Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula Two

  • Doohan joins Alpine Academy

    Doohan joins Alpine Academy

    Jack Doohan has been announced as a new member of the Alpine Academy, after leaving Red Bull’s Junior Team, the team he joined in 2017.

    The Virtuosi driver, enjoyed a stellar campaign in Formula 3 in 2021, winning four times and grabbing seven podiums as he finished as vice-champion to Dennis Hauger. This was an impressive turn around following on from a difficult rookie season with HWA Racelab, where he failed to take any points.

    The Australian said that a visit to the Alpine base in Enstone in October convinced him that their junior programme was the right place for him to continue his development.

    Alpine have moved to bolster their academy for 2022, with fellow F2 racer Olli Caldwell, while 2022 F3 races Caio Collet and Victor Martins having both been retained. The new line-up have just finished a training camp with the academy in Tenerife.

    2021 Alpine Academy duo, Oscar Piastri and Guanyu Zhou both fought for the title and have now graduated to Formula 1 roles, both drivers were heavily involved with the team behind the scenes, undertaking simulator work and testing F1 machinery.

    “The option came up for me to go to Alpine for the season and I had a bit of time to think about it and to decide what was going to be the best option for me moving forward,” explained Doohan. “The academy director Mia Sharizman invited me to go to the factory in late October last year. It wasn’t a certainty for me to join the academy then, it was just to go and get a feel for it, to do some physical tests and to see how I got on in that atmosphere. Within the first day, I felt at home. The relationship and the atmosphere was just what I needed and I was very happy with the structure that they’ve got going forward.”

    “We can basically go in there when we please,” said Doohan. “You have the whole team there to work with, whether that be engineers from the Formula 1 team or from the test team, so we have a huge base of knowledge that we can use going forward. I have got a really good trainer in David Thompson, who manages all things physical for us in the academy. There is on-track support as well from coaches and staff members to keep pushing us and to give us the confidence that we need to be able to get the results that they and we want, which is ultimately to win the Championship and to do as good as possible. The structure is only going to be beneficial for me going forward.”

  • Caldwell joins Campos & Alpine Academy

    Caldwell joins Campos & Alpine Academy

    British racing driver, Olli Caldwell has signed on the dotted line for the 2022 season, he will be competing in Formula 2 with Campos Racing. He also has joined the Alpine Academy!

    The 19 year old, race in Formula 3 in the 2021 season with Prema where he finished 8th overall, with four podiums including one win. He made his Formula 2 debut in the final two rounds of the season with Campos, his best finish being of 12th in Sprint Race 2 at Jeddah.

    Caldwell, then remained with the team for post-season testing and impressed enough to ear a full time deal for 2022.

    After a season competing in the Ginetta Junior Championship, Caldwell made the step up into single-seaters in 2017, competing on two fronts in the British and Italian Formula 4, he then remained in Formula 4 for a second season and finished third with Prema.

    Caldwell, then moved to Formula Regional European in 2019, and placed fifth in his rookie year which earned him a spot in F3, he was with Trident for his first season where he went on to score points on four occasions.

    “I’m very excited to be joining Campos Racing,” said Caldwell. “Especially after finishing the last two rounds and the post-season test with them. I get on really well with the team and especially with Ralph Boschung. The car is looking very strong and I think we can definitely achieve some very good results this year.”

    Campos Racing Sporting Director Adrián Campos added: “Despite the short time that we have been working together, the sensations cannot be better. Olli has adapted very well to the team and to the car and we are sure that a very good year awaits us. Olli has the instinct, perseverance and intelligence to continue growing as a driver and at Campos Racing we are going to give him all the tools to do so.”

    My Opinion-

    I think we all knew this was going to happen, especially with Campos! With Olli having already raced with the team in F2 machinery it gives him some what of a head start compared to some of the new rookies.

    I didn’t expect him to announce him joining the Alpine Academy, but it is a good thing! He deserves to be in an junior academy so lets see where it will take him!

  • Cordeel steps up to F2

    Cordeel steps up to F2

    Van Amersfoort Racing have now confirmed their line-up for the up-coming season with Amaury Cordeel taking the second seat beside British driver Jake Hughes.

    2022 will be Cordeel’s first season in F2 as he makes the step up from Formula 3, he tested with the team at post-season testing where he finished sixth in the afternoon session of day 3.

    Last year was the Belgian’s first year in Formula 3 where his best finish was 11th. He competed in three different series in 2020 where he had spells in Formula Renault Eurocup, the Castrol Toyota Racing Series and F3 Asia.

