I attempt to predict the Drivers’ Standings for the 2023 Formula 2 Championship. This championship can be so tight and it’s a pretty stacked field this year so it’s going to be tough to predict correctly.
P22: Brad Benavides
Brad Benavides is entering his first season in Formula 2 and he really doesn’t have a particularly good junior formula career. Brad’s best-ever championship finish was only 13th in Euroformula Open Championship (2021). In his only season in Formula 3, Benavides finished 23rd in the championship and he only picked up 3 points (8th in the Belgium Sprint). It’s fair to say that Brad is probably going to struggle this season.
P21: Roy Nissany
Roy Nissany is about to enter his fifth season in Formula 2 and he’s only ever finished on the podium once (Monaco 2021). Roy’s best-ever championship finish was fourth in the 2016 Formula V8 3.5 Series. When it comes to Formula 2, Nissany has driven in 4 seasons and his highest championship finish is only 16th place (2021). The Israeli driver is also a test driver for Williams Racing, but it’s fair to say that he isn’t the greatest prospect that the team have ever seen.
P20: Amaury Cordeel
I think Amaury Cordeel could struggle to keep up with the high-quality F2 field this season. Amaury has definitely had a bit more success than the two previous drivers as he won the 2018 F4 Spanish Championship. When it comes to Formula 2, Cordeel has competed in 1 season (2022) and he finished 17th in the championship. To be fair to Amaury, he scored all of his points at the last 3 race weekends. I think Amaury is an ok driver, but this field is just too competitive for him.
P19: Kush Maini
Kush Maini is a 22-year-old Indian racing driver who’s about to compete in his first season in Formula 2. Kush’s best-ever championship finish came in 2020, where he came 2nd in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship. In his only season in Formula 3, Maini finished 14th in the championship with 1 podium (P3 in the Hungary Sprint). I think it would be unfair to say that Kush is a poor driver, but moving up a category after finishing just 14th in the championship is a bit questionable.
P18: Juan Manuel Correa
After a horror crash at Spa in 2019, Juan Manuel Correa is finally back on the Formula 2 grid. Juan Manuel’s best-ever championship finish came in 2018, where he finished 4th in the Toyota Racing Series. When it comes to Formula 2, Correa has driven 18 races and picked up 2 podiums in that time. I’m really happy to see Juan Manuel back on the Formula 2 grid as he’s worked so hard to get there and he’s done a solid job in F3. However, like Kush Maini, he was only in the middle of the pack in Formula 3 so I can’t see him being particularly high up in the championship standings come Abu Dhabi.
P17: Roman Stanek
Roman Stanek is about to enter his first season in FIA Formula 2. Roman’s best-ever championship finish was P4 in the 2019 ADAC Formula 4 Championship. When it comes to Formula 3, Stanek participated in the series for three years, winning 1 race and having a best championship finish of P5 (2022). I think the 18-year-old deserves a bit of credit because he really stepped up his game last year, however, he needed to step up even more if he was to be considered as someone that could be fighting further up the field.
P16: Ralph Boschung
Ralph Boschung is about to enter his 6th season in Formula 2. Ralph’s best-ever championship came in 2012, where he finished 5th in the Formula BMW Talent Cup. When it comes to Formula 2, Boschung has raced a total of 95 races and he’s finished in third place 4 times. His best championship finish was 10th (2021). To have been in F2 as long as Ralph has and to not pick up either a win or a pole position isn’t particularly great. I think he’ll be around the same place he always is (besides 2021).
P15: Richard Verschoor
Richard Verschoor is hoping for his best season yet after two mid-table finishes in Formula 2. Richard was actually quite successful in 2016, winning both the SMP F4 Championship and the F4 Spanish Championship. When it comes to Formula 2, Verschoor has driven in two seasons and his best championship finish was P11 (2021). He’s also managed two sprint victories (Silverstone 2021, Bahrain 2022). I think Richard is a solid, midfield driver in Formula 2. My only concern for him is the fact that this year's grid is a lot more competitive than in the seasons that he has competed in.
