If you want to see who the next stars of F1 are going to be, your best bet is to watch Formula 2. Not only does it give you an insight into the next generation of racing talent, it’s also quite often more exciting than the F1 action. The likes of Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri all graduated to F1 as champions of this junior series, will one of these drivers do the same in 2024?
As you might expect, challenging for a title in F2 normally means the professional ranks of motorsport are not that far away, so it’s not unusual for championship contenders to move on whether or not they were successful. In the case of the F2 champion, the rules of the series dictate they are unable to compete again in the following season.
Theo Porchaire took the 2023 F2 title, and in the absence of an F1 opportunity, he has switched to the Japanese Super Formula championship, while his main rival Frederik Vesti is yet to announce plans for the new season.
Reigning F3 champion Gabriel Bortoleto is the obvious first call. The Brazilian McLaren junior driver dominated the third tier of single seater racing in 2023, claiming nearly 40 per cent more points than his nearest rival. That kind of performance, in only his first season in the championship, has led to a step up to Invicta Virtuosi Racing – the team that has run the likes of Callum Ilott and Zhou Guanyu in F2.
Also stepping up are the next four in the 2023 F3 standings. Runner up Zak O’Sullivan joins ART, the F3 championship runner up had a poor second half of his 2023 season, so will be hoping the move from Prema to ART will help him rediscover his form. Franco Colapinto stays with MP as he moves to F2, Paul Aaron joins Hitech and Pepe Marti steps up with Campos.
The other rookie with all eyes on him will be Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian was snapped up by Mercedes for its junior team last year and has been catapulted straight up to F2 from his Formula Regional campaigns in 2023. Missing the F3 step isn’t common, and will put pressure on him to learn fast. But there can’t be a much better place to go than Prema.
Perhaps the most intriguing rookie for 2024 will be Ritomo Miyata. The Toyota junior driver moves into the single seater ladder as the double Super Formula and Super GT champion. Only the fifth person ever to complete that brace, he also defeated Red Bull driver Liam Lawson on his way to Super Formula honours.
The final rookie for 2024 will be Paraguayan Joshua Dürksen. The 20-year-old joins PHM direct from a few unremarkable seasons in Formula Regional.
Oliver Bearman will expect to be a strong title contender. Still only 18, only Vesti won more races than the Briton in what was a stellar rookie season beset at times by some misfortune. The stability of remaining at Prema can only do the Ferrari junior good.
Fellow 2023 race winners, Enzo Fittipaldi (VAR) Dennis Hauger (MP) Jak Crawford (DAMS) and Richard Verschoor (Trident) all return as well, hoping to build on progress from last season. They are joined by Zane Maloney, Juan Manuel Correa, Kush Maini, Isack Hadjar and Amaury Cordeel in returning to FIA F2 for 2024.
Perhaps surprisingly multiple-champion ART hasn’t filled the seat alongside Zak O’Sullivan, although we would expect to see Victor Martins return after a promising first season in F2. Van Amersfoort Racing, Trident and PHM are also yet to announce their finalised driver line-ups.
Team |
Drivers |
ART Grand Prix |
1. Zak O’Sullivan 2. Victor Martins |
Prema Racing |
3. Andrea Kimi Antonelli 4. Oliver Bearman |
Rodin Motorsport |
5. Zane Maloney 6. Ritomo Miyata |
DAMS |
7. Jak Crawford 8. Juan Manuel Correa |
Invicta Racing |
9. Gabriel Bortoleto 10. Kush Maini |
MP Motorsport |
11. Dennis Hauger 12. Franco Colapinto |
Van Amersfoort Racing |
14. Enzo Fittipaldi 15. Rafael Villagómez |
Hitch |
16. Paul Aaron 17. Amaury Cordeel |
Campos Racing |
20. Isack Hadjar 21. Pepe Marti |
Trident |
22. Richard Verschoor 23. Roman Staněk |
PHM Racing |
24. Joshua Dürksen 25. Taylor Barnard |
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.
F2
F2 2024
Drivers and Teams
Race
Modern