    The 19 year old never karted professionally and made his move into single seaters with only testing experience at 14 years old. He debuted in 2017 at the French Formula 4 series where he placed 16th, he then switched to Spanish F4 the following season in which he won the title with 12 podiums including four wins and four pole positions.

    “I am extremely excited to make this step up to F2,” said Cordeel. “I got to know the car during the post-season test at Abu Dhabi and it is an impressive drive. The power increase in comparison to F3 is obviously very noticeable, but I felt comfortable behind the wheel. I am very well aware that the season ahead will be a challenging one and I will face a steep learning curve. However, having Van Amersfoort Racing as my team to rely on gives me great confidence. I am thankful for the trust they’ve put in me and I look very much forward to being part of their FIA F2 debut. The level of dedication and professionalism shown during the test at Yas Marina was impressive, the least said. I will put my learnings from F3 to best use and together with the support of VAR, will build up from there onwards. I have been using the off-season to get in optimum shape, both physically and mentally, not to mention the endless hours I’ve spent in the simulator. I feel ready!”

    VAR’s CEO Rob Niessink added: “After the test at Abu Dhabi, we knew we wanted Amaury in the car. He is very committed to performing and forms a good match with the team. He proofed to be an intelligent driver and learns quickly, something we highly value in a driver. Our crew is excited and set up to support him in every way possible, assisting him to reach his full potential. As this is both his and our first time in the FIA F2 championship, we know it won’t be a walk in the park, but as a team, we are extremely dedicated to performing and leaving a mark starting with the very first outing at Bahrain and onwards!”

    My Opinion-

    Not going to lie, I am a bit mixed feelings on this… I feel like he should of stayed in Formula 3 to see if he can rack up some point finishes instead of moving to F2 without grabbing any points. But considering he tested with the team at the post season test, they clearly trust him. I think Cordeel will have a lot of eyes on him come March to see how he performs.

  • Vesti promoted to F2

    Vesti promoted to F2

    ART Grand Prix have confirmed their 2022 line-up for Formula 2, Frederik Vesti will pair up with Théo Pourchaire.

    The Mercedes junior, swapped Prema racing to ART for his second season of Formula 3, he managed to get five podiums and one win in which he ended the year fourth overall.

    The 20 year old, ran F2 machinery for the very first time at the end of pre-season testing where he finished top 10 in the afternoon session of Day 1.

    He first made his single-seater debut if Formula Ford Denmark in 2016, he finished as Danish F4 vice-champion the following season. In 2019, he went on to win the Formula Regional European title, where he had an impressive 20 podiums from 24 races, including 13 race wins.

    “To sign my FIA Formula 2 contract with ART Grand Prix is a big thing for me,” said Vesti. “We worked incredibly hard in F3 last season and to continue the progress into Formula 2 together is important for my next step. Now it is crucial to understand all the small details of Formula 2 to achieve the maximum in 2022. Testing in Abu Dhabi went really well, and I learned a lot of new things. I can’t wait to be in the car for the first test in Bahrain! I want to thank ART Grand Prix for this great opportunity and for believing in me.”

    ART Grand Prix Team Principal Sébastien Philippe added: “The first year of the partnership was fruitful for both sides with several podiums and a win that saw Fred end the year in 4th place with a total of 17 top 10s in 20 races. Some details kept him from fighting for the title, but we know he has what it takes to do so. After two years of F3, the logical continuation of our collaboration goes through F2. The offseason testing has met our expectations and in 2022 we will aim to fight at the forefront.”

    My Opinion-

    I didn’t doubt for a moment he would not get this seat, its deserved and it will be interesting to see how he makes the step up. ART have a really good line-up this year, Vesti is hungry for podiums/wins and Pourchaire wants to win the championship so they will most definitely be going for the teams championship.

  • Armstrong to HiTech

    Armstrong to HiTech

    HiTech Grand Prix has now confirmed their line up for the 2022 season with the second seat going to Kiwi, Marcus Armstrong who will be switching from DAMS.

    The 21 year old scored his first Formula 2 win in the penultimate round of the season at Jeddah and almost finished the season with a second victory at the finale but he had to retire due to a mechanical issue. He finished 13th in the drivers standing overall with two podiums in total.

    For pre-season testing, Armstrong switched to Hitech where he ended three out of six sessions in the top 10, which included third on Day 2.

    Armstrong has been in the news lately after himself and the Ferrari Driver Academy has parted ways after 4 years together.

    In his first year of single seater racing in 2017, Armstrong won the Italian Formula 4 championship which included four victories and a further nine podiums, he also competed in ADAC F4 the same year in which he finished 2nd in- he was inducted into the FDA this year.

    He then went on to compete in the 2018 Formula 3 European Championship, where he finished 5th overall. 2019 saw Armstrong be a title challenger in Formula 3 where he finished runner-up to Robert Shwartzman.

