Formula 2 F2 2019

[F1Brits_90]

F2 series for 2019 starts this weekend which has taken me by surprise because it is earliest start to a F2 season since 2012 as the it normally starts around mid april or like 2016 start of may. if your fortunate to have sky sports F1, i cant recommend higher to watch because you get to see the next generation first before anyone, as on the current grid ive seen Pierre Gasly, Antonio Giovinazzi, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris & Alex Albon all racing in F2 then pre me you have Valterri Bottas (Gp3), Nico Hulkenburg, Romain Grosjean & Sergio Perez have all come through the feeder series. but also because racing is regularly very entertaining, I always the last few windows that F2 is almost being the highlight of GP weekend for me over main attraction F1. if you got time try to catch the highlights of the 2015 Baku F2 round it was amazing & my race of 2016

Spoiler

apart from the fact that none of the top 6 that started, scored points. but Giovinazzi started 8th Gasly started 18th & had a epic battle in the closing laps for the victory

this year we have got more stable rules unlike 2018 which was 1 of the biggest overhauls probally in the series history. with the halo. new engines & new cars

Leaving the series

• Front Runners Russian time left the championship after 6 years In F2/GP2. They were sold to Virtuosi Racing & The new entry will compete under the name UNI-Virtuosi Racing
• Lando Norris left Carlin, has been promoted to F1 & Joined McLaren
• Alex Albon left Dams has been promoted to F1 & Joined Toro Rosso
• Nirei Fukuzumi moved to the Super Formula Championship
• Maximilian Günther has left to joined Formula E with Dragon Racing
• George Russell has left because his move to Williams & also Reigning champions are forbidden from defending their titles
• Artem Markelov Left Russian Time to compete in the Super Formula Championship;
  Tadasuke Makino left Russian Time to compete in the Super Formula Championship;
• Arjun Maini who got pole position in the 1st race then did nothing left Trident to join European Le Mans Series.
• Antonio Fuoco left Charouz to be Ferrari F1Test driver.

Moving teams

• Sergio Sette Camara left Carlin to replace Alexander Albon at DAMS
• Nyck de Vries, who left Prema Racing to join ART
• Jack Aitken has also left Prema to Join Campos Racing
• Dorian Boccolacci left MP Motorsport, joining Campos Racing
• Ralph Boschung left MP Motorsport Joining Trident
• Luca Ghiotto Moving from Campos to UNI-Virtuosi.
  
• Louis Delétraz left Charouz to join Carlin

New & returning drivers

• Anthoine Hubert & Tatiana Calderón Graduated from GP3 & joined Arden
• Nikita Mazepin Graduated from GP3 & Joined ART as De Vries Teammate
• Guanyu Zhou graduated from the now defunct F3 Championship, joining UNI-Virtuosi.
• Matsushita returns to F2 & Carlin after a year spent racing in the Super Formula
• Giuliano Alesi moves from GP3 to F2, but stays with Trident
• Jordan King surprisingly returns to MP Motorsport alongside his IndyCar Commitments
• Mahaveer Raghunathan will partner Jordan King at MP Motorsport
• Callum Ilott & Juan Manuel Correa joined the series From F3 & GP3, both signing with Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
• Highest Profile of all Mick Schumacher also graduates from the now defunct F3 Championship & Joins Prema

Other news

• Arden International entered into a partnership with HWA Racelab.
  
• Charouz formed a partnership with Sauber Motorsport, which runs Alfa F1 team although the partnership is not linked they say with the F1 team but with Ferrari academy driver callum iliot, i have my concerns how much truth is there

2018 F2 calendar
29-31 March: Bahrain
26-28 April : Azerbajian
10-12 May: Spain
22-25 May: Monaco
21-23 June: France
28-30 June: Austria
12-14 July: Britain
2-4 August: Hungary
30 Aug - 1 Sept: Belgium
6 - 8 Sept: Italy
27-29 Sept: Russia
29 Nov - 1 Dec: Abu Dhabi

this is a big year as well for quite a few drivers, Big pressure on Mick Schumacher, Tatiana Calderon, Nick de vries Sergio Sette Camara, Nicholas Latifi & Calum Illott. now time for usually predictions & we all know how good I am at them. my title favourites

Nick De Vries - after a poor season in F2 last year & if he doesnt win the F2 title you wonder if F1 dream will die & be dropped from the McLaren junior programme

Mick Schumacher - With Prema team who are 1 of the big guns in F2, has impressed winning the F3 title last season winning 8 of 12 Gps between end of july & end of sept. also with the name he automatically becomes a title favourite

Calum Illott - Big British Hope did well in Gp3, he's hopefully he got an outside shot at this

Anthione Hubert - cant say I know of him but from stats finishes on the podium 11 times of 16 he finished. Has to be included considering that the last 2 reigning GP3 champions. Charles Leclerc & George Russell has successfully won the F2 title & graduated to F1. but only downside for him is he graduates to F1 in 2020 he will be nearly 24 which is quite old for F1 many drivers have start & been dropped by then

 

[RasputinLives]

Love that the F2 is back however I have to have a rant on this subject I'm afraid.

