. A lot of work has been done over the winter so I’m looking forward to start testing and Barcelona.
    Villagomez on the news.

    We’re excited to have Rafa stay with our FIA Formula 2 team for the upcoming season. He made significant progress last year, and we’re excited to continue working together to further his development. We’re confident he’ll build on his performances and achieve better results.
    Brad Joyce, Van Amerfoort Racing Team Principal.

  • Rodin Motorsport complete 2025 line-up

    Rodin Motorsport have finalised their line-up for the upcoming Formula 2 season with Alexander Dunne set to race alongside Christian Mansell for them in 2025.

    Dunne steps up to F2 after a rookie year in Formula 3 which he achieved two podiums, coming in the Barcelona and Monza Sprint Races, going on to finish 14th in the Drivers’ Championship.

    Prior to that, the McLaren Development Driver Programme member won the 2022 British F4 title and also finished as runner-up in Italian F4 that year and in the 2023 GB3 Championship.

    The Irishman will now be moving up to Formula 2 with Rodin Motorsport in 2025 having driven for the team on all three days of post-season testing in Abu Dhabi last year.

    I’m pleased to be able to confirm my plans for the 2025 season, which will see me joining Rodin Motorsport and participating in Formula 2. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season and thankful for everyone’s support in getting me to this stage – I can’t wait to hit the ground running.
    Dunne on the news.

    We are delighted to welcome Alex to Rodin Motorsport. Alex’s talent, dedication, and passion for racing align perfectly with our team’s values and ambitions. We are confident that he will make a significant impact in the upcoming season and know that he is capable of enjoying a really great season with the team.
    Benn Huntingford, Rodin Motorsport Sporting Director and Team Manager.

  • AIX Racing complete 2025 line-up

    AIX Racing has confirmed Cian Shields for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season.

    Shields raced for AIX Racing in the two final rounds of the 2024 season, as he got his preparations for his step up to F2 early.
    He will continue with the team alongside Joshua Duerksen, who was confirmed in mid-December.

    Last season, Shields completed his rookie campaign in FIA Formula 3, securing a best finish of 14th. Overall he finished 30th out of 30 drivers.

    Back in 2023, he took part in the Euroformula Open Championship, where he finished as runner-up where he grabbed four wins and 10 podiums from 23 races.

    I’m super excited to be competing in FIA Formula 2 with AIX Racing for 2025! I can’t wait to get started and push myself to new limits this season and super excited to get to work, we worked very well together at the end of last year. A huge thank you to the team for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity to race under their colours.
    Cian Shields on the news.

  • Van Amersfoort Racing confirm Bennett

    John Bennett will be stepping up to FIA Formula 2 this season with Van Amersfoort Racing the team has confirmed.

    Bennett took part in the final two rounds of the 2024 season for the Dutch team, he scored points in Lusail and then drove for the team during post-season testing around the Yas Marina Circuit.

    The British driver made his single seater debut in 2022, racing in the GB3 Championship before making his Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine bow in 2024.
    Bennett also drove for VAR during the post-season Formula 3 tests in October.

    Speaking about his step up to Formula 2 for 2025, the British driver said he was raring to get going.

    I am delighted to be racing with VAR in Formula 2 for 2025. Since my first day testing in F3, it has been a great environment to work in. Thank you to the team for all their support, and I cannot wait to get started next year!
    Bennett on the news.

    We are delighted to welcome John to our full-time Formula 2 line-up for 2025. His progression through the final rounds of the 2024 season demonstrated his ability to quickly adapt in challenging conditions. The team is certain that he is ready for this next step. We look forward to supporting him throughout the season as he continues to grow and compete at one of the highest levels of motorsport.
    Brad Joyce, Van Amersfoort Team Principal.

  • Madrid to host F2 & F3 races from 2026

    The Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, set to take place in Madrid from 2026 to 2035, will also feature the FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Championships.

    The ten year agreement brings the lower-tier F1 categories to Madrid, enriching the fan experience with not only the thrill of top-tier racing but also the opportunity to witness the merging talents on the road to Formula 1.

    This agreement was signed by FIA F2 and FIA F3 CEO Bruno Michel, Jose Vicente de los Mozos, President of the Executive Committee of IFEMA Madrid, Daniel Martinez, Executive Vice-President of IFEMA Madrid and Luis Garcia Abad, General Director of IFEMA Madrid.

    Having both Formula 2 and Formula 3 racing on the same weekend as Formula 1 underscores the commitment of the Spanish GP organisers to deliver a sporting and entertainment experience for fans.

