Feature
10 questions ahead of the 2021 season
A brand-new season of Formula 2 is upon us and the 2021 grid is bursting with talent. The likes of Robert Shwartzman, Christian Lundgaard and Felipe Drugovich are some of the drivers expected to challenge for the title in 2021, but a new format and a fresh crop of exciting rookies look set to shake things up.
We look at 10 key questions ahead of the season opener in Sakhir...
1. WHAT AFFECT WILL THE ADDITION OF A THIRD RACE HAVE?
The addition of a third race every round is certainly an exciting prospect for spectators, but how will it affect teams and drivers?
A number of racers have commented on the increased training programme they put themselves through during the off-season in preparation for an additional race each weekend, meaning that fatigue is unlikely to play too great a part. But it will be interesting to see how the field cope mentally with having two races in one day.
Another plus of the changes is the addition of a second reverse grid race, which should lead to even more overtaking. Those who usually start at the front will be tasked with charging through from the back, while those who normally start further down the order will be thrown towards the front and will have to defend race winning positions and podiums.
2. WILL THE FEATURE RACE FEEL DIFFERENT ON A SUNDAY?
That’s certainly the aim. As F2 CEO Bruno Michel has said, the Feature Race belongs on a Sunday directly ahead of the Formula 1 race.
The Feature Race is the main attraction, with more laps and more points on offer, as well as a mandatory pitstop and strategy coming into play. Running directly before the F1 Grand Prix will mean more eyeballs get to see exactly what F2 has to offer.
Could the switch also inspire even bigger performances from the field?
Why Shwartzman’s desire is stronger than ever ahead of a 2021 title challenge
3. WILL PREMA PICK UP FROM WHERE THEY LEFT OFF IN 2020?
2020 champions PREMA Racing have made a habit of going under the radar in pre-season testing, meaning that Bahrain will be our first real indication of where they are at in 2021.
They were similarly quiet in pre-season last year. This followed on from what was a pretty dire season for them in 2019, as they slumped to ninth in the Teams’ Championship. But they were rejuvenated when they arrived in Austria for Round 1, and they went on to take both the Teams’ and the Drivers’ titles.
Equalling the achievements of last season - where they scored six wins and 16 podiums in total - will take some doing, but the Italian side will certainly give it a go.
4. HOW WILL F3 CHAMPIONS SHWARTZMAN AND PIASTRI FARE AS TEAMMATES?
Seeing the 2019 and 2020 Formula 3 champions pitted against one another is an exciting prospect, with Oscar Piastri joining Robert Shwartzman at PREMA.
With a years’ experience in F2, everyone will expect the Russian ace to have the upper hand, but the speed at which Piastri got to grips with F3 means that a title challenge cannot be ruled out for the Alpine junior either.
The Australian is sure to push Shwarztman every step of the way.
5. IS LUNDGAARD THE MAN TO BEAT AFTER A STRONG PRE-SEASON TEST?
Christian Lundgaard was the top man in testing, and he is a hot favourite for the title. There’s no doubting the Dane’s speed - the ART Grand Prix driver has it in abundance.
The only question mark surrounding him is consistency. The Dane admitted that there were a few too many pointless finishes in F2 last season, with a run of five from the final six races putting a halt to his title challenge.
Performances such as the dominant one he produced in the Mugello Sprint Race last season are proof of his abilities, and if Lundgaard can start to deliver them on a more regular basis, then there’s every reason to believe he can be in a position to win the title.
Bruno Michel Q&A: F2 CEO on a new era and the latest F1 graduates
6. WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP OF THE ALL RED BULL BATTLE AT HITECH?
There will be an interesting dynamic playing out at Hitech Grand Prix this year, with the Silverstone-based outfit opting for an all Red Bull Junior Team line-up in Jüri Vips and Liam Lawson.
After enjoying a four-round stint with DAMS in 2020, Vips will finally step up to F2 on a permanent basis. The Estonian is highly rated by those at Red Bull and will want to make up for lost time after a well-documented disrupted 2020 campaign.
Meanwhile, his new teammate Lawson impressed plenty with his displays in pre-season testing. Stepping up on the back of an F3 title challenge with Hitech in 2020, he consistently put in top five lap times and finished second on the final day.
7. CAN DRUGOVICH KICK ON WITH 2020 TITLE CHALLENGERS UNI-VIRTUOSI?
Despite ending the 2020 season with the second most wins, Felipe Drugovich still remains somewhat of an underdog in the title race. This is surprising given his performances last year and his switch to Virtuosi, who are on the back of leading Callum Ilott to second in the Drivers’ Championship.
The prospect of seeing the Brazilian line up in a title-challenging machinery is a tantalizing one, while it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of driving for a top team.
Armstrong’s ‘all or nothing’ attitude has readied him for a career-defining campaign
8. CAN ZHOU AND ARMSTRONG GET BACK TO THEIR BEST?
Guanyu Zhou and Marcus Armstrong suffered frustrating campaigns in 2020, failing to hit the heights that were expected of them.
Favourite for the title last season, Zhou managed to score more points and finished one place higher than in 2019, but the UNI-Virtuosi driver has said that he was disappointed to end the season in sixth, with just one victory.
Meanwhile, Armstrong will be looking to rediscover the form that led him to second in the 2019 Formula 3 Championship. The Ferrari junior got off to a good start in F2, with two podiums from the opening two rounds, but things swiftly unravelled, and he went six rounds without another points’ finish.
Both need to bounce back in 2021.
FIRST LOOK: The 2021 grid hit the track in Sakhir for pre-season testing
9. WHO WILL BE THE SURPRISE PACKAGE OF 2021?
Yuki Tsunoda and Drugovich were the surprise packages of 2020, the former finishing third overall while the latter ended the campaign with the second most wins.
There are bound to be a few shocks in the new season as well. Heading into just his fourth season of single-seater racing, Théo Pourchaire will be giving himself a few rounds to properly adjust, but given the speed in which the 17-year-old adapted to Formula 3, he simply cannot be ruled out of an expected title challenge.
As a bit of an unknown quantity, Gianluca Petecof will another to keep an eye on. The Brazilian has made the move from the Formula Regional European Championship, where he won the title.
The likes of Bent Viscaal, Lirim Zendeli, Richard Verschoor and David Beckmann all have it in them to cause an upset or two as well.
10. WILL RETURNING TO BAHRAIN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Heading to Sakhir for the fifth time in just over a year, the returning F2 drivers know all about the Bahrain International Circuit.
This is likely to boost the confidence of those who performed at the track in 2020. Carlin and Jehan Daruvala ended the season in fine form, while Drugovich and Shwartzman both took wins there as well.