We all thought that the Sauber name was dead right? Wrong! It's now the new name for the Cherouz team in F2 and the new F3 as well. Why so? We'll Cherouz were a Ferrari backed junior team who have now become even more backed. Due to the fact the cars aren't running Ferrari engines they can't have the Ferrari or the Alfa name so they've gone for Sauber as they now own that name too. This creates a direct line from F3 to F1 for Ferrari academy drivers. This is nothing new - Renault have DAMs doing the same thing. Also moving in to the market on this are Mercedes. HWA (Mercs satalite team) are entering into F3 this year and I'll bet my wife's underwear they have an F2 team next year after they stop running an FE team. Red Bull currently have nothing along these lines but do insist any academy driver they have runs in full Red Bull livery.

Now what's wrong with this I hear you ask? What's the issue? Well the issue is that it creates a system where it is even harder for the none 'selected' driver to get into F1. It used to be if you won F2 or F3 you were pushing for an F1 slot but now if you're not in a junior system because you haven't got the right sponsors, parents, look or impressed the right scout then it really doesn't matter what you win.

*Sigh*

Anyways I'll still enjoy the F2. Good right up F1Brits_90

 

[F1Brits_90]

thank you, i used the template from last yr & great to keep up to date myself. i was surprised myself that Dan Ticktum considering he was the 2 time reigning macau gp champion, 2nd in F3 last yr til he fell away & is next in line for toro rosso seemingly has gone to Super Formula. did he feel that another defeat to Mick Schumacher might be too damaging after last season but you'd think he would want to be in F1 paddock & F1 teams conscious. considering every F2 race is on in every teams hospitality area. they all watch the good & bad. why albon got a seat Ferruci had to go to America where they are oblivious to european racing (ie rosenquist) & noone would touch him with a barge pole

Now what's wrong with this I hear you ask? What's the issue? Well the issue is that it creates a system where it is even harder for the none 'selected' driver to get into F1. It used to be if you won F2 or F3 you were pushing for an F1 slot but now if you're not in a junior system because you haven't got the right sponsors, parents, look or impressed the right scout then it really doesn't matter what you win.

of course its the hamilton & vettel effect both drivers that were funded through the ranks. so of course everyone going to replicate itbut i guess this comes as majority of issues comes to unsustainable budgets. where now the size of the wallet is far more important than the size of the talent. which i why i was & do root for albon because it was a refreshing change. That after his 1 race deal. the f2 team that took talent over budget & same with Toro rosso this season. but budget was always a bonus but no we have upper midfield teams that consider it necessities hopefully the extra budget the midfield teams will get bring the gap from 140m to 50m i think racing point get extra 30m they are able to get a chance.

but it is scary the drivers in history that wouldve struggled to make F1 in modern era. Webber Mansell Hill Coulthard & Button. that 1089 races 90 wins & 3 world championship

 

[RasputinLives]

F1Brits_90 just to confirm your suspicions on the silly claims that the Sauber F2 team is not linked to the F1 team the other driver - Juan Manuel Correa - has been announced as Alfa Romeo's development driver.

https://wtf1.com/post/f2-driver-juan-manuel-correa-joins-alfa-romeo-as-development-driver/

They are not really fooling anyone are they?

 

[F1Brits_90]

yeah how stupid do they think we are, Ferrari academy driver & Alfa development driver. but they were chosen completely on merit. yeah right same as the F1 team we arent a B team but we have Ferrari engines, with an ex Ferrari driver & current Ferrari academy driver. it takes a lot to fool us

 

[F1Brits_90]

Bahrain F2: Ghiotto tops first qualifying of 2019

Luca Ghiotto is on pole for the season opener who came from GP3 with a big reputation but its never worked out in F2 last 2 years

2nd Louis Deletraz who is a big surprise as he made up the numbers mostly. 17th & 10th only been on podium twice in 2 yrs

3rd Nyck de Vries. championship fav

Mick Schumacher was 10th & Reigning/Final GP3 champion Anthoine Hubert 11th. i was going to type but not all is lost because look at leclerc & russell they struggled went on to win the title but in 2017 leclerc took the 1st 5 poles & last season the top 3 in qualifying in 1st 2 rounds was eventual top 3 in the championship

 

[Ruslan]

Hey, I see one American driver on the grid, Juan Manuel Correa, born in Quito. Can't say I know anything about him.