    I am extremely happy to bring F2 and F3 to Madrid, at this exciting new venue. It’s important that the young drivers in both our championships get to race on as many F1 tracks as possible. With the addition of Madrid to the Formula 1 calendar, it was logical that F2 and F3 would follow suit. I am really looking forward to our cars providing the spectators with some thrilling racing.
    Bruno Michel on the news.

    At IFEMA Madrid, we are very proud to bring F2 and F3 to our Grand Prix alongside F1, as our goal is to make the F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2026-2035 the best event possible. The FIA F2 and FIA F3 categories are fundamental for the future of the sport, as they produce the future stars of F1. This makes the Spanish Grand Prix 2026-2035 an even more unmissable event, offering fans a complete experience full of talent, spectacle, and excitement, with a unique motorsport offering.
    Jose Vicente de los Mozos adds.

  • Duerksen confirmed for 2025

    AIX Racing have confirmed that Joshua Duerksen will be joining the team this year for a second campaign in FIA Formula 2.

    The Paraguayan driver completed his rookie campaign in the Championship with the team in 2024, achieving four podium results along with two race wins, including the season-ending Yas Marina Feature Race.

    Duerksen made the jump up to Formula 2 after competing in the 2023 edition of Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine where he secured multiple points finishes and a podium.

    I am really excited and happy to announce that I will continue one more year with AIX Racing. We had a great season this year, having four podiums and two wins. And of course, I hope that next year we can replicate a lot more of this success. The progress of the year has been incredible. And I am just extremely happy that you can see me with these colours again next year.
    Duerksen on the news.

    Never change a winning Team. We are more than happy to start a second consecutive year with Joshua in 2025, who was, without any doubt, the most progressing and also surprising Driver in F2 2024. We were aware of his talent and work-ethic and beside that having a great personality. His achievements 2024 are underlining our ambitious goal, to fight permanently for the top ranks in 2025. Everyone is highly motivated and delighted to continue 2025 were we finished with Joshua in 2024. Vamos….
    Roland Rehfeld, AIX Racing Sporting Director.

  • Josep Maria Marti continues with Campos

    Campos Racing have confirmed that Josep Maria Marti will continue with the team for the 2025 Formula 2 season, completing their lineup for next season following the announcement of Arvid Lindblad.

    Marti returns for a second season of F2 after a rookie campaign in which he achieved four podiums, including a Yas Marina Sprint Race victory.

    Marti and Campos share a long history together, with the 19 year old having raced for the team each year since stepping up to single seater racing in 2019.
    Including in the 2023 Formula 3 season when he fought for the title before finishing the season in fifth.

    The Spanish driver is now set to return for a fifth season with Campos colours, following the announcement Marti expressed his delight at continuing with the team.

    I’m very excited to be returning today Campos Racing for my 2nd season in Formula 2 in 2025. Since the start of my single seater career, Adrian father and son have had faith in me and now we are facing our fifth season together. I am confident that with this team that I consider as family, and the hard work that we have put in during 2024, we will be very competitive and surely a top contender. The start of 2025 starts now with the post-season tests from this Wednesday. Vamos!
    Marti on the news.

    I am happy that Pepe and Campos Racing can continue working together for the fifth consecutive year. He is like family to us, and we understand each other perfectly as he is fully integrated into the team. It has been a fairly positive first year in FIA Formula 2, with four podiums, including a victory in Abu Dhabi, which should serve as the ultimate motivation for 2025. We will have two young drivers, Pepe and Arvid, with whom we aim to achieve great things once again.
    Team Principal, Adrian Campos Jr.

  • PREMA complete 2025 line-up

    Sebastian Montoya will graduate to Formula 2 next season with PREMA Racing the team have confirmed.

    The Colombian driver joins Gabriele Mini for 2025, completing the Italian outfit’s line-up for next season.

    Montoya completed in his second FIA Formula 3 campaign this year, finishing the season with six points finishes, including a P2 in the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race.

    The Red Bull Junior Team driver started his single seater racing career with PREMA in 2020, racing in Italian F4 with the team and finishing fourth overall the following year.

    He then moved onto Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine for 2022 before making the step up to FIA F3 full-time in 2023.

    I’m very excited to join PREMA for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season. It was the first team I worked with and that makes it very cool to see how the team changed. It is one of the best teams in feeder series racing and now in the world. I’m delighted to join forces with it again and cannot wait to get it started.
    Montoya on the news.

    It’s great to be working with Sebastian again. We really enjoyed the collaboration in Formula 4 and Formula Regional and now heading into the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship, we are sure there is good potential to be put to fruition. The step to F2 is never easy, but we are determined to prepare well together at home and in testing and build on that.
    Rene Rosin, PREMA Team Principal.