    “I’m thrilled to be joining Hitech this season in Formula 2,” said Armstrong. Team Principal Oliver Oakes brought me to Europe a few years back and I saw Hitech in the early days. Since then, it’s transformed into one of the powerhouses of Formula 2 and 3. I’m looking forward to be working with a successful group of people and giving it everything I’ve got in my new Hitech team this year.”

    My Opinion-

    Ahhh, I’m glad Marcus has got a seat! I feel like we haven’t seen the absolute best of him yet. Maybe this is the move he needs and with not being in the FDA anymore he may want to prove some people wrong…

  • Hughes to race in F2

    Hughes to race in F2

    It has been confirmed that Jake Hughes, will race in Formula Two for a full season with Van Amerfoort Racing.

    The Dutch team are new for 2022, Hughes took part in post-season testing with the team, where he ran 2 out of three days and finished three out of four sessions in the top 10.

    The Brit, is no stranger to Formula 2. He first made his debut in 2020 where he raced with HWA Racelab at Sochi where he finished 12th. Hughes then returned for a second outing with the team at Monza 2021 where he equaled his result.

    Jake remained with the team at the following round Sochi where he scored their best finish F2 finish, taking fourth in the opening sprint race. Logan Sargeant then took his place at the penultimate round at Jeddah but Hughes returned for the season finale.

    During his appearances for HWA, the 27 year old spent his time between roles, reserve driver for ROKiT Venturi Racing in Formula E and as a simulator driver for Mercedes’ Formula 1 and FE outfits.

    “I’m overly excited to be racing with VAR in 2022,” said Hughes. “During the post-season test at Abu-Dhabi it became clear to me that VAR takes this new challenge extremely serious. We are very much on the same level when it comes to vision and drive for success, making it a very pleasant environment to work in. I’m just very thankful to the team for putting their trust in me and providing the opportunity to work together. The F2 car is incredible to drive, and I look very much forward to compete in it for the full season. It will be a long and tough stretch, but I am eager to kick off the season soon in Bahrain!”

    “It is exciting to be able to make this first FIA F2 driver announcement!” said VAR CEO Rob Niessink. “We are extremely happy with Jake joining us for the FIA F2 Championship. We are standing on the brink of a great adventure for which we very much welcome the experience and maturity that Jake brings along. During the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, Jake showed to be a highly motivated and professional team player. Jake’s accurate input and feedback already made an impact during testing, which helped the team to progress already in a very short time. His drive and dedication match ours, giving us great confidence for the season ahead!”

    My Opinion-

    Ah now Jake is the one person I wanted to get a seat this year! It didn’t matter what series but I personally thought he deserved a seat in a racing series. I think he has a lot of potential and its good to see that Van Amerfoort Racing see’s this too.

  • Lawson switches to Carlin

    Lawson switches to Carlin

    Liam Lawson has switched HiTech Grand Prix for Carlin in 2022, where he joins Williams Academy driver, Logan Sargeant.

    The Red Bull junior, made his first appearance for the team, at post-season testing in Abu Dhabi where he finished four of the six sessions in the top 10.

    2021, was Lawsons rookie season in Formula 2, which saw him win the opening race and take two more podiums during the year- he finished ninth overall. Not only this he competed in DTM last year, where he finished as runner-up.

    The 19 year old has 4 years experience in European single-seater racing, making the move from New Zealand in 2018, where he had wont the NZ F1600 Championship the year before. He finished the year as vice-champion in ADAC F4, Lawson then moved to Formula 3 for 2019 with MP Motorsport where he took podiums in his rookie season.

    In the same year Lawson finished second in Euroformula Open with four wins, he also won the Toyota Racing Series with 5 wins and 11 podiums. He then decided to switch to HiTech for his second year in F3 where he won three times and grabbed six podiums- he finished 5th overall.

    “I’m super excited for the new opportunity this year,” said Lawson. “The pre-season test went really, really well. It was a completely different experience to what I’ve been used to. The whole team is really focused on the right things and all super motivated going into the season. The second year is always a good step having done a year and learnt a lot, so to take all of that into a new team is a great way to start.”

    Carlin Team Manager Trevor Carlin added: “We’re really excited to have Liam join the team. He is a great talent and we’ve watched him with interest over the last few seasons. We’re very proud and thankful that Red Bull and Rodin have entrusted us with this next stage in Liam’s career. Liam did a great job in the post-season official tests in Abu Dhabi and slotted straight into the team. I expect him to be a championship contender this year.”

    My Opinion-

    This is the right move for him. He was very unlucky last year due to reliability, so with him moving to Carlin he should have a stable car for the 2022 season. Lets hope that Lawson will be in the fight for the title!

