The FIA ‘pathway’ from karting to Formula One was completed in 2017 with the rebranding of the GP2/3 series and the creation of F2 as the second tier of single seater racing category below F1. Yet it remains a mystery why the winner of this championship doesn’t not always get an opportunity at motorsport’s top table.

The ladder worked well for Charles Leclerc who won the inaugural F2 title in 2017 and for George Russell who repeated the feat a year later. Then 2019 winner Nyck de Vries failed to make the leap and was forced to consider other forms of racing.

The young Dutch driver did get his opportunity with Alpha Tauri but high expectations followed by disappointing results saw De Vries replaced by Daniel Ricciardo after just ten race weekends of the 2023 season.

 

 

 

F2 champions not guaranteed F1

Next up to claim the F2 title was Mick Schumacher followed by Oscar Piastri, both making it into Formula One, but now for the son of the legendary German driver it appears his days in the spotlight are over.

2022’s F2 winner was Brazilian Felipe Drugovitch who remains on the sidelines as Aston Martin’s test/reserve driver and last year’s champion has made cameo appearances in this season’s Indycar championship.

While champions are not making the step up to Formula One, others who have never claimed the F3 or F2 titles are in fact making the grade. Brendon Hartley found his way into the Toro Rosso team after winning Le Mans but prior to this he had a woeful record in GP2.

Marcus Ericsson was another to find his way into F1 despite having a GP2 record which saw him no higher than eight in three seasons. The Swedish driver rattled around towards the bottom of the pile for Sauber before leaving for North America’s premier single seater racing category – Indycar – where he won the ‘greatest spectacle in motor racing’, The Indy500.

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Bearman junior results less than spectacular

Zhou Guangyu and Yuki Tsunoda are examples of current F1 drivers who failed to make the top step of the junior international championships. And after three seasons with Sauber it appears the end of the road is nigh for the Chinese driver.

Haas F1 have recruited Oliver Bearman for next season and his junior formula category results also don’t look so rosy. He won a European regional F4 title but his international results in F3 saw him with a best finish of P3 and he currently lies thirteenth in this year’s F2 championship.

Liam Lawson, who if Dr. Helmut Marko is to be believed, will be in F1 for 2025 has a best of P3 in his F2 career although his five races deputising for Daniel Ricciardo last year suggest he is good enough to compete in motorsport’s premier racing series.

Now Williams, who have persisted with Logan Sargeant for longer than they should, have replaced him with their academy driver, Franco Colapinto, for the final nine race weekends this year. The young Argentinian currently lies 6th in the F2 standings.

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Is the FIA ‘ladder’ doing its job?

Williams rejected Mick Schumacher presumably on the basis that during his time at Haas F1 he caused a similar amount of damage and cost to the team as Sargeant has done. Their preferred choice of Liam Lawson came with strings attached from Red Bull who wanted a clause in the deal that ensured the New Zealander could be recalled to either V-CARB or Red Bull if required before the end of the year.

Mercedes too appear set to bring in their academy driver, Kimi Antonelli, to replace Lewis Hamilton. The Italian is in his first year of international competition and is currently P6 in the F2 standings.

This begs the question, does the FIA’s international formula racing series really provide a certain route for the best drivers to find themselves in F1?

Williams decision to promote Colapinto rested on whether he qualified for an F1 super license or not. The FIA regulations clearly state that a driver must accumulate 40 points over a three year period to qualify.  The governing body have established a ranking system where super license points are distributed for differing racing classes and the corresponding finishing position in that championship.

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‘Exceptions’ required for Colapinto Super license

Yet on this basis Colapinto falls short of the required target of 40 points, however the FIA has made an exception around the Covid-19 pandemic. If 2021 is part of the three year evaluation period the motorsport federation will take the best results from three of the last four years.

While the Covid years didn’t affect Colapinto’s potential for approval, his 2022 season driving in the Asian F3 series means his total for the past three completed seasons is just 27.5. By dropping 2023 and including his 2020 results which include the Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series, this brings Franco’s total to 41.5 points.

With Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll signing multi-year deals this season, any full time future for the winner of the 2022 F2 title looks bleak. Last season’s champion Theo Pourchaire currently holds the role of test driver for Sauber, yet with Audi set to take over the operation his future in F1 is not guaranteed.

In fact Pourchaire found favour with the Indycar team Arrow McLaren and has completed six weekends with the team powered by Chevrolet claiming a best finish of tenth in Detroit before the summer break.

Colapinto finds himself in the unfortunate position of becoming a substitute driver for Williams but with no prospect of a contract for next season. With Carlos Sainz joining the team alongside Alex Albon, team boss James Vowles has clearly set out his stall, and it does not include promoting young drivers on a full time basis.

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Ex-Red Bull Chief Designer responsible for McLaren turnaround

Formula One land is at times an incestuous place to be. With seven of the teams based in England’s motorsport corridor the opportunity to move from one organisation to another and progress sees a constant ebb and flow of employees between the teams.

Much was made of the fact that Mercedes fall from grace was due to a ‘brain drain,’ something both Toto Wolff and Mercedes technical director, James Allison, have both refuted.

Speaking to F1’s Beyond the grid podcast Allison addresses the topic head on suggesting the ‘brain drain’ narrative about Mercedes in the media is in fact a propaganda effort from the team’s rivals… READ MORE