  • Hitech Pulse-Eight confirm Beganovic

    Hitech Pulse-Eight have confirmed that Dino Beganovic will be stepping up to Formula 2 full-time next season, completing their 2025 lineup.

    Beganovic graduated to F2 for the final two rounds of the 2025 season, scoring 22 points across the Lusail and Yas Marina weekend, including a P3 finish in the final Sprint Race of the year.

    This followed his title-contending 2024 Formula 3 season in which he achieved two victories and a further two podiums on his way to ending up sixth in the Standings.

    Prior to that, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member won the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and following the announcement of his plans for 2025, the Swede expressed his delight at the news.

    I’m thrilled to join Hitech GP for my first full season in Formula 2 next year. Having had a brief introduction to F2 over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been really impressed by the car and the level of the championship. Stepping up full time in 2025 with one of the series’ top teams is an amazing opportunity. I’m tremendously grateful to Hitech, Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, and everyone else who made this possible. It’s a big, important step in my career and I can’t wait to start working with the team this week at the post-season test.
    Beganovic on the news.

    We’re delighted to welcome Dino for our 2025 Formula 2 campaign. Having competed against him for several years, it is great to have him driving for Hitech and we look forward to working with him. Dino’s record in single-seater racing is impressive. After two highly competitive seasons in Formula 3, he took his F2 debut in his stride in Lusail, demonstrating that he was ready to take the next step up the ladder. His performance in Abu Dhabi one week later was outstanding. Together with Luke, we have a strong line-up to fight for the Formula 2 Championship title next year. They each bring F2 race experience that will be invaluable heading into testing and the new season.
    Clive Hatton, HiTech Team Manager.

  • Miyata joins ART Grand Prix for 2025

    ART Grand Prix have announced that Ritomo Miyata will join the team next season in Formula 2.
    The Japanese driver completed his rookie campaign this year, finishing the season with eight point finishes across the campaign.

    Miyata joined Formula 2 after winning the Super Formula and Super GT GT500 titles in 2023.
    Prior to that, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver secured victories in Japanese Formula 4 and the Super Formula Lights series’, winning titles in both categories in 2020 and 2017 respectively.

    Speaking about his move to ART, Miyata said that he was hugely excited to be joining a team which has achieved so much success in Formula 2.

    I am thrilled to announce that I will be competing in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season with ART Grand Prix. I am deeply grateful to Morizo-san (Akio Toyoda) and everyone at TGR for giving me another opportunity to race in Formula 2. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to ART Grand Prix for warmly welcoming me into their team. ART Grand Prix is a prestigious team in the world of motorsport, and I feel honored and excited to compete alongside them as one of their drivers. Building on the lessons I learned during the 2024 season, I will give my absolute best together with Morizo-san, TGR, and ART Grand Prix. Thank you for your continued support as we take on the 2025 season together.
    Miyata on the news.

    We are delighted to welcome Ritomo Miyata to ART Grand Prix for the 2025 Formula 2 season. With his prior F2 experience and impressive results in single-seater racing, Ritomo has all the qualities needed to take on this challenge. We are excited to work with him and support him in achieving his goals this season.
    Sebastian Philippe, ART Team Principal.

  • Meguetounif steps up to Formula 2

    Trident have confirmed their first driver signing for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season with Sami Meguetounif set to step up to the second tier with the team this year.

    The Frenchman had a strong 2024 campaign with the team in Formula 3, finishing eighth in the Championship Standings thanks to his two feature race victories in Imola and Monza.

    Prior to that, Meguetounif took part in the 2022 and 2023 season of Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine achieving several podiums across his two seasons in the category.

    He will now graduate to Formula 2 with Trident, the 20 year old expressed his delight at not only stepping up to F2 but also doing so in familiar surroundings.

    I am very happy and excited to make my debut in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Team Trident. When I made my debut in Formula 3 with the Italian team twelve months ago, I did not think I would grow so quickly. This year I have worked with strong, intelligent and determined people. We have had an incredible season, which has allowed me, also thanks to two wonderful victories, to convince those who support me that it was time to move up a ladder. I can’t wait to take part in the Formula 2 post-season tests and enter a new phase of my career.
    Meguetounif on the news.

    We are very pleased to announce that Sami Meguetounif will compete with Trident Motorsport in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship. We had the pleasure of working with Sami this year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, obtaining remarkable results, as he has proven to be a winning driver. The move to the higher category represents a natural step at this stage of his career. I am sure that Sami has all the qualities to learn quickly and have a competitive season.
    Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.

