Formula 2 also makes its big return this weekend in Austria

Like Formula 1, Formula 2 has also taken its time and adapted its calendar. It was decided to align as much as possible with the 2020 calendar of the top category. F2 will therefore accompany F1 at eight events starting with the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, until the Italian Grand Prix on September 5 and 6.

However, the F2 organizers do not want the championship to stop at Monza; they hope to continue the season in Europe. Tracks like Mugello or Imola in Italy, as well as Portimao in Portugal, could host F2 this fall.

Transfers and newcomers

Regarding the drivers, there were many transfers this summer.

Among the drivers competing in F2 last year, eight of them are changing teams.

– Le pilote Français Giuliano Alesi quitte Trident pour BWT HWA Racelab, l’ancienne écurie d’Anthoine Hubert.

– Marino Sato rejoint l’écurie Trident après son passage en 2019 chez Campos.

– Callum Ilott quitte Sauber Junior Team pour rejoindre UNI Virtuosi Racing.

– Sean Gelael quitte l’écurie Préma Racing pour l’écurie française Dams.

– Le Suisse Louis Délétraz quitte Carlin pour Charouz Racing System.

– Nobuhara Matsushita quitte Carlin pour l’écurie MP Motorsport.

– Nikita Mazepin part de l’écurie française Art Grand Prix.

– Luca Ghiotto quitte Uni Virtuosi Racing pour Hitech Grand Prix.

Some of these drivers will serve as veterans this year; indeed, the Japanese Nobuhara Matsushita and the Indonesian Sean Gelael will begin their sixth season in F2. Meanwhile, the Italian Luca Ghiotto, a title contender last year, will start his 5th season in the F1 feeder series. Former Renault program protegé, Jack Aitken will begin his 3rd season, this time with the support of Williams. The ultimate veteran will be the Russian driver Artem Markelov (116 races and 9 victories) who will start his 7th season in Formula 2.

The Formula 2 championship will welcome many new drivers this year. Some are more inexperienced while others are already aiming for the top positions.

– Robert Shwartzmann, champion de F3 l’an passée intégrera l’écurie Prema Racing au côté de Mick Schumacher.

– Marcus Armstrong, arrivé second l’année dernière en F3 intégrera l’écurie française Art Grand Prix.

– Christian Lundgaard fera lui aussi ses débuts en F2 chez Art Grand Prix.

– Guilherme Samaia commencera dans l’écurie Campos Racing.

– Yuki Tsunoda également issu de la F3, fera ses débuts chez Carlin

– Jehan Daruvala sera quant à lui lancé en F2 chez Carlin.

– Pedro Piquet, fils du célèbre triple champion du monde de formule 1 Nelson Piquet, fera ses débuts chez Charouz Racing System.

– L’ancien protégé de la filière Red Bull Junior team, Dan Ticktum est engagé en F2 avec l’écurie DAMS.

– Felipe Drugovitch fera ses débuts chez MP Motorsport.

Mick Schumacher, son of the seven-time German F1 champion, will have a lot to contend with this year, as he will be teammates with Russian Robert Shwartzman, a driver from the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) and the reigning F3 champion.

Another rookie duel to closely follow will be between New Zealander Marcus Armstrong, FDA driver, and Danish driver Christian Lundgaard, Renault protégé. They will make their debut in a top team, Art Grand Prix, which last year led its driver Nyck de Vries to the F2 championship title.

If some drivers are making their debut in F2, others will need to confirm or raise their level if they ever want to join Formula 1. Mick Schumacher, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, will indeed need to show this year that he has the strength to hope to one day reach F1.

Another driver who will be closely watched is the Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou, a Renault protégé, who is still signed with the English team UNI-Virtuosi, second in the 2019 Formula 2 championship. Although he is only starting his second season in F2, all eyes will be on him because his name is on the shortlist of drivers who could replace Daniel Ricciardo at Renault.

We should therefore expect a condensed season but rich in battles given the stakes present this year.

Note that F2 sees the appearance of a new team: Hitech Grand Prix, which has been participating in F3 since 2016. On the other hand, Charouz Racing System takes over from the Sauber Junior Team. Finally, BWT Arden becomes BWT HWA Racelab for this 2020 season.

The new features in F2 for the 2020 season

The single-seater equipped with the Dallara chassis will remain the same as last year’s, as will the engine, a 620 horsepower 3.4L V6 Mecachrome.

The novelty will come from the tires and rims, as the F2 is introducing 18-inch rims in single-seaters. This year will serve as a test for the Italian manufacturer Pirelli, which is expected to logically bring its 18-inch rims to F1 by 2022.

This innovation introduced to the F2 could be a major advantage for the drivers involved if they move up to F1 in the future. Indeed, although visually the car seems very close to last year’s, technically these new rims will pose a new challenge for the drivers. The settings will be completely different from those used last year.

Finally, following the accident and death last year in Belgium of French driver Anthoine Hubert, the FIA paid tribute to him by retiring his number, 19.