  • Vips sticks with HiTech

    Vips sticks with HiTech

    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!

  • Iwasa makes the move to F2

    Iwasa makes the move to F2

    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.

  • Daruvala switches to Prema

    Daruvala switches to Prema

    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.

  • F3 Champ joins F2 for 2022

    F3 Champ joins F2 for 2022

    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!

  • Williams secure F2 promotion

    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.

  • Cem Bölükbasi to race in F2

    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!

  • Pourchaire sticks with ART

    Pourchaire sticks with ART

    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.

  • F2, F3 chosen tracks for testing

    F2, F3 chosen tracks for testing

    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.

  • Overview F2 2021

    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.

  • F2 Post-Season Test

    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.

  • Drugovich returning to MP

    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!

  • Nissany confirmed 2022

    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.

  • Van Amersfoort Racing joins F2

    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…

  • Sargeant to Carlin 2022

    Another driver announcement for Formula 2 for the next season and that is Logan Sargeant who is joining Carlin! The American will be making his debut with the team later this week during post-season testing.

    The Williams Academy driver has raced for the team in British Formula 4 and in his first season in Formula 3. Logan gained his first experience in F2 in the penultimate round of the 2021 season in Jeddahn with HWA Racelab.

    Sargeants year in F3 with Charouz Racing System was successful, he managed to claim four podiums and a win in the season finale at Sochi, he was a title contender in 2020 with Prema finishing 3rd overall with six podiums and one win.

    Before joining Carlin for testing, Sargeant is taking part in the young drivers test with Williams.

    “This is an incredible week for me!” said Sargeant. “To get my first taste of the FW43B today (Tuesday 14th) and then follow that up with three days testing in my new F2 car is just incredible. I can’t wait to re-join Carlin who have been so strong in F2 and get to work on our 2022 programme. Big thanks to Trevor, my management at Infinity and of course Williams Racing for this incredible opportunity.”

    My Opinion-

    I don’t think anyone doubted he wouldn’t get a seat for next year, and his got a good one at that. Carlin have had a good season this year, with wins and podium and finishing 3rd overall in the teams. I’m going to be looking at how he does with the Carlin car hopefully he can learn a lot in testing about the team and car!

  • UNI-Virtuosi 2022 line up

    So day number one after the final race of the season and its been a busy Monday, we have had UNI-Virtuosi confirm their driver lineup for the 2022 season.

    Their two drivers being Jack Doohan who is Formula Three’s Vice Champion taking one seat and then Marino Sato who drove for Trident this year has switched to the British team!

    The duo replace Felipe Drugovich and Guanyu Zhou, the latter graduating to Formula 1 after three years with the team.

    Doohan won four races, three podiums from seven rounds in Formula 3 this year and missed out to Dennis Hauger in the title battle, however he did help Trident to get the Teams Championship.

    2022 will be Doohan’s first full year in Formula 2, having taken part in the final two rounds this year where he scored a top five finish and qualified on the front row.

    “I’m very pleased and excited to join forces with Virtuosi Racing for our 2022 FIA Formula 2 campaign,” said Doohan.” I’m looking forward to continuing the team’s success and getting to work with the team in post-season testing this coming week!”

    22 year old Sato made his F2 debut in Monza back in 2019 with Campos before he made the switch to Trident for 2020 and 2021. The past two seasons he has took two points finishes.

    “It’s really a privilege to join a team that is fighting for the championship,” said Sato. “I have to say a big thank you to everyone involved in making this happen, and to the team for trusting me. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season!”

    My Opinion-

    I knew it wouldn’t be long until we saw an announcement for Jack! These past two F2 weekends have been good, scoring points, qualifying 2nd and doing some lovely battles on track whilst also learning the F2 car.

    I’m quite surprised Sato got announced, it will be interesting to see what he can do in the car next year, as the team has had a really good year finishing 2nd overall.

  • F2 Abu Dhabi- Day 2 & 3

    Our final race days for Formula 2 are over unfortunatley but that didn’t mean they weren’t crazy! Lets take a look…

    Day 2-

    Sprint Race 1-

    Well, Daruvala got a brilliant launch as soon as the lights went out, taking the lead into Turn 1, however his team-mate didn’t get as good of a start, it saw Dan Ticktum dropping down the field.

    Piastri was looking to wrap up his title during this race, he managed to get up to 6th form 10th at the start, in doing this he was behind his team-mate who was also battling for the championship.

    Both Prema’s knew what they had to do, they both climbed up the field, after Shwartzman built up a gap between him and Piastri, he then took the final podium place from Lawson.