  • PREMA confirm Mini for 2025

    Gabriele Mini will step up to FIA Formula 2 in 2025 with PREMA Racing the Italian outfit have confirmed.

    The Alpine Academy driver finished as runner-up in this seasons’ FIA F3 campaign, taking one win and four podiums across the season.

    Mini has already driven in Formula 2 for PREMA, as he deputised for Oliver Bearman earlier in the year for Round 12 in Baku,
    He was able to secure a podium finish in the Sprint Race, ending up third on the rostrum.

    Earlier in his career, Mini race with PREMA in Italian Formula 4 back in 2021 before reuniting with the team in F3 in 2024 after two seasons away.

    The 19 year old is a member of the Alpine Academy and has been since the beginning of 2023.
    He also took part in the rookie test in Formula E with Nissan Formula E Team.

    Very happy to be joining PREMA in FIA F2 and to keep working together for another season. We showed excellent potential and speed throughout the whole year in Formula 3. After the great run at Baku, I hope we will keep working that way to try and fight at the front end of the championship again. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I want to thank All Road Management, Alpine, and everyone involved.
    Mini on the news.

    We are thrilled to continue working with Gabriele. We always kept him in very high regard, and after getting back with him for FIA F3, we are already looking forward to making the next step together. Having an early start was a great opportunity for both, especially because we have maximized it with some impressive results. Preparations for the year ahead have already started and the early signs are definitely promising.
    Rene Rosin, PREMA Team Principal.

  • Maini switches to DAMS

    DAMS Lucas Oil have confirmed that Kush Maini will be driving for them in the 2025 Formula 2 season, completing their lineup for next having already announced the retention of Jak Crawford.

    Maini will be returning for a third season of F2 after achieving six podiums across his first two campaigns including a victory in the 2024 Budapest Sprint Race.

    Prior to Formula 2, he competed in Formula 3 in 2022, where he finished 14th overall. Not only this but he became reserve driver for Mahindra Racing in Formula E for Season 10 where he also took part in the Berlin rookie test too.

    I’m thrilled to be joining a team with such a strong pedigree and history in Formula 2 like DAMS Lucas Oil. I feel like my story in this championship isn’t completed yet, and I know that this is the right crew to help me further my career. I’ve taken pole positions and won races, so now it’s all about consistently delivering over the course of a campaign. I can’t wait to get started this week with post-season testing alongside Jak, and to form an experienced team as we look to battle for the championship in 2025.
    Maini on the news.

    We’re pleased to confirm Kush for next year as he’s a talented driver who has shown excellent raw speed throughout his time in the series. We know that together with our experienced team we can find the correct balance and ensure Kush has a consistent level of performance. We believe with Jak and Kush that we have a very strong partnership, which can help us to consistently fight at the front of the grid in 2025.
    Charles Pic, Team Owner.

  • Hitech confirm Luke Browning

    Hitech Pulse-Eight have announced that Luke Browning will race for the team in Formula 2 next season, their first confirmed driver for 2025.

    Browning made the step up to F2 earlier this season in Baku after a stellar 2024 campaign with Hitech in F3 in which he fought for the title until the final race of the year.

    The Williams Racing Driver Academy member finished the year with three podiums, including two Feature Race victories in Sakhir and Spielberg.

    He goes into the 2025 season having accumulated F2 experience this year, taking part in the final three rounds of the year in Baku, Lusail and Yas Marina, scoring points across the six races.

    I’m so happy that I’ll be racing in F2 with Hitech next season. I’ve been through every category of single seater racing with this team and to be able to complete the ladder with them is incredibly important and special for me. I would like to thank Oliver Oakes in particular for his support throughout the last three seasons. There is nothing I want more than to win the F2 Championship with this group of people around me, and that is our goal for 2025.
    Browning on the news.

    After three seasons with Hitech, Luke has worked closely with the team at every stage of his journey up the single-seater ladder. We’re extremely proud of his progression to F2, and to see him get his competitive F1 debut last week in Abu Dhabi. With Luke getting the opportunity to step up to Formula 2 for the final three rounds of the current season, coupled with the experience he has gathered from his Formula 1 Free Practice, and the Young Driver Test this week, we couldn’t have wished for better preparation for his 2025 campaign. Luke and Hitech share the same objective for 2025 – to win the Formula 2 Championship – and we have no doubt that he will be fighting for victories every step of the way.
    Clive Hatton, Hitech Team Manager.

  • Stanek moves to Invicta for 2025

    Invicta Racing have confirmed the signing of Roman Stanek for the 2025 Formula 2 season, completing their driver lineup for this year following the announcement of F3 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli.

