2020 Formula 2 season

what could be in 2020. No drivers confirmed yet:

DAMS: ???

Vortuosi: Guanyou Zhou?

ART: Nikita Mazepin? Christian Lundgaard?

Carlin: Jehan Daruvala? Yuki Tsunoda?

Campos: Leonardo Pulcini?

MP: ???

Charouz: Callum Ilott? Marcus Armstrong?

Arden: Jake Hughes? Jüri Vips?

Prema: Mick Schumacher? Robert Shwartzman?

Trident: Giuliano Alesi? Pedro Piquet?

Alesi will stay in F2 but not with Trident.

Interesting (or depressing) to see what Renault will do from the money saved caused by Hubert's passing.

Will they promote Lundgaard or give another shot at it for Aitken....

Since no driver is confirmed yet, this should be a silly season thread, right?

Btw, you know a series is doomed when even HistoryFan has no guesses for some of the seats.

Since no driver is confirmed yet, this should be a silly season thread, right?

I don't think there's a need for a separate silly season thread for junior series, might as well use this one for all the lineup news and then continue with the actual season. 

I don't think there's a need for a separate silly season thread for junior series, might as well use this one for all the lineup news and then continue with the actual season. 

Okay then, but I don't think there will be much to discuss until late December - January (other than speculation).

Okay then, but I don't think there will be much to discuss until late December - January (other than speculation).

Well, yeah. I thought about starting this thread when we get some first announcements but HistoryFan just couldn't wait any longer 

Is Alesi staying with Ferrari? Just wondering as Ferrari has three drivers this year in F2 and they also have top two of this year's F3 who should be aiming for F2 next year.

To be honest based on last few years I feel he's academy member just for emotional aspect as his father was one of the most popular Ferrari drivers. If Ferrari aim to keep him the target could be in LMGTE rather than F1.

Can bet the house on Prema's lineup being unchanged.

They should have some stand alone races at Imola, Nurburgring, Estoril and Istanbul

Could be nice weekend with F3, W Series, ELMS

1  Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir 21 March 22 March 2  Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 2 May 3 May 3  Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló 9 May 10 May 4  Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 23 May 24 May 5  Baku City Circuit, Baku 6 June 7 June 6  Red Bull Ring, Spielberg 4 July 5 July 7  Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 18 July 19 July 8  Hungaroring, Mogyoród 1 August 2 August 9  Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 29 August 30 August 10  Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza 5 September 6 September 11  Sochi Autodrom, Sochi 26 September 27 September 12  Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi 28 November 29 November

Edited by RA2, 08 October 2019 - 17:13.

Is Alesi staying with Ferrari? Just wondering as Ferrari has three drivers this year in F2 and they also have top two of this year's F3 who should be aiming for F2 next year.

 

To be honest based on last few years I feel he's academy member just for emotional aspect as his father was one of the most popular Ferrari drivers. If Ferrari aim to keep him the target could be in LMGTE rather than F1.

I feel like Ferrari in general likes to have famous names in their academy. Alesi, Schumacher, Fittipaldi, Montoya... 

Edited by DutchQuicksilver, 08 October 2019 - 17:39.

The ART line-up could be also interesting, Mazepin will likely stay, but I think their F3 squad must feel they have some unfinished business one tier lower, I'd be surprised if they promoted one of them next year, so one seat might potentially free up for the upcoming (ex-)Prema boys. Based on the performance of Russell and de Vries, ART's setup base for the current gen car might be even better than Prema's.

I’d like Alesi to get a second shot. Trident are rubbish and he had every misfortune going in the early phases before showing a bit of promise lately. And he’s very young still.

Mazepin, no.

I think in the future he will stay with Ferrari, but at other series like Bleu said. There are informations that he will join a top team next season, so who knows what happens then. 

But I agree with you, he does deserve another shot, with all the reasons you explained.

The ART line-up could be also interesting, Mazepin will likely stay, but I think their F3 squad must feel they have some unfinished business one tier lower, I'd be surprised if they promoted one of them next year, so one seat might potentially free up for the upcoming (ex-)Prema boys. Based on the performance of Russell and de Vries, ART's setup base for the current gen car might be even better than Prema's.

Really think ART had Anthoine Hubert lined up for a title assault in 2020, sadly, so what they do will be interesting. 

I thought Mazepin was pretty much a waste of space this season. Jittery, clumsy and (mostly) slow. In his own way probably just as poor as Calderon and Raghunathan given he was driving for one of the best teams. Maybe he'll improve massively in year two, stranger things have happened occasionally I suppose.

I'd like to see Lundgaard really, but doubt they'd be happy with a Mazepin/Lundgaard lineup. That just screams 'ninth place in the team's standings'.

Ticktum has also said that he is looking for a good F2 seat for next year. I don't like him, but he is pretty fast and would be good adition to the grid. Would definitely spice things up a bit.