    But that didn’t last long as Piastri responded and overtook Lawson on the following lap and was back in the tracks of Shwartzman. Both Prema’s looked happy in third and fourth until Piastri spotted a late opportunity and decided to take it at Turn 9 in which the Australian took the final podium spot.

    The top 10 were: P1: Daruvala, P2: Drugovich, P3: Piastri, P4: Shwartzman, P5: Lawson, P6: Ticktum, P7: Pourchaire, P8: Zhou, P9: Boschung, P10: Armstrong.

    With Oscar finishing 3rd this saw him wrap up the title, making him a 3 time champion in 3 years. With Armstrong finishing 10th this saw him on pole for sprint race 2.

    Sprint Race 2-

    A very crazy start for the second sprint of the day, but not for the race leader, Marcus Armstrong zoomed off into the distant leaving the rest of the field to battle it out.

    Boschung and Zhou who was in 2nd and 3rd held their positions well, but everyone behind them wanted action, the newly corwned champ sent his Prema down the outside but a four car wide brawl saw him almost get pushed into the wall…

    Even though he missed the wall, the Aussie came away with minor damage as he banged wheels with Lawson, which saw him drop down to 13th where as the Hitech went to 8th, Piastri was then found to be at fault and handed a 5sec time penalty.

    The grid was given time to breath and cool down as a safety car appeared due to contact between Deledda and Caldwell at Turn 9, the HWA was forced to retire but Caldwell carried on.

    Once the racing resumed Piastri started his charge in which he gained two spots from Nissany and Vips. That didn’t last long as Vips and Nissany came back at Piastri which saw the trio clip wheel, and only Nissany survived, this brought out another safety car as Vips and Piastri climbed out of their cars.

    Before the safety car came out Zhou managed to get ahead of Boschung, but once the safety car went away, Zhou was promoted to first as Armstrong then had problems with the car which saw him pull over.

    The top 10 is as follows: P1: Zhou, P2: Shwartzman, P3: Boschung, P4: Ticktum, P5: Drugovich, P6: Lawson, P7: Daruvala, P8: Doohan, P9: Pourchaire, P10: Viscaal.

    Day 3-

    Piastri wanted this race to be one to remember as it is his last in F2, and that he did he got away superbly.

    Doohan starting P2, was the only one of the mediums, he was the only one with them out of the top 5 so he managed to cling on to P2 for three corners of wheel-to-wheel racing but Zhou was not giving up, the MP rookie clipped the curb in which he picked up a chunk of marble and went spinning off into the barriers.

    Racing resumed when the safety car went in, the pit-stops started going on as Lawson was the first to ditch the super-softs on lap 7 which saw him back on the grid in 20th.

    The crossover between prime and the alternate startegies started to arrive with seven laps to go, Armstrong headed in to collect the super-softs and began to pick the drivers with the mediums, he took places off Boschung and Lawson within a lap.

    The full top 10 as follows: P1: Piastri, P2: Zhou, P3: Drugovich, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Shwartzman, P6: Ticktum, P7: Armstrong, P8: Vips, P9: Boschung and P10: Verschoor.

    That concludes the 2021 Formula 2 season now, with Piastri taking the championship, his team-mate coming home in 2nd and Guanyu Zhou in 3rd who will be graduating to Formula 1 next year!

    With the teams championship, Prema wrapped it up last weekend in Jeddah, Uni-Virtuosi managed to pinch 2nd from Carlin, which Carlin then ended up 3rd.

  • Oscar Piastri F2 2021 Champion

    WOW! We all knew it was coming but OSCAR PIASTRI IS FORMULA 2 2021 CHAMPION!

    Oscar now has THREE back to back titles, with his first being in 2019 Formula Renault Champion, 2020 Formula Three Champion and now 2021 Formula Two Champion

    What a drive from Oscar, he could of just left it in the points but noo, Oscar wanted to be on the podium which I make him right!

    Oscars had a brilliant year so far with 5 pole positions and 5 wins so far, it’s like he wants to keep on going! We still have two races left, a sprint race later today and a feature race tomorrow where Oscar is on pole!

    My Opinion-

    Wow, Oscar is just unstoppable, he fully deserves this championship! His year has been amazing it’s gutting to see that he won’t have a seat next year as he does deserve it, hopefully we see him with a seat in 2023.

  • F2 Abu Dhabi- Day 1

    Our first day of cars on track is over and it was our last free practice and qualifying of the year, lets take a look on what happened!

    Free Practice-

    Championship leader, Oscar Piastri got the start he wanted this weekend by finishing fastest in free practice, the 1:36.800 was enough to beat Jack Doohan to P1, with Christian Lundgaard in third.