P14: Jak Crawford
The man with the same birth date as me enters his first season in FIA Formula 2. Jak’s best-ever championship finish was P2 in both the 2018 NACAM Formula 4 Championship and the 2020 ADAC Formula 4 Championship. When it comes to Formula 3, Crawford participated in the series for two seasons, winning 1 race (Austria Sprint 2022) and having a highest championship finish of 7th. I think Jak did a good enough job in F3 last year to be on the Formula 2 grid for 2023. However, I’m just not sure if Jak’s going to be able to fight for a top-10 spot in the championship this year. He is one of six Red Bull Junior Drivers competing in F2 this year and in my opinion, he’s the weakest.
P13: Arthur Leclerc
Arthur Leclerc comes into 2023 ready to compete in his first season in Formula 2. Arthur’s best-ever championship finish actually came last year, where he was able to win the Formula Regional Asian Championship. When it comes to Formula 3, Leclerc participated in the series for two seasons, winning 3 races and having a highest championship finish of 6th. There is obviously a lot of pressure on Arthur Leclerc, he’s a Ferrari Academy Driver and his brother is the main man at the Scuderia. However, he has to try and ignore that and build on what was the best year of his racing career.
P12: Clement Novalak
Clement Novalak enters his second full season in Formula 2 hoping for an improvement on last year's results. Clement’s best-ever championship finish came in 2019, where he was crowned the BRDC British Formula 3 Champion. When it comes to Formula 2, Novalak has driven in 34 races and he’s picked up 1 podium (Dutch Sprint 2022). His highest championship finish was P14 last season. If you look at Novalak’s Formula 3 results, he finished 12th in his first season and third in his second season which shows he is very good at making improvements in his second year. I expect him to do this again, but I just think the field is too strong this year for him to make significant gains.
P11: Jehan Daruvala
Jehan Daruvala is about to enter his fourth season in Formula 2, but it will be the first time without Red Bull backing. Jehan’s best-ever championship finish was second in the 2016 Toyota Racing Series. When it comes to Formula 2, Daruvala has driven in 74 races and he’s picked up 4 wins. His highest championship finish was P7 in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. I am intrigued to see how Jehan gets on this season due to the fact that he is no longer a part of the Red Bull Junior Programme. This could end up helping him as there should be less pressure on him. I’d also expect this to be his final season in the category because I’m expecting him to be in Formula E in 2024.
P10: Enzo Fittipaldi
Enzo Fittipaldi enters the 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship fully backed by Red Bull Racing. Enzo’s best-ever championship finish came in 2018, where he was crowned Italian F4 Champion. When it comes to Formula 2, Fittipaldi has driven in 36 races and he’s picked up 6 podiums. His highest championship finish was P8 (2022). Fittipaldi is a driver that intrigues me because other than a good run in 2018 and 2019, he hasn’t been all that impressive. However, that changed last year and he’s now a part of the Red Bull Junior program as a result of it. I’m expecting Enzo to pick up his first win since 2019 this season.
P9: Frederik Vesti
Frederik Vesti comes into 2023 hoping to build on a pretty decent first season in Formula 2. Frederik’s best-ever championship finish came in 2019, where he won the Formula Regional European Championship. When it comes to Formula 2, Vesti has completed one full season in the series and he’s picked up 1 race win (Baku Sprint). He finished 9th in the championship. I actually quite like Frederik, I think he’s a good driver and he’s definitely Mercedes’ brightest prospect. However, there are quite a few drivers coming up from Formula 3 that could cause him some issues.
P8: Isack Hadjar
Young 18-year-old Isack Hadjar is about to enter his first season in Formula 2 after impressing in Formula 3 last season. Isack’s best-ever championship was third place in both the 2020 French F4 Championship and the 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship. In his only season in Formula 3, Hadjar finished 4th in the championship with 3 victories to his name. I’m actually quite impressed with Hadjar’s records given the fact that he only started competing in competitive single-seaters in 2019. Hadjar is also a part of the Red Bull Junior program so the future is bright for the young Frenchman.