 

[RasputinLives]

He's been European based since 2016 but hardly set the world alight. Couple of wins in Italian F4 and that's it. Now an Alfa development driver though.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Spoiler

Schumacher on (reverse grid) pole tomorrow morning as much as things change as much as they stay the same

 

[Ruslan]

Well,

He's been European based since 2016 but hardly set the world alight. Couple of wins in Italian F4 and that's it. Now an Alfa development driver though.

Well, I gather his claim to fame was that he was a competitive teammate to David Beckmann, and when Beckmann changed teams in the middle of 2018, he started winning races.

 

[RasputinLives]

So going to be a funny one in F2 this year. The last two season saw an influx of top quality talent which promptly left. This year's influx (Schmacher, Hubert, Mazapan) is good but not supreme which has meant some of the drivers who have been around a few years have been shuffled back to the front. The likes of Ghioto, De Vries, and Deletraz had supreme junior careers prior to being bogged down in F2 and now have a chance to shine again. Latefi is very much the Jolyon Palmer of this year's crop.

It's going to be a great season of action which I look forward to watching but unless your last name is Schumacher or your dad has shares in a team (Latefi) I don't see any of them getting to F1.

On another note I'm a big fan of Jack Aitkin.

 

[F1Brits_90]

after a few rounds I thought id provide a update & that up to now 1 of 2 biggest surprises is the form of Nicolas latifi, he was poor last season more often he was in back half of the field only managed 1 feature race podium all season finishing 121pts behind his teammate albon. but in the 1st 3 round he has 3 wins & 4 podiums already. with 30pts lead looks a strong contender. Luca ghiotto 2nd who has refound his lower formula form that promises so much. nick de vries fresh from his parting from McLaren is 3rd if performances have been a bit underwhelming (as I type this just to prove me wrong he goes, takes the pole for Monaco feature race by quarter of a second ) & Jack Aitken who ive been impressed by looks like he has great pace & could challenge for the title

but the 2nd of the surprises that I mentioned above is mick Schumacher struggling only on 14pts in 12th as I said in my season preview with Prema team who are 1 of the F2 big guns, impressed winning the F3 title last season, with the name he automatically becomes a title favourite. but hes either not ready yet or seemingly still getting used to the car as he only has 8th 6th & 5th to his name of note

also a mention for the 2nd british hope In calum illot as he will start from the front row for tomorrow morning feature race in monte carlo

 

[F1Brits_90]

also looking on my accuweather app. its could be worth watching F2 if they are correct with this forecast.

 

[F1Brits_90]

you couldn't make it up, Mick Schumacher crashing at rascasse bring out red flag. must run in family

 

[Angel]

I see young Mick Schumacher has taken his first F2 win then. Good for him. The picture that went with the story I read shows him looking so like his father. I am really hoping he does well and ends up in F1, it will be nice to see the name Schumacher back there again. Well done Mick!!

 

[Titch]

His Mum looked delighted by his win.

 

[RasputinLives]

I'm enjoying the racing in F2 this year but not impressed with the quality of the field. I like Jack Atkin but don't think he's a world beater, Latefi has bought the Williams seat next year and Mick Schumacher will end up in F1 somehow because his name is Schumacher but the rest will prob dissapear eventually I reckon.

 

[Johnny Carwash]

RIP Anthione Hubert.

 

[F1Brits_90]

i was holiday in the last round so i cant comment on his victory as i saw nothing. but i worry that Schumacher isnt as good as people want him to be. but 2nd yr in F2 will be the test as he must be championship challenger. because russell norris leclerc all had 1 season in F2 didnt need a warm up
---------------------------
i wish i was doing this under better circumstances but they had a nasty crash in F2. I didn't see it live because i was following blades away to chelsea. but when you see a tweet from official F2 says race cancelled because of incident in 1st sector. i feared 1 thing zonta at eau rouge.

just out of respect. as i posted before i heard news

former motorsport journalists retweeted a fan video who was just getting a eau rouge video as we all would caught the crash. it was very nasty one. because my feared were correct 1 of drivers did a zonta lost control over the top, which is bad enough & difference is that on lap 2 when you bounce back off tyre barriers there oncoming cars. other helpless to avoid him & smashed into him, bit like billy few yrs ago

edit - i thought id hide the description out of respect. considering the news. so no one is forced to read the description

 

[F1Brits_90]

correct decision