So maybe Ticktum to ART, or DAMS, who knows?

Also, wonder in which team will Vips end up. Hopefully Red Bull can find him something better than Arden, Trident or MP.

Mazepin paid for De Vries' seat I guess.

Ticktum has also said that he is looking for a good F2 seat for next year. I don't like him, but he is pretty fast and would be good adition to the grid. Would definitely spice things up a bit.

So maybe Ticktum to ART, or DAMS, who knows?

 

Also, wonder in which team will Vips end up. Hopefully Red Bull can find him something better than Arden, Trident or MP.

Now his career's not being bankrolled by Red Bull, he'll be lucky. 

It's a shame, Ticktum is quite a promising driver but his personality seems to blacklist him from just about everything. 

Ollie Rowland used to be like that mind, and he got over it. 

Alesi will stay in F2 but not with Trident.

 

You know that or is that just a guess?
 

Okay then, but I don't think there will be much to discuss until late December - January (other than speculation).

There will be an official test in Dezember I think.

 

Can bet the house on Prema's lineup being unchanged.

I don't think Gelael will continue in Formula 2.

 

You know that or is that just a guess?
 

That's a fact from the dad himself.

Alesi's are not happy at all with how Trident handled the season.

Trident was a very good team in GP3, but not in Formula 2. Don't know why.

Wonder if RedBull want O'Ward in F2 or SF. 

I don't think Gelael will continue in Formula 2.

Wonder if RedBull want O'Ward in F2 or SF. 

Marko doesn't seem to be too keen on sending their junior drivers to GP2/F2. He's been complaining about how it is too costly and doesn't offer proper preparation for F1...etc. throughout the years. I think back in the Renault factory team days, they had a deal to send all their young drivers to WSbR instead of GP2 and it looks like they agreed to something similar with Honda about Super Formula. Even Vips sounded unsure about his future, he also mentioned SF as a possibility.

Edited by balage06, 09 October 2019 - 20:40.

I hope Aitken will continue, although that ship may have sailed.

Though then again Marko already said Tsunoda will be racing F2.

But the might be more on Honda than him.

Hope to see Lundgaard in that ART

predictions?

ART - Lundgaard, Palou

DAMS - Sette Camara, 

UNI-Virtuosi - Zhou, Tsunoda

Prema - Schumacher, Schwartzman

Carlin - Deletraz, O'Ward

Campos - Alesi, Sato

Sauber Jr - Ilott, Armstrong

Arden - Mazepin, 

Trident - Piquet, Pulcini

needless to say but Ghiotto has indeed indicated he will move on from single seaters and focus on sportscar racing.

Ilott being cryptic:

https://twitter.com/...822618941628421

Haven't been particularly impressed with Ilott's racecraft this year, he seems to fade from good positions. He's quick and should get a second year, though.

Arden CEO Garry Horner, father of Red Bull F1 team boss Christian, who co-founded the team, said the squad would use this juncture to "explore other avenues".

It currently competes in the Formula Renault Eurocup and British F4.

"Arden has successfully competed in the premier F1 feeder series for over 20 years and we have now decided to step back from the category in order to explore other avenues," said Garry Horner.

"We have enjoyed our time in the (GP2 and) F2 Championships and, at some point in the future, may consider returning to the grid. Never say never…"

Not a surprise, this year's cooperation between them was widely assumed to be a first step before the full change. 

so wait, there's a garry horner and a geri horner? the more you know...

I wonder what other avenues they're thinking of?

Please be Indycar, please be Indycar...

I don't think they have something in pipeline. It's just a quote not to say the don't have/find the money anymore.

Arden will probably take over the running of DTM cars for Aston Martin.

Seems like it"s a good deal between HWA and Arden.

It enables Arden to surive and HWA to serve some purpose for Mercedes still.

I'm sorry to see Arden go as well. I'm still perplexed at how little Christian Horner leveraged Red Bull's driver development program to land funded up-and-comers into Arden's F2 team. 

Sad that Arden end on such a desperately low note with losing Anthoine, but hopefully Markelov can give them a nice send-off in Abu Dhabi. 

So Markelov will drive for HWA. As much as he's cool to watch, it's really not what the series needs. Maybe Merhi and King could come back as well 

http://www.fiaformul...rs-HWA-RACELAB/

Edited by Anja, 22 November 2019 - 11:22.

So Markelov will drive for HWA. As much as he's cool to watch, it's really not what the series needs. Maybe Merhi could come back as well 

 

http://www.fiaformul...rs-HWA-RACELAB/

Interesting, HWA did the same with Hughes in F3. I think they want an experienced driver in their first year to help them with the setup and stuff.

So he has 116 races so far – I think the all-time record is still hold by Pantano (F3000 and GP2)

DAMS: Dan Ticktum (?) – Sean Gelael (?)