P7: Oliver Bearman
Oliver Bearman is younger than me and I expect him to win a race or two in F2 this year. It’s absolutely mad! Ollie’s best-ever championship finish came in 2021, where he was crowned both the ADAC Formula 4 Champion and the Italian F4 Champion. In his only season in Formula 3, Bearman finished 3rd in the championship with 1 race victory (Belgium Sprint). I really rate Ollie Bearman, if you read my up-and-coming drivers article from last year, you’d know that I got pretty excited when I learnt about this guy. However, I don’t quite think he’ll be able to fight for the championship, but P7 would still be a pretty successful first season for Ferrari’s brightest prospect.
P6: Ayumu Iwasa
Ayumu Iwasa sort of had a breakout year in 2022 and he will look to build from it. Ayumu’s best-ever championship finish came in 2020, where he was crowned French F4 Champion. When it comes to Formula 2, Iwasa has competed in one season and he’s managed to win 2 races (France and Abu Dhabi Feature Races). He finished fifth in the championship last season. The reason why I think Iwasa had a breakout year last season was because he was a midfield driver in Formula 3. All of a sudden he appears in F2 and is right at the front. That is the reason why I couldn’t drop him any lower than sixth, even if there are some great talents on the grid.
P5: Victor Martins
In steps the reigning Formula 3 Champion, Victor Martins. Victor’s won the Formula 3 Championship last season and he also became Formula Renault Eurocup Champion in 2020. When it comes to Formula 3, Martins participated in the series for two seasons, winning 3 races and a championship to boot (2022). I’ll be honest, when I was first writing about Victor I’d actually placed him higher on this list (as in further up the page). However, I’ve gone over his career and it’s pretty impressive. A year before he won Formula Renault Eurocup, he finished 7 and a half points behind Oscar Piastri in the championship and we all know how good his record is.
P4: Zane Maloney
Zane Maloney is a 19-year-old Barbadian Racing driver ready to take the world by storm. Zane’s best-ever championship finish came in 2019, where he became British F4 Champion at the first attempt. In his only season in Formula 3, Maloney finished second in the championship with 3 race wins to his name. All three of these wins actually came in the final three feature races of the season (all won from Pole too). When I did my up-and-coming drivers last year, Zane wasn’t in it. I know why he wasn’t in it, but now I think I could be writing about him in Formula 1 in a couple of years. His stats are incredible and there’s a reason why Red Bull signed him up to be in their junior program.
P3: Jack Doohan
Jack Doohan enters 2023 looking for his first-ever championship trophy (in single-seaters). Jack has finished second in the F3 Asian Championship twice (in 2019 and 2020) and he also finished second in the Formula 3 Championship in 2021. When it comes to Formula 2, Doohan has competed in one season and he’s managed to pick up 3 race victories. He finished 6th in the championship last season. I really rate Jack, I think he’s an excellent talent and he deserves to be in Formula 1 in the future. However, I think he will just miss out on the championship.
P2: Theo Pourchaire
This almost feels like a must-win season for Theo Pourchaire. Theo’s best-ever championship finish came in 2019, where he became the ADAC Formula 4 Champion. When it comes to Formula 2, Pourchaire has driven in 55 races and he’s picked up 5 race wins. His highest championship finish was second place last season. Theo Pourchaire is a super-talented driver and it’s also worth mentioning that he missed out on the Formula 3 Championship in 2020 by just 3 points (to Oscar Piastri). He’s been Sauber’s number 1 prospect for years now and he’s still only 19 years of age. However, it does feel like Pourchaire’s reputation would be hurt if he failed to pick up the Formula 2 title at his third attempt. Unfortunately for him, I think he’ll just miss out.
P1: Dennis Hauger
For the second consecutive season, I have Dennis Hauger to win the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Dennis Hauger became Italian F4 Champion in 2019 and he also won the Formula 3 Championship in 2021. When it comes to Formula 2, Hauger has competed in one season and he has two race wins to his name (Monaco Sprint, Baku Feature). However, Hauger only finished 10th in the championship. Personally, I think it’s going to be a three-way fight for the F2 Crown this year. It’s interesting to note that Hauger beat Doohan to the F3 title in 2021, but Hauger lost the ADAC Formula 4 Championship in 2019 to Theo Pourchaire (by just 7 points). The reason I have gone with Hauger to win Formula 2 this season is because he ended last season way better than both Pourchaire and Doohan. Also, Hauger had a very mediocre first season in F3 (finished 17th) and then he went on to win the title the following year.
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