    Stanek returns for a third season in F2 having previously won the 2024 Melbourne Sprint Race having also achieved a further eight point finishes across his previous two seasons.

    Prior to that, the Czech driver fought for the title until the final round of the 2022 Formula 3 Championship, winning one race and achieving a further three podiums.

    Speaking following the announcement, Stanek was excited to have the opportunity to race for the 2024 Champions.

    I can’t wait to drive for Invicta Racing in 2025. The team has been fighting at the front of the field all season, achieved some really great results and is undoubtedly one of the most desirable options in the paddock for next year. That means there’ll be some pressure for Leonardo (Fornaroli) and I, but I think we’re up to the challenge. I’m ready for whatever F2 throws at me in 2025.
    Stanek on the news.

    We’re thrilled to have Roman onboard for 2025. His experience of F2 in recent years, as well as the other series he’s raced in will be invaluable to Invicta Racing in 2025. I see the partnership between himself and Leonardo (Fornaroli) being extremely fruitful as well. That mix of approaches from a driver who knows the ropes and one fresh to the series will push the team forward, of that I have no doubt.
    Andy Roche, Invicta Racing Team Principal.

  • MP Motorsport confirm Goethe

    MP Motorsport have confirmed that Oliver Goethe will continue racing for them in Formula 2 next season, completing their driver lineup for 2025.

    Goethe stepped up to F2 with MP at Monza as a replacement for Franco Colapinto after a title-contending season in Formula 3.
    He achieved one victory and two further podiums on his way to finishing seventh in the standings.

    Since his call up, the German driver has scored 12 points for the team, which all came in the Feature Race at Lusail, where he finished fourth.

    He will now step up to F2 full-time next season partnering Richard Verschoor and speaking about his confirmation, Goethe says his experiences in 2024.

    I’m truly delighted to continue with MP Motorsport in 2025. It’s the logical thing to do – my four F2 rounds with MP this season will provide me with valuable experience working with the team and with Richard too, as we use that as a stepping stone towards next year’s full-season Formula 2 effort together. I’ve enjoyed many good times with the team when I started out in single-seaters five years ago, and on my return at Monza I was made to feel at home immediately. I can’t wait to go racing one more time in Abu Dhabi before preparing for our 2025 challenge.
    Goethe on the news.

    It was great news that we were able to welcome Oliver back in the team at Monza, and its great news yet again that he is staying on for more Formula 2 in 2025. Oliver fitted right back in as soon as he rejoined our team and we look forward to repeating the strong results we gained in our time together in Spanish F4 and, of course, only recently at Macau in the FIA FR World Cup. Along with Richard, we have two very familiar faces in our team, and we aim to build on their close bond with the team to finish this season on a high and come out strong in 2025.
    Sander Dorsman, MP Motorsport Team Principal.

  • Trident sign Esterson for 2025

    Trident have announced that Max Esterson will continue racing with the team for the 2025 Formula 2 campaign, which is their first confirmed driver signing for next season.

    Esterson stepped up to F2 in Lusail with Trident after completing his first full season of Formula 3 with Jenzer Motorsport.

    He achieved two-point scoring finishes across the campaign, including in his debut Sprint Race in Sakhir, also achieving a front row start at Silverstone.

    Prior to F3, Esterson began his racing career on iRacing, before making the switch to Formula Ford in the UK and winning the Formula Ford Festival in 2022.

    I am thrilled to be able to compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Trident Motorsport. Participating in the Lusail race last weekend and the Abu Dhabi final are very useful in this regard. I think I have already understood many aspects of the category. Together with the technical staff, I will work hard this winter to make 2025 a great year. I would like to thank the team, my fans and my family for all their work and support that have allowed me to be where I am today.
    Esterson on the news.

    We are very pleased to announce that Max Esterson will compete in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship with Trident Motorsport. He is a driver we met two years ago, we have followed him very carefully and we have seen him making remarkable progress. This year, Max has proven to be extremely competitive in his debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. I am confident that he has all the qualities to do a good job with the technical staff and be competitive in 2025.
    Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.

  • Rodin Motorsport confirm Mansell for 2025

    Rodin Motorsport have announced their first driver singing for the 2025 Formula 2 campaign, with Christian Mansell set to race for the team next year.

    Mansell has enjoyed a stellar 2024 season in Formula 3, fighting for the title until the final round before ending up fifth in the Standings thanks to his five podiums.

    The 19 year old then stepped up to F2 with Trident in Baku and scored points in both races on his debut weekend and is now currently set to see out the rest of the season with the Italian team in Lusail and Yas Marina.