Virtuosi: Guanyou Zhou (?) – Jüri Vips (?)

ART: Nikita Mazepin (?) – Christian Lundgaard (?)

Carlin: Jehan Daruvala (?) – Yuki Tsunoda (?)

Campos: Leonardo Pulcini (?) – Marino Sato (?)

MP: Richard Verschoor (?) – Sergio Sette Câmara (?)

Charouz: Callum Ilott (?) – Marcus Armstrong (?)

HWA: Artem Markelov – Jake Hughes (?)

Prema: Mick Schumacher (?) –  Robert Shwartzman (?)

Trident: Giuliano Alesi (?) – Pedro Piquet (?)

Edited by HistoryFan, 24 November 2019 - 13:09.

If HWA wanted an experienced driver, they could have kept Calderon. 

DAMS: Sergio Sette Camâra (?) – Jüri Vips (?)
Virtuosi: Guanyou Zhou (?) – ???
ART: Nikita Mazepin (?) – Christian Lundgaard (?)
Carlin: Jehan Daruvala (?) – Yuki Tsunoda (?)
Campos: Leonardo Pulcini (?) – Marino Sato (?)
MP: Richard Verschoor (?) – ???
Charouz: Callum Ilott (?) – Marcus Armstrong (?)
HWA: Artem Markelov – Jake Hughes (?)
Prema: Mick Schumacher (?) – Robert Shwartzman (?)
Trident: Giuliano Alesi (?) – Pedro Piquet (?)

Markelov is a quality choice, I'm glad to see him back: intelligent driver who knows how to manage tyres (in contrast to De Vries who is very quick but doesn't feel the behaviour of car / tyres that well)

On Alesi: he does deserve a second chance with a more competitive team: DAMS (Latifi) & Virtuosi (Ghiotto) both have open seats, if he ends up at Virtuosi that would mean a Ferrari Jr Vs a former Ferrari Jr

It seems like Jüri Vips is more likely to end up in Super Formula (unfortunately, wouldn't be a wise choice from Helmut Marko since there are less Super Licence points to gain there, Vips would need to end up runner-up)

At Campos I think we could see Alex Palou there (good driver imho), if Ticktum finds a F2 seat it could be at Carlin, I can also see Deletraz doing another season since he seems to have the budget, I hope Honda also keeps Matshushita another season in F2 (maybe at DAMS? he could have had his Super Lincence already had they not moved him up & down to Super Formula, I hope Jack Aitken also gets another year: he was excellent this season

Not sure if Lundgaard will end up at ART they may prefer a more experienced 1st driver (and hire Lundgaard in 2021 after he gets one year experience at a smaller team like Trident e.g.) since Mazepin's budget allows them to freely choose one: for example Callum Illot or a return of Aitken who improved at Campos

If Illot moves to ART (he drove for them in GP3) we could see Alesi moving to Sauber Jr, possibly partnered with Armstrong or they could promote one of their F3 drivers like Fabio Scherer or Lirim Zendelli (talented young driver but don't think he has the budget at all)

Lundgaard would be a fine choice though since he's very talented and drove for ART in F3, Verschoor is on a three year contract with MP and I indeed expect him to move up to  F2 (especially after his Macao win)

With Pedro Piquet (Trident a logical destination), Tsunoda, Daruvala and potentially also Hughes (does he have the budget? he may end up in sports cars), Pulcini, Beckmann (maybe at HWA?) & Kari (maybe Trident or MP?) also looking to move up it will be a tough scramble for all drivers who want to compete in F2 next year to find a seat.

Boccolaci will want to be back if he finds the budget (he's  quite quick as well), we could even see Ferdinand Habsburg trying to buy a ride if he doesn't stay in DTM

People have mentioned Carlin as a likely place for Tsunoda. I think DAMS is more likely (Gasly drove there) since Red Bull will probably want to measure him against a strong team mate like Sette Camara (whom I expect to stay there and challenge for the title with the likes of Markelov).
Tsunoda moving to F2 and Vips (probably) to Super Formula is explained because Honda also decides on Tsunoda's destination and not just Marko

So far we know for sure that de Vries, Latifi, Ghiotto, Gelael, Raghunathan and Hubert & Correa for obvious reasons won't be back and Markelov already took one seat at HWA so that opens up at least 6 seats for new F3 drivers to move up. Schwartzman, Armstrong, Daruvala, Tsunoda & Piquet will as good as certainly take up 5 of those 6 seats. Don't think we'll see Calderon (there are still 2 open seats at W Series) or Bosschung back either and Marino Sato didn't make an impression: that opens up 2 (to 3) more seats for potentially Pulcini and someone else. King will probably be replaced by Verschoor at MP with a driver with a large check taking the other MP seat (Sato or Habsburg could actually fill that bill)

Edited by William Hunt, 23 November 2019 - 22:50.