    The second weekend in a row both MP’s went out first to get a feel for the track with Clèment Novalak setting the benchmark at 1:59.442.

    But his team-mate Jack Doohan topped the times at the end of the first run of flying laps with a 1:37.702 ahead of Marcus Armstrong and Ralph Boschung.

    Lundgaard beat Piastri to P1 halfway through the session and he was the first to break the 1m 37s but the Prema driver fought back and re-gained the position by 0.005s.

    As the session went on the track conditions were improving after heavy tyre wear, this saw lots of fast times coming through but it was Oscar who stayed at the top.

    Qualifying-

    Oscar Piastri finished his last qualifying session in Formula 2 with a FIFTH consecutive pole position lapping a 1:35.077, in which he now has four extra points to add to his tally, one step closer to claiming the Drivers title! It was Jack Doohan who impressed the most with him qualifying 2nd in only his second qualifying session in Formula 2 with Guanyu Zhou finishing off the top 3.

    PREMA was the early pace setters, with Piastri setting a 1:36.044 ahead of his team-mate and championship rival Robert Shwartzman and Carlins’ Jehan Daruvala.

    The times kept coming during the half hour, with improvements being made but none dethroning Piastri. The grid then went in to the pits to change tyres etc so they could come out on a fresh set and see if they can improve their times.

    The final top 10 for the feature race on Sunday are: P1: Piastri, P2: Doohan, P3: Zhou, P4: Shwartzman, P5: Boschung, P6: Pourchaire, P7: Lawson, P8: Drugovich, P9: Ticktum and P10: Daruvala.

    So for our first Sprint Race tomorrow we have an all Carlin front row, with Jehan Daruvala in P1 and Dan Ticktum in P2. Drugovich in P3 and Liam Lawson in P4 making that our second row.

    All eyes are on to tomorrow now, with the battle heating up between the Prema team-mates for the championship!

    Formula 2 Championship - Round 8:Yas Island - Practice & Qualifying : News Photo
    ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 10: Oscar Piastri of Australia and Prema Racing (2) drives during qualifying ahead of Round 8:Yas Island of the Formula 2 Championship at Yas Marina Circuit on December 10, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

  • Verschoor back in F2

    Well, Mr Richard Verschoor is back in Formula 2 this weekend, he is filling in for Enzo Fittipaldi in the Charouz car.

    Fittipaldi suffered a broken heel and a lesion to his left eyebrow after a collision with Theo Pourchaire at the start of the Feature Race in Jeddah last Sunday, which means Fittipaldi wouldn’t be taking part in the final round of 2021 in Abu Dhabi.

    Verschoor, has had a really good first season in Formula 2 in which he won a Sprint Race at Silverstone earlier this year, his currently sat in 10th in the championship with 55 points. He drove six rounds with MP Motorsport before having to pull out form Formula 2 due to sponsorship.

    The Dutch driver has gained experience in ADAC F4, Italian F4, Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series before spending two seasons in Formula 3 with MP.

    “First of all, I would like to express my thoughts to Enzo,” said Verschoor. “I hope he will recover well and very soon. I’m happy to be back racing and excited to do so with Charouz Racing System, hopefully, we can end this season together on a high.”

    Team owner Antonin Charouz added: “On the eve of the last round of the year, we have been forced to change our line-up, as a consequence of Enzo’s injury in Jeddah. On behalf of the whole team, I wish him again a speedy recovery, hoping to see him return on track as soon as possible. At the same time, I’m glad Richard will join our squad for this weekend in Abu Dhabi. We saw him racing during this year in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and I have to say he delivered some very interesting performances. At the wheel of the other car, we’ll continue to count on Guilherme, and we’ll do our best to support his hunt to first personal points in the series.”

    My Opinion-

    I’m so glad to see Richard back on track, none of the fans like to see a driver leave before the end of the season due to money especially one doing so well like Richard. I’m happy he gets this chance again, and hopefully this will lead to a confirmation on what he does in 2022.

  • Abu Dhabi GP

    Race week once again and the final one of the year, so lets take a look at everything you need to know, what I think will happen this weekend, and who needs a good weekend to finish this year on a high!

    Both Lewis and Max are on equal points going into this weekend? But who will be victorious come Sunday night? Well its all to play for…

    I think whatever happens this weekend, we are extremely grateful for the championship battle we have witnessed this year and not just Lewis/Max. Looking further into it, the battle between Perez/Bottas which one would qualify higher up would it be a Red Bull sandwich or a Mercedes?

    But going a little bit further down the grid, the battle between McLaren and Ferrari, two great teams and all very good drivers, all in which have been on the podium this year!

    Who needs a good weekend?