    The Australian driver will then return to Rodin full time in 2025, a team where he had previous success having achieved multiple race wins and podiums for them across the 2020 British F4 and 2021 GB3 Championships.

    I am thrilled to be returning to Rodin Motorsport for the 2025 season. The team has always been supportive, and I am excited to build on our past successes together. I look forward to the challenges ahead and am ready to give my best on the track.
    Mansell on the news.

    We are pleased to welcome Christian back to the team here at Rodin Motorsport. We’ve been impressed watching his step up to the Formula 2 championship and know how great he is to work with from our previous seasons together. I’m looking forward to seeing him get behind the wheel of the car in Abu Dhabi with us and getting our season underway.
    Benn Huntingford, Rodin Motorsport Team Manager.

  • Rodin confirm Fornaroli for Yas Marina

    Rodin Motorsport have confirmed that Leonardo Fornaroli will replace Zane Maloney for the final round of the Formula 2 season at Yas Marina.

    Fornaroli makes the step up to F2 fresh from winning the 2024 Formula 3 title thanks to his seven podium finishes, two pole positions and two fastest laps.

    The 19 year old will now get behind the wheel of F2 machinery for the first time at the last round of the season. Maloney had his final race weekend with the team in Lusail.

    Maloney is moving to Formula E, with the season starting next month at the Sao Paulo E-Prix with Round 1 on the 7th December. The same weekend as the finale for F1, F2 and F1 Academy!

    Very grateful to be able to do the last round of the F2 Championship with Rodin Motorsport who are such a good team in the series. It will be a big challenge for me because this is my first time in the F2 car without any practice so I have a lot to learn but I can’t wait for it and I’m looking forward to being behind the wheel in Abu Dhabi
    Fornaroli on the news.

    I wish Leo a great weekend in Abu Dhabi. I will miss working with the Rodin Motorsport team and look forward to seeing their success in the future! But we still have one more weekend in Qatar to look ahead to and finish off our season strongly.
    Maloney on the news.

    It’s great to welcome Leo to the team for the final round of the season. It’s going to be a step up for him, but we’ve seen what he can do in Formula 3, and we’re confident he’ll adapt quickly and perform well. Obviously, we still have one more round in Qatar to look forward to with Zane on board before he begins his Formula E season; we thank him for his contributions and wish him the best in his new venture.
    Benn Huntingford, Team Manager.

  • F2 – RND 13 Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Pole sitter Bearman covered off Hadjar at light out as the Championship challenger settled into P2 ahead of compatriot Victor Martins, who launched his way into the top three from seventh on the grid.

    With the medium compound fitted, Hadjar was hustling Bearman around the opening two laps and he seized the lead at Turn 10 to take top spot on the second lap.

    The Campos driver set off into the distance, leading by 3.5s over Bearman by Lap 5 while Martins followed a further two seconds adrift on the Brit and with a DRS train in his mirrors.

    Gabriel Bortoleto moved himself up to seventh with a pass on Oliver Goethe just before the MP driver was forced into retirement with an issue.
    With his car stationary in the second sector, a Virtual Safety Car was called upon to recover the stricken MP.

    The VSC was withdrawn on lap 7, and the battle for third was incredibly close. With Martins also running the Medium tyres, he came under pressure from Crawford as the yellow marked rubber began to fade.

    Bearman took four tenths out of Hadjar on Lap 9 as the race leader also began to struggle with his tyres despite running in clear air.

    Behind them, Martins and Crawford’s fight for third continued and the American looked to have the move done, but the ART driver defended hard and held onto the place.
    Their squabbling allowed Richard Verschoor, Paul Aron, Gabriel Bortoleto and Dino Beganovic to join their fight in the points positions.

    Bearman continued to work away at Hadjar’s advantage and broke into DRS range on lap 17 while Crawford finally got a move done on Martins.
    Verschoor was through on the ART car to take fourth place, while Bortoleto attempted to round Aron at Turn 1, but he ran out of road and had to run through the gravel.

    After getting to within half a second in the final sector, Bearman had the sliptsream he needed to attempt a pass and he dived to the inside of Hadjar to take the lead on Lap 21.

    The Frenchman’s night was made worse immediately, as he dropped to fourth with a spin at Turn 4.
    Contact between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Kush Maini brought out a late race Safety Car as both were left stricken on the side of the track.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Bearman, P2: Crawford, P3: Verschoor, P4: Hadjar, P5: Bortoleto, P6: Maloney, P7: Aron, P8: Durksen, P9: Martins and P10: Beganovic.

