From its name you might conclude that Formula Two was the
last step on the road to Formula One.
You would be wrong: Formula Two is a shadow of the series that existed
between the 1960s and 1980s and provided a route into Formula One for drivers
such as René Arnoux, Keke Rosberg and Carlos Reutemann. Since being resurrected
in 2009, no Formula Two driver has made it to Formula One, either directly or
indirectly. That will change at some point, as there have been some talented young drivers passing through Formula Two’s ranks, with the prize for winning the championship being
a test with Williams F1 team, while the second and third placed drivers will
receive GP2 tests, and all three receive an FIA Super Licence necessary to
compete in Formula One. As a result, it
is surely only a matter of time before the Formula One teams take on a Formula
Two graduate, and this will raise Formula Two’s profile on the motorsport
ladder.
One of Formula Two’s great advantages over other junior
series is its costs. While it is
difficult to gather exact costs for other series, it is generally believed that
a season in GP2 can cost upwards of £2 million and around £600,000 for Formula
3 Euro Series. By comparison, a season
in Formula Two costs only £225,000. This
cost reduction is made possible by being a single-make series without teams,
having the series promoter (MotorSport Vision) prepare the cars
This season the Formula Two car, the JPH1B, has been
upgraded to improve grip and handling.
For 2012 the car has new carbon fibre brakes, as well as switching from
Avon to Yokahama tyres. These upgrades
are expected to make the cars faster by around two seconds a lap.
Here are the drivers who are signed up to compete in this
season’s Formula Two championship:
2. James Cole
Last season was Cole’s debut in Formula Two, and he scored 6
points on his way to 20th in the championship. 2009’s British Formula Ford champion, Cole
should improve on last season’s performance now that he has experience at this
level.
I predict – 9th
4. Luciano Bacheta
Despite only entering four races in last season’s Formula
Two championship, Bacheta managed to score points in each race, an impressive
result, and testament to how quickly the Romford-born driver is able to learn a
new car. Bacheta has been 2006 T Cars
champion, third in 2007’s Formula Palmer Audi championship, and was runner-up
in Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup in 2010, and is one of the BRDC’s rising stars. Given that he seems to learn series fairly
quickly, he could be in with a chance of this season’s title.
I predict – 1st
5. Parthiva Sureshwaren
Parthiva Sureshwaren is something of a veteran in Formula
Two, with this being his third season in the series. Despite this, Sureshwaren has only ever
scored one point in Formula Two, this coming in his first season, so if he
manages to score points he can count this season as having been successful.
I predict – 18th
7. David Zhu
The first Chinese driver in Formula Two, Dai Wei Zhu, also known
as David, is a graduate of Formula Pilota China’s first season. As well as driving in Formula Two this
season, Zhu will act as an ambassador to raise the profile of Formula Two in
China. Scoring points would probably be
a good result for him this season.
I predict – 11th
8. Plamen Kralev
Bulgaria’s top driver, Plamen Kralev was something of a
latecomer to motorsport, beginning in 2007 at the age of 34. For the last two seasons he has been driving
in Formula Two, scoring two points.
There is no denying that Kralev has been a fantastic ambassador for
motorsport in Bulgaria, but his performances have been less than stellar.
I predict – 16th
9. Mihai Marinescu
Returning for his third season in the number 9 car,
Marinescu took one win at Monza last season on his way to 5th in the
championship. Marinescu drove in the GP2
Final in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season, so he might have been hoping to
attract enough sponsorship to get a drive in GP2 for this season, but instead
he is back in Formula Two. If he
continues the improvement he has shown he could be a title contender.
I predict – 3rd
10. Alex Fontana
Fontana is the reigning champion of European F3 Open (the old
Spanish Formula Three) and will make his debut in Formula Two this season. The Swiss driver has been showing good form
in testing, and now that he is a proven champion he should have the mettle to
pick up race wins and even challenge for the title.
