Formula 2 – Debrief of this 2022 season

The 2022 season was not excellent, however it was not bad either. The drivers gave everything they had to try to stand out. Let’s debrief this 2022 season.

Race record

On the same line as the Formula 1 world, we are treated to more meetings. This year, there were 14 rounds on the schedule. Therefore, we had a total of 28 races throughout the year. The only downside of this season is the wait between the penultimate meeting (Monza on September 9-11) and Abu Dhabi on November 18-20. Let’s get used to it because next year, the gap between the last two meetings will be even bigger.

A clear domination

We cannot compare Oscar Piastri’s domination in 2021 to Felipe Drugovich’s, because in 2021 the format of the meetings was different (8 meetings with 3 races each). But this year, just like in 2021, we can talk about a clear domination for the champion. Felipe Drugovich this year has achieved 5 victories, including 4 in the main race, and has stood on the podium 11 times out of the 24 races. This season, the Brazilian only retired twice, in Monaco and also in Monza (both times in the sprint race). Apart from an eleventh place in the main race in Austria, Felipe Drugovich has scored points in every race this season! This domination has been rewarded with the title of driver champion and also with the team championship with MP Motorsport. Since winning the title at Monza, the Brazilian has become a member of the Aston Martin academy and has become a development driver for the British team.

CAMPEÃO 🏆@FelipeDrugovich pic.twitter.com/bGbkCmq6P2

— MP Motorsport (@OfficialMPteam) September 10, 2022

The good students of this season.

– Théo Pourchaire: Can we say that the Frenchman had a good season? For our part, yes! At the beginning of the season, Théo Pourchaire is still 18 years old and despite his young age, he is already among the favorites for the championship title. This season, the ART GP driver has not been lucky with his mechanics, but the native of Grasse did not let it discourage him. He achieved 3 victories, all in feature races. He also achieved 7 podium finishes, 6 of which were in feature races as well. Qualifying was not his strong point this season, but Théo Pourchaire has demonstrated that he is an excellent driver. He becomes the Formula 2 vice-champion after also finishing second in Formula 3 in 2020.

– Liam Lawson: Second season for the New Zealander and he is also a title contender. However, his season has been a rollercoaster… He still finishes at a respectable third place in the standings. The Carlin driver secured 4 wins (all in sprint races) but, most importantly, he achieved 10 podium finishes, which cannot be overlooked. Liam Lawson and Logan Sargeant managed to bring Carlin to second place in the team championship. Next year, he will be heading to Japan for the Super Formula.

– Logan Sargeant: Incredible season for the rookie. He is the only driver to secure a spot in F1 for 2023. With his fourth place in the championship, he finishes as the top rookie and wins the Anthoine Hubert Trophy (succeeding Yuki Tsunoda and Oscar Piastri). The American has won 2 races and achieved 4 podium finishes. But the Williams Academy driver has especially finished in the points 20 times out of 24 races. His consistency paid off. He will be one to watch next year in F1 alongside former F2 driver, Alex Albon.

– Ayumu Iwasa: The rookie this season, the Japanese driver for Dams had a rough start to the season in Bahrain. Coming out of the pits for the qualifying session, he spun out with cold tires and had to start last for both races of the weekend. The next day, the Honda driver made a comeback and finished in eighth place in the sprint race. On Sunday, in the main race, he climbed up to seventh position before experiencing a mechanical issue… He later went on to win two main races and achieved 6 beautiful podium finishes.

– Jack Doohan: Another rookie who performed this season. The runner-up of F3 2021 has been one of the stars in qualifying this year. He secured 3 pole positions (one less than Drugovich). The Australian driver claimed 3 victories, including 2 in the main race. The Alpine Academy’s driver achieved 5 podium finishes. Jack Doohan almost single-handedly carried the Virtuosi team. The Piastri deal will be beneficial for him, as the son of the motorcycle champion was able to take part in two free practice sessions with Alpine.

Some drivers have also stood out this season, notably Enzo Fittipaldi with his Charouz. The Brazilian did not achieve any victories but secured 5 well-deserved podium finishes. In the same vein, we can mention Richard Verschoor who obtained 4 podiums, including 1 victory in the first race of the season. Jehan Daruvala, in his third Formula 2 season, achieved 8 podium finishes (6 of which were in sprint races) and a victory in the feature race at Monza. We can also talk about Dennis Hauger and Frederik Vesti, who both secured their first victories in the Formula 1 feeder series this season (one for Vesti, two for Hauger).

The flops

– Marcus Armstrong: Third season in the Formula 1 feeder series for the New Zealander… and third time finishing the season in thirteenth position… No progress for the Kiwi, despite securing three victories in two sprint races. He was only able to achieve one other podium finish (a third place in the Monaco sprint race). Certainly, Marcus Armstrong (and Hitech GP) has often been struck by bad luck, but some of his mistakes have cost him dearly this season. Next year, we will have to see him on the other side of the pond in Indycar.

– Juri Vips: Let’s talk about the sport side. It’s hardly better than the previous one, which is none other than his teammate. This year, nothing went well for the Estonian. He will finish this 2022 season in eleventh position with “only” 4 podiums and 1 victory in the sprint race at Monza. The outcome is disappointing for a driver who could have been in the title race. End of Formula 2 for the former Red Bull Junior Team driver, heading (probably) to Indycar next year.

– Clément Novalak: Unfortunately, the Frenchman’s results were not good for this season. Considering he finished the 2021 Formula 3 season in third place, more was expected from Clément. Especially since he was part of the team that won the team championship (MP Motorsport). There are probably reasons for this, and we should not doubt Novalak’s talent. Nonetheless, he did manage to secure a podium with a second-place finish in the sprint race at Zandvoort. Next year, the situation will be different as Novalak returns to Trident, with whom he excelled in Formula 3.

And also …

– Penalties points: This season, there has been a record number of drivers suspended for a race meeting… Three drivers received 12 penalty points on their license… Amaury Cordeel suspended for England, Roy Nissany for Monza, and Olli Caldwell for Belgium. Many penalty points were given due to “Track limits”… The drivers found this unfair, stating that points should only be given for dangerous driving. There should be a change in this rule next year.

– Mechachrome: Bad season for the only engine manufacturer present in Formula 2. Many engine failures or technical issues. The Mechachrome engine did not meet expectations this season. The lack of reliability has cost several drivers a lot of points. Some drivers/teams have complained about the engine manufacturer’s lack of reliability… and we can only agree with them when we see the costs of a season exceeding €2 million, excluding tax, per driver. A call for proposals has been launched by F2/F3 for new engines starting from 2024.

See you next year…