    I feel both Red Bulls need a good weekend, Max has lost the lead in the championship to now be on equal points with Lewis, if he wants to win this on Sunday he will need to have a brilliant Saturday and then again a brilliant Sunday too as the Mercedes engine is very powerful and they have dominated Abu Dhabi a lot (apart from last year). Perez needs a good weekend, obviously he had a DNF last week in which made Mercedes have a bigger gap in the Constructors, so he will be hoping to get a good amount of points this weekend.

    Lando needs a good weekend, he lost P5 to Charles last weekend so he will be hoping to be able to get that back, if that wasn’t the only thing he has his ex-team-mate just behind him by 4.5 points as i’m sure he wouldn’t want to loose out on another place in the constructors.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five are: Pole- Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Bottas, P4: Perez and P5: Leclerc. Both Mercedes and Red Bulls will be wanting to get the most out of their car this weekend and get the best position they can!

    Gasly could possibly be up in the top 5, like I said last week you can’t count him out of a qualifying session, so it will be either him or Leclerc in top 5, or maybe both of them if a Merc or Bull has a bad qualifying?

    Times for the weekend-

    Formula 1- Friday 10th- FP1: 09:30am – 10:30am (GMT), 10:30am – 11:30am (CET). FP2: 13:00pm – 14:00pm (GMT), 14:00pm – 15:00pm (CET).

    Saturday 11th- FP3: 10:00am – 11:00am (GMT), 11:00am – 12:00pm (CET). Qualifying: 13:00pm – 14:00pm (GMT), 14:00pm – 15:00pm (CET).

    Sunday 12th- Race: 13:00pm (GMT), 14:00pm (CET).

    Formula 2- Friday 10th- Free Practice: 8:05am – 8:50am (GMT), 9:05am – 9:50am (CET). Qualifying: 14:30pm – 15:00pm (GMT), 15:30pm – 16:00pm (CET).

    Saturday 11th- Sprint Race 1: 8:20am – 9:05am (GMT), 9:20am – 10:05am (CET). Sprint Race 2: 14:45pm – 15:30pm (GMT), 15:45pm – 16:30pm (CET).

    Sunday 12th- Feature Race: 09:00am (GMT), 10:00am (CET).

  • Tyres for Abu Dhabi

    Well for the final time for the 2021 season we take a look at which tyres have been picked!

    Our selection is: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft), even though the track has been modified quite a bit this year, we have the same compound as we did in 2020.

    The changes to the track were brought in to provide more overtaking opportunities, this will then increase speeds and loads through some corners.

    The track itself-

    We will now take a look at the said changes, the first being the chicane that formed Turn 5 and 6 will be bypassed with a straight. The following hairpin has been brought forward slightly and widened, which increases the speed carried into it.

    A long and slightly banked turn has now been created to replace the technical complex of corners which were previously Turns 11 to 14. Towards the end of the lap, the four tight corners that route the track around the Yas Marina hotel Turns 17 to 20 have all opened up in which makes it faster.

    The changes above have made the circuit shorter by 273 metres, which the race distance has been increased from 55 to 58 laps, and lap times are estimated to fall by 14 seconds.

    Last years winning strategy with the same tyre nomination, was medium to hard one stopper, the same used for the top three finishers.

    We also have Formula 2 with us this weekend, for the final round of the 2021 Championship, this will be our first time back here since 2019, and its the first time the 18-inch tyres will be used. The tyre nomination will be the same as it was in Jeddah which was the Medium and the Supersoft.

  • Jake Hughes back in F2

    Another Formula 2 race week, another driver change! And its for HWA Racelab again, Jake Hughes will be back in car number 22 for the final weekend of F2 in Abu Dhabi.

    Hughes first made his debut in F2 at Sochi in 2019 and finished P12 in the feature race, he then made a return this year in Monza and as well as Sochi in which he scored his first Formula 2 points.

    The Brit, has spent two years with HWA’s Formula 3 outfit in which he scored three wins and eight podiums across 2019 and 2020.

    He is currently the ROKiT Venturi Racing reserve driver in Formula E and is also the simulator driver for Mercedes’ F1 and championship-winning Formula E outfits.

    “I’m really excited to be racing with HWA RACELAB again this weekend,” Jake said. “It’s going to be an emotional weekend with the team as they make their final appearance in the championship – and having raced in both F3 and F2 with HWA since 2019 it’s going to be sad to see them depart. I’m hoping to end the season positively with the team and I always enjoy coming to Abu Dhabi. The changes to the circuit will hopefully make the racing more exciting and if we can end the weekend with more points on the board then it will be a successful outing!”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is great, we saw back in September that he got comfortable with the car and was able to score some points so maybe the same again this weekend? I’m looking forward to seeing what he does this weekend!