I predict – 4th
11. Kourosh Khani
This season Formula Two has a very multinational grid, and
Kourosh Khani is no exception, representing Iran on Formula Two’s grid this
season. A graduate of Formula Renault
2.0, Khani will hopefully pick up some points and raise the profile of
motorsport in his native Iran this season.
I predict – 15th
12. Mathéo Tuscher
Mathéo Tuscher is shockingly young – still only 15 – and
already a champion, winning Formula Pilota China last season. This season he steps into Formula Two, and it
will be very interesting to see how quickly he is able to adapt to the car.
I predict – 10th
13. José Luis Abadín
Last year José Luis Abadín’s Formula Two season was broken
up by suffering gastroenteritis, causing him to miss the race at the
Nürburgring, and financial problems, causing him to miss the rounds at the Red
Bull Ring and Monza. Seemingly he has
sorted out his budget for this year and lines up again on the Formula Two
grid. Given that he only managed one
point last season he might expect to have another difficult season.
I predict – 13th
14. Mauro Calamia
Young Swiss driver Mauro Calamia drove in Formula Renault
2.0 Alps last year where he finished 10th. The 20-year-old got his first taste of
Formula Two in the tests at the end of last year. Given that he failed to top the charts then,
and has performed averagely in other series, he might struggle to get into the
points positions often.
I predict – 14th
18. Dino Zamparelli
One of the more exciting drivers joining Formula Two this
season, Dino Zamparelli is the reigning Formula Renault BARC champion. His result earned him a place as a finalist
in the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, which recognises young British driving
talent. A talented driver, Zamparelli
could well pick up some wins this season.
I predict – 5th
19. Christopher Zanella
When Christopher Zanella joined Formula Two last season he
had a great debut and was actually leading the championship following the
second round of the series. Following
that high, however, Zanella failed to win again, and after the fourth round at
the Nürburgring he did not even finish on the podium. As a result it is difficult to predict how
Christopher Zanella will perform this season.
If he uses his experience and performs like he did in the early stages
of last season he will be champion. If
his form from the end of last season continues as he struggles for confidence
he will be stuck in midfield.
I predict – 8th
20. Daniel McKenzie
In 2009 Daniel McKenzie was British Formula Three’s National
Class champion, but his move to Formula Renault 3.5 last season did not bring
success, as he failed to score a single point.
His performances in pre-season testing suggest that he will perform
better in Formula Two and could challenge for wins.
I predict - 6th
22. Axcil Jefferies
This season Axcil Jefferies will become the first African
driver to compete in the new Formula Two championship. With it having been two years since he last
drove competitively and Formula Two being a higher level than he has previously
competed at, Jefferies might struggle to make the points regularly.
I predict – 16th
27. Markus Pommer
While his career to date may not suggest that Markus Pommer
will blow the rest of the field away in Formula Two, in pre-season testing
Pommer has regularly been top of the timings charts, and if he can carry this
form into the season proper he will definitely be challenging for the title.
I predict – 2nd
35. Hector Hurst
Considering that last season was Hector Hurst’s first season
out of karting he was remarkably competitive against drivers who had more
experience in open-wheelers. That said,
perhaps instead of moving straight into Formula Two Hurst would have benefited
from a second season in Formula Renault BARC, where he might have been able to
use his experience to compete for the title.
While I can’t blame him for jumping at the opportunity to race in
Formula Two, I think he might find it difficult to match the more experienced
competitors in the series.
I predict – 12th
48. Dean Stoneman
We are very lucky just to have Dean Stoneman on the grid
this season. The 2010 Formula Two
champion, Stoneman seemed to be on the up-and-up and was looking forward to
making his debut in Formula Renault 3.5.
Then he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and instead of racing,
Stoneman’s life became about making a full recovery. Thankfully Stoneman is now able to get back
to competing, and will return to Formula Two.
It remains to be seen how Stoneman will perform after his illness, which
prevented him from training much of last season, but it’s great to see him
return.
I predict – 7th
No comments:
Post a Comment