    Day 3-

    It was a great start from Bortoleto who got ahead of pole-sitter Aron off the line, while debutant Dino Beganovic came out on top in the Turn 1 battle for third with Victor Martins.

    The race settled down early on until Kush Maini had a difficult start to Lap 4, dropping from P7 to P11 in the space of a few corners.

    Back at the front the top two were separated by 1.2s at the start of Lap 6. They had created a gap of over three seconds to Beganovic in third.

    But Beganovic’s teammate Jak Crawford was the first of the option tyre runners to pit from sixth. The Swede followed him in a lap later as did Aron, Martins, Verschoor and Antonelli.

    However, a VSC was soon deployed with Antonelli in the gravel in the first sector. The Italian driver complained of a broken steering wheel after having collided with Verschoor in the pitlane.
    With his car stranded, a full Safety Car was deployed, allowing Bortoleto to pit and retain the net race lead on Lap 9, but was soon given a five second penalty for failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions relating to crossing the line at pit entry.

    Racing returned on Lap 13 of 32, as Duerksen challenged Bearman for the lead, although the Brit was able to keep the position.

    However, the Safety Car was back out after Crawford and Rafael Villagomez collided at Turn 6. The former was forced to retire with a suspension issue, while the latter was stationary on track.

    The drama resumed on lap 17 as Bearman went wide at the final corner to give Duerksen the lead. The PREMA driver managed to stay within track limits, making Duerksen’s overtake before the start/finish line against the rules.

    After the Safety Car interventions, the race was run to time, and with less than 13 minutes to go, Bearman was now over four second clear out in front.

    Duerksen was now back up to second ahead of Maini, who pitted at the end of the lap, allowing Bortoleto to move up to third on the road.
    The Brazilian then got ahead of Duerksen after a multi-lap battle with just over five minutes left in the race, as Aron followed him through a lap later and Hadjar closed in.

    With under three minutes to go, Bearman and Duerksen pitted, giving Bortoleto the lead on track with four seconds separating him and his closest title rival Hadjar in third,

    Despite pushing on the last lap, Bortoleto could not create the gap needed across the line, giving Aron the victory and Hadjar second as the Brazilian dropped third.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Aron, P2: Hadjar, P3: Bortoleto, P4: Goethe, P5: Beganovic, P6: Mansell, P7: Cordeel, P8: Bennett, P9: Maloney and P10: Miyata.

  • F2 – RND 13 Day 1

    Free Practice 1-

    Paul Aron was in impressive form in Formula 2’s first session at the Lusail International Circuit after finishing at the top of the Practice leaderboard.

    The Hitech Pulse-Eight driver was in eye catching form throughout as he ended up 0.642s clear of Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto. MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor rounded out the top three.

    However, it was ART Grand Prix driver, Victor Martins that led the way early on, going to the top of the leaderbaord on a 1:43.018.

    But as the first set of laps were being completed, the Virtual Safety Car was signalled after DAMS’ debutant Dino Beganovic stopped on track with an issue.

    Action then resumed with 33 minutes left on the clock as the drivers started to return to track for their second flying laps it was Championship leader, Bortoleto that went fastest with a 1:40.366.

    The times continued to drop as the track ramped up but this time it was Aron who was quickest with a 1:39.236 putting him three-tenths clear of Bortoleto as Martins once again ended up in P3.

    Aron went even quicker on his next two attempts, first moving to a 1:38.926 before going over nine tenths fastest on his next lap to drop the benchmark to 1:38.024.

    However, there was 17 minutes left on the clock when the drivers were forced to return to the pit lane after ART’s Luke Browning beached his car in the gravel at Turn 9 bringing out the Red Flags.

    The green flag was waved with under nine minutes left leading to a flurry of activity in the pit lane as the drivers came out for their final laps of the sessions.

    Qualifying-

    Paul Aron made it a Friday weep, topping Qualifying for Hitech Pulse-Eight in impressive fashion. The Estonian driver went to the top with his first flying lap and couldn’t be dethroned.

    Championship leader, Bortoleto wounded up second, 0.3s down on the 1:35.115 of Aron, while Victor Martins rounded out the top three.

    With the early laps of the session, PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman put himself to the top with a 1:38.065, 0.125s quicker than familiar foe Martins.

    The track evolution continued to be rapid and on the next go around, Bortoleto set the time to beat with a 1:36.914. Bearman, Martins and then Aron bettered his time, the Hitech driver quickest again on a 1:36.614.

    While Bearman and Aron opted to pit, Bortoleto continued to do a third push lap, and he set a 1:36.586 to take over at the halfway stage with direct title rival Hadjar in 13th.

