The safety and values

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Our six core values - driver preparation, sustainability & diversity, performance, cost control, entertainment, and safety – are the heart of the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

Our aim was to become the pinnacle of junior motorsport, and the ultimate breeding ground for young racing talent. That required a very specific set of regulations, which balance out the competitiveness of the Championship, the financial restrictions of teams and drivers as well as the sheer wow factor for our audience when they follow the action.

To this aim, the sporting and technical regulations have become our mantra by which to operate – with proposed changes and modifications scrutinised to great detail, to ensure they fit in with these values.

  • DRIVER PREPARATION

Since its inception, Formula 2’s mission statement has been to prepare the best up and coming young drivers for the pinnacle of motorsport, Formula 1. With every step, these aspiring drivers must develop skills that are key on the road to F1, in equal technologically advanced cars, while racing in front of the F1 paddock and fans.

During their time in the Championship, they must learn the F1 tracks, how to manage the Pirelli tyres, DRS, the Virtual Safety Car system, the marshalling systems, and race control, while having limited track time, longer races, pit stops and tyre strategies to contend with and a specific weekend format, all under immense pressure to deliver in a highly competitive category.

In 2024, Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto’s impressive F1 stints highlighted F2 drivers’ capacity to adapt immediately to the challenge of F1, speaking to how well the drivers are being prepared in the second tier. In 2025, four drivers will fully step up to Formula 1 which is a record number of F2 graduates in one season to date.

  • SUSTAINABILITY & DIVERSITY

Formula 2 plays a significant pioneering role in the advancements of technology in motorsport. In 2023, the Championship, along with its sister category Formula 3, began a successful multi-step switch to using global F1 partner Aramco’s advanced fuels with an eye towards being compliant with the FIA 100% sustainable fuel standard. This important innovation is also a key part of a wider sustainability plan that also includes using recycled carbon fiber parts on the new F3 car.

Both F2 and F3 have also been working for quite some time to make both categories more diverse, most notably designing cars that are suitable for a wide range of drivers, keeping in mind that one of the goals is to see female drivers be competitive on both grids.

  • PERFORMANCE

F2 is the only junior Formula in the world which can get close to the performance levels of Formula 1, thanks to our turbocharged engines, which produce 620bhp. It means our cars can go from 0 - 100 km/h in 2.90 seconds and can reach a maximum of speed of 335 km/h.

  • COST CONTROL

We want to produce drivers who are readymade for F1. To achieve this, we need the fastest and most competitive young racers on the planet, regardless of any financial restrictions they may have. This makes cost effectiveness key. Operating at around 2% of the cost of running an F1 team, we are always trying to reach the perfect blend of budget control and performance.

This has been achieved by centralised purchasing, strict limits on team personal and testing and an outright ban on individual developments costs. Any modifications made are produced with an eye on how they will affect the price structure for the teams.

  • ENTERTAINMENT

Formula 2 is part of the FIA Pyramid and the Formula One Group. As such, it makes for a clear path for drivers who dream of racing in Formula 1, but also, the Championship is essential to a Grand Prix weekend, providing the fans with enthralling racing. Entertainment is in the Championship’s DNA: designing a car that is challenging to drive, but also allows for close racing and overtaking opportunities. If you watch F2, you watch the future of F1, and you can expect the unexpected on track.

  • SAFETY

Racing at speeds very close to F1, safety is of paramount importance to F2. The car has been designed to strict F1 safety standards and submitted to stringent FIA crash tests. Our cars include the Titanium Halo head protection system used in F1 and anti-intrusion panels, while wearing the HANS device is compulsory for drivers. The Championship puts its commitment to safety ahead of all other considerations.