For the Rookies
If you’re a fan of Formula 1 but still need more adrenaline, have you ever tried Formula 2?
F2 is the last rung in the junior ladder before F1 and is a breeding ground for upcoming talent. The series acts as a support race for the F1 weekend and in 2021 they will follow the F1 teams to 8 venues. In this article is everything you need to know about the weekend format, points and the cars.
The Series
Formula 2 is a spec series, this means all the cars run the same 3.4L V6 turbo charged Mecachrome engine, the same chassis by Dallara, and the same18 inch Pirelli tyres. The only difference being the driver and the team behind them. There are 12 teams in the 2021 season each comprising of 2 drivers, two cars and a small team of mechanics and engineers.
The Weekend Format
The weekend runs in pretty much the same way as the Formula 1. By Thursday all teams and drivers will have arrived at the track and have set up their garages and cars. For the drivers Thursday is media day with a press
conference and a few individual interviews being conducted.
Friday is where the cars hit the track starting with a free practice session of 45 minutes in the morning, where the teams can get the car set up to the track and begin to formulate a strategy for races. Friday afternoon then consists of one 30 minute qualifying session where the fastest driver will then gain pole position for the feature race on Sunday.
Saturday is the first race day of the weekend with the day consisting of two sprint races. This is new for the 2021 season. Each sprint race will be 120km or 45 minutes depending on whichever comes first. The starting grid of the first will be determined by Friday qualifying with the top 10 qualifiers being reversed. The second race's starting grid is determined from the results of the first, again
the top 10 being reversed.
Sunday is the feature race which takes place before the Formula 1 race. This is
an hour long race or 170km again. It also includes a mandatory pit stop in which the tyre compound has to be changed unless wet-weather tyres have been used.
Points
Unlike F1, points are awarded in qualifying, the driver who takes pole position on Friday will be awarded 4 points. In the sprint races, the top 8 finishers will be awarded points starting with 15 for 1st. 2nd place will receive 12 points, and 3rd 10 then 8, 6, & 4 points are given out to the remaining drivers. 2,1. In the feature race the top 10 finishers receive points similar to that of F1. 2 points are also awarded to the driver with the fastest lap in each race as long as they finish within the top 10.
The maximum amount of points a driver can receive in a race weekend is 65.
With three races in one weekend and all the cars of the same specification, Formula 2 is, in my opinion, a more intense spectacle than F1 and is definitely worth a watch in 2021!
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