Bruno Michel's Debrief: A fight to the very end

With another season in the books and time for a quick breath before work continues on the forthcoming 2024 season, there’s time to look back at what happened this year.

Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel reflects on a thrilling campaign that was eventually won by Théo Pourchaire and ART Grand Prix.

NEAR PERFECTION

Both ART Grand Prix and Théo Pourchaire yearned for the F2 crowns. They were determined to make 2023 their year, and so they did.

Pourchaire opened the season with a pole position and a Feature Race win in Sakhir, as he displayed calm and maturity, and having learned from last year’s mistakes. His operative mode? Consistency. Add to this pace and driving skills. The twenty-year-old Frenchman made his life difficult in the final round, qualifying P14 and having to claw his way through the field to score enough points to claim the title. After four successful years with ART, from F3 to F2, Pourchaire crossed the finish line of the final race of the season as our newly crowned F2 Champion.

As for his team, they had been dreaming about winning this championship since 2017. They had previously taken two of their drivers to glory, with George Russell in 2018 and Nyck de Vries in 2019, but they had been missing topping the rest of the field. Lining up Pourchaire and 2022 F3 Champion Victor Martins, ART knew they had the potential to win this year. Their season was amazing, and they finally clinched the title. Bravo!

REMARKABLE ROOKIES

The returning drivers were hard to beat in 2023, with the top 4 putting their experience to good use, but that is not to say that the rookies did not star in a very competitive season, the best of them being Victor Martins.

Three pole positions, one win, ten podiums, seven front row starts and six fastest laps… The Frenchman will rue his mistakes from the opening rounds of the season and the lost points but can still be satisfied with a top 5 finish and the top rookie title – something that he really wanted for his friend Anthoine Hubert. He certainly did his part to take ART to the Teams’ Title. It’s not confirmed yet, but if Martins returns to F2 in 2024, he will be one to beat.

Another rookie who has wowed the fans, the media and the paddocks is Oliver Bearman. The young Briton claimed four wins, three pole positions, six podiums, five front row starts, and two fastest laps. His performance at Baku was stellar and definitely one of the highlights of the year. His lack of consistency ultimately hurt his end results, but now that he’s been announced as a returnee for 2024 with PREMA Racing, he will be looked at as a title contender.

SPLENDID SECONDS

Frederik Vesti and PREMA Racing gave their all to try and stop Pourchaire and ART. The Dane claimed six wins, ten podiums, and one pole position in 2023. He even took the victory in the final Sprint Race of the season to keep his title hopes alive, proving once again that he is a true fighter. In the Abu Dhabi Feature, he raced his heart out, from P10 to third, battling for track position with Pourchaire along the way, but it was not enough. PREMA also had to settle for second in the Championship, but both can be proud of what they have accomplished together this year.

THIRD IN THE END

The start to his second F2 season was not what Jack Doohan had in mind. He came into his sophomore year with the clear goal to fight for the title. But he had to wait until the second half of the year to get the results he had been wanting and working hard to get. Three superb Feature Race wins in Budapest, Spa-Francorchamps and Abu Dhabi propelled him to third in the Standings at the final chequered flag. He leaves F2 with some regrets, but during the time he spent in our paddock, he showed stunning pace, strong driving skills and a fighting spirit.

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2023

What a season we’ve had! 2023 saw thirteen different drivers take a win – that’s the highest number of race winners in a season since 2017. There have been 17 different drivers who stepped on the podium – again, we’ve never had that many before. The same can be said about the number of pole sitters, with a total of seven different drivers, including three rookies. In fact, two of them – Martins and Bearman - are topping this statistic, with 3 apiece.

We introduced successfully sustainable fuels with our partners ARAMCO. We flew to a new continent and raced in Melbourne. We’ve reached one million followers on Instagram. We’ve increased our audience significantly again this year. The drivers and the teams have produced edge-of-your-seat racing that has entertained our fans. And both titles were decided in the final laps of an enthralling season…

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

2024 is already shaping up to be another strong year for F2. The calendar, which was revealed earlier this year, will introduce a new venue, with Qatar. There will be a total of 14 rounds, across three continents, as the field will return to Melbourne.

We have presented the new car in Monza, and the teams have received their first machine this month. I cannot wait to see them on track. We will continue to work closely with our historical partners Pirelli, Dallara and Mecachrome, without whom F2 would not be as successful as it is.

Meanwhile, the teams have been announcing their line-ups for next year, and 18 drivers have already been confirmed. The fact that almost the entire grid has been confirmed before the year ends shows that our championship is thriving. So far, eight rookies will join the field, including the 2023 Formula 3 Champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

But before the action starts again, I want to thank everyone involved in our Championship for making it such a successful category, and I want to thank also the fans for following our races and supporting our teams and drivers. See you in 2024!