    With 12 minutes to go, drivers returned to the track with fresh Mediums fitted, but the first of the final attempts came with seven minutes left on the clock.

    Aron lowered the time to beat a 1:36.088 with an impressive final sector, while Bortoleto filtered through 0.3s down on that effort in P2.

    Inside the final five minutes and the track ramped up once more, and Richard Verschoor lifted himself into P1, but Aron had yet another answer for his rivals.
    Bortoleto responded and closed the gap down once more but was 0.023s down in second position.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Aron, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Martins, P4: Beganovic, P5: Verschoor, P6: Crawford, P7: Maini, P8: Goethe, P9: Hadjar and P10: Bearman.

  • AIX Racing confirm Shields for rest of season

    AIX Racing have confirmed that Cian Shields will see out the rest of the Formula 2 season with the team, replacing Niels Koolen for the Lusail and Yas Marina rounds.

    Shields steps up to F2 after a single season in Formula 3 where he achieved a best result of 14th at the Barcelona Sprint Race.

    Prior to that, the 19 year old finished as the runner up in the 2023 Euroformula Open Championship thanks to 10 podiums which included four wins.

    He is now set to step up to Formula 2 for the final two rounds of the season with AIX, an opportunity he is delighted to be getting.

    I’m super excited to be joining AIX Racing for the final two rounds of the FIA Formula 2 Championship in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. I’m looking forward to this fantastic opportunity and ready to make an impact with the team, giving it everything in these last races.
    Shields on the news.

  • Max Esterson to finish 2024 with Trident

    Trident have confirmed that Max Esterson will drive for the team for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 2 campaign.
    The American driver steps up from Formula 3 and replaces Richard Verschoor for the Lusail and Yas Marina Rounds.

    Esterson made his full-time Formula 3 debut this year with Jenzer Motorsport, securing a front row start at Silverstone as well as two points-scoring results across the season.

    Prior to F3, Esterson began his racing career on iRacing, before making the switch to Formula Ford in the UK and winning the Formula Ford Festival in 2022.

    It’s great to be making the step up to Formula 2, even if it’s a little sooner than I had imagined. Just two years ago I was running a Formula Ford and winning the FF Festival, and now I’m about to make my debut in Formula 2. It’s all happened quickly but the people closest to me are all confident about my ability to successfully make the jump. I’ve been working hard with the team at Trident and feel I’m well prepared and ready to go. I want to give a special thanks to Maurizio Salvadori and Giacomo Ricci for making this happen, and to the rest of the Trident team for making me feel so welcome.
    Esterson on the news.

    We are excited to finally be working with Max in a race situation. We first met him over two years ago when he was still driving Formula Fords and have closely followed his progress since then. He had some very strong outings this year in FIA Formula 3, his first year in international competition, especially as he was with one of the smallest teams, and on circuits which were almost all new to him. He is smart and has a mature, calm personality; he is hard working, and while he has already shown great pace, he is only in his fourth full year of racing and still learning – so we’re excited to see his progress this year.
    Trident Team Manager, Giacomo Ricci.

  • Verschoor switches to MP Motorsport

    MP Motorsport have announced that Richard Verschoor will complete the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season with the team, and confirmed he will race for them in 2025.

    The Dutch driver returns to the team he made his Formula 2 debut with back in 2021, replacing Dennis Hauger for the final two rounds of the current season.

    Verschoor has achieved four race wins across his F2 career, and earned a further eight podium finishes, with four of those coming in 2024.

    Previously, the Dutch combination won the Macau FIA F3 World Cup back in 2019 and ahead of his return to the MP cockpit in Lusail.

    Signing up with MP for more Formula 2 feels like coming home. I spent half of my entire racing career with MP, so it means a lot to me that we are able to move forward together for 2025 while also adding the two final 2024 rounds at Losail and Yas Marina. It’s been a partnership that has led to success in Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2, including that legendary victory at Macau. I can’t wait to travel to Qatar and go back to working with the team once again.
    Verschoor on the news.

    I’m extremely happy to welcome back Richard for another season in Formula 2. We have celebrated many wins together, so it’s a true privilege to tap into his wealth of Formula 2 knowledge as we head towards a new season. Richard returning to the MP fold is testament to the way we go racing as a family, and he has always fitted right in. Meanwhile, I would like to thank Dennis for his huge contribution to the team in the past two F2 seasons. Three wins, nine podiums and two poles is no mean feat, and I am certain that he will take his career to a new level in North America.
    MP Motorsport Team Principal, Sander Dorsman.