  • F2 Jeddah- Recap Day 2 & 3

    This now concludes round 7 of 2021, lets take a look at the two Sprint Races and the Feature Race in Saudi Arabia.

    Day 2-

    Sprint Race 1- Lawson and Armstrong lined up together on the front row which saw them go wheel to wheel heading into the first turn but it was Marcus Armstrong who led the the Sprint Race.

    We got to Turn 4 where we had a Safety Car as a collision ended Samaia and Sato’s race which was caused by Olli Caldwell tagging Samaia’s Charouz, Caldwell was then handed a 10 second time penalty for this collision, so not the best start for Caldwells first weekend in F2.

    By the end of Lap 3, the safety car headed into the pits but there was further drama going on as Championship challenger Zhou spun and found himself facing the wrong way which he then dropped to back of the grid.

    During this chaos Boschung pulled a move on Vips for P3 but this didn’t stop Vips as he came for Boschung to get back the final podium place. Boschung then started to loose speed and started to tumble down the order. The next retirement was Pourchaire as he lost control at Turn 22 and hit the wall which brought out a second safety car.

    The top 10 of the Sprint Race was: P1: Armstrong, P2: Lawson, P3: Vips, P4: Drugovich, P5: Daruvala, P6: Shwartzman, P7: Lundgaard, P8: Ticktum, P9: Piastri and P10: Viscaal. However Daruvala got a penalty which was added on at the end of the race which saw him finish P10, so he starts the second Sprint Race on pole position.

    Sprint Race 2:

    Daruvala knew what he had to do as soon as the lights went out, he kept P1 going into the first turn. However Trident driver, Viscaal was unable to hold onto 2nd and dropped two places behind Piastri and Lundgaard.

    Armstrong was looking to build on from his brilliant sprint race earlier on in the day, unfortunately it didn’t turn out that way, as he was an innocent bystander in a four car crunch which saw F2 newbie Clement Novalak, Alessio Deledda and Samaia all getting caught up in the collision and forced to finish their race there.

    After the Safety Car went in Piastri was very close to Daruvala. But the action behind them was still going on with Drugovich stealing P7 away from Vips. Vips wasn’t ready to give up that spot as he started to re claim the position but the Estonian driver got too close to the back of the Virtuosi car which saw his front wing be ripped off and become the fifth retirement of the race.

    Daruvala then got another five second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, as well as Lungaard handed the same punishment too. This didn’t stop Piastri though, he wanted to do this on track and not wait till the end of the race, and he did he took the lead of the race coming out of Turn 1 and built up a 1.5s gap.

    The race ended under the Safety Car due to Liam Lawson loosing the rear of his HiTech at Turn 13 where he spun into the barriers with two laps left, meaning the top 3 finishers from the first sprint race did not finish the second sprint.

    The top 10 of the Sprint Race 2 was: P1: Piastri, P2: Viscaal, P3: Shwartzman, P4: Ticktum, P5: Doohan, P6: Pourchaire, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Zhou, P9: Boschung and P10: Drugovich. With fastest lap going to Piastri.

    Day 3-

    Well, where do we even start, first of all the race was delayed due to replacing the concrete barrier at Turn 13 in which we saw Liam Lawson have a crash there in Sprint Race 2.

    Once we got going finally, the racing didn’t continue for long, as Theo Pourchaire stalled on the grid which led to a big accident involving himself and Enzo Fittipaldi which saw the race be red-flagged.

    Because of the first delay and then the red flag we finally went racing again but only 20 minutes + 1 lap, 10 minutes in we got a safety car which saw quite a few drivers take their mandatory pit stop including championship leader Oscar Piastri, but because of the crash which involved Olli Caldwell and Guilherme Samai. The race then got red-flagged and then decided the race would not continue.

    So half points would be awarded and they would take the grid positions from lap 5, which saw Oscar Piastri in 1st, Rober Shwartzman in 2nd and Ralph Boschung in 3rd.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Piastri, P2: Shwartzman, P3: Boschung, P4: Zhou, P5: Drugovich, P6: Vips, P7: Lundgaard, P8: Armstrong, P9: Lawson, P10: Ticktum.

    Oscar Piastri is still leading the championship with a gap of 51.5 points to his team-mate Shwartzman, we then have Guanyu Zhou in 3rd and Dan Ticktum in 4th. Prema have now won the teams championship for the second year in a row!

    The main thing we can take away from this weekend in F2 is that Theo Pourchaire and Enzo Fittipaldi are okay, even though Fittipaldi does have some injuries i’m looking forward to them returning to the race track.