THE LOST BOYS
It would be wrong to say the Formula 2 model is completely broken, as we can see from the career progression of Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but it’s clearly not fully delivering on its remit as F1’s feeder series.
Currently, the champion cannot stay for a second season to defend their title. The assumption behind this is they will move into F1 as a consequence of their victory. Only the 2022 winner, Felipe Drugovich, is racing in LMP2 and the 2023 champion, Théo Pourchaire, is competing part-time in Indycar.
Let’s also remember that the 2021 winner
Oscar Piastri spent a season on the sidelines before being signed by Mclaren in a tug-ofwar with Alpine and getting his chance in F1.
So what is causing the talent production line to clog up? It’s not due to a lack of talent. The biggest problem is a lack of available seats in F1 and a reluctance for older drivers to move on. Teams are also guilty of sticking with a tried and tested driver too, since they’re unable to complete enough testing days to properly assess talent. This is partly a consequence of F1 being cost-controlled, but also the belief that less testing makes for better racing because teams have less data.
As Bearman acknowledges, his time filling in for Sainz in Jeddah allowed him to showcase his skill to Haas and to convince the team to take a chance on him for 2025. Had he not been handed that opportunity, it’s not a given he would have been selected. So perhaps the F2 rules need to be relaxed and allow defending champions to remain in the series, but also young driver tests need to be more widely available for teams to conduct a proper assessment of young drivers. It’s clear that a few outings in FP1 is insufficient.