What to watch for in 2020

1 July 2020

The FIA Formula 2 campaign finally fires into action in Spielberg this weekend, with the first of an initial eight-round calendar.

As always with F2, we enter into the unknown. The level of competition means we never truly know what to expect heading into a new season. We take a look at the burning questions ahead of the 2020 campaign, and what you should be watching out for.

Little rusty?

It’s been seven months since the last Formula 2 race, and three months since any form of track action… So how prepared will the drivers be when they finally set foot onto the Red Bull Ring for Free Practice?

Reality is, no one really knows. For all of the virtual racing that has been done over the past few months, and the karting that many have partook in, nothing quite compares to the real thing.

They’ll have 45 minutes to get back up to speed before things really count in Qualifying… No pressure then.

Will experience count?

Even before the postponement of racing, the addition of the 18-inch tyres, and much changed machinery, had already added another element of the unknown ahead of the 2020 season.

These changes are likely to mean that experience counts for less this season, which should certainly be a boost to the plethora of rookies joining the grid.

For a full look at the new 18-inch inch tyres, check out our in-depth guide with Technical Director Didier Perrin.

A double header in Spielberg

Whichever driver hits the ground running in Round 1, could well build up an almighty early advantage in the battle for the title. Starting the season with two rounds in Spielberg could provide the successful race winners in Round 1 with a key boost, with the familiar surroundings of the same circuit two weeks in a row.

With three main overtaking hot-spots, and long, high-speed corners, there is plenty of room for attacking at the Red Bull Ring… Question is, which team and driver will this best suit?

BWT HWA RACELAB replace BWT Arden

It isn’t just new drivers, new tyres and new machinery in 2020, we’ve got two new teams joining the grid as well.

BWT HWA RACELAB will take over BWT Arden’s entry for 2020, following a season of collaboration between the two. The German racing giants join on the back of a successful season in Formula 3, where they scored one victory and four podiums in total, taking fifth in the Championship.

The signing of Ferrari junior Giuliano Alesi alongside the experience of F2 fan-favourite Artem Markelov shows they mean business.

Hitech Grand Prix join the grid

Meanwhile, Hitech Grand Prix will become F2’s 11th team. The British outfit announced their intention to join the Championship at the backend of 2019, following a second-place finish in F3 that season.

They join with high hopes, as well as the realism of how tough it will be to enjoy immediate success in one of the most competitive Championships on the planet. Their exciting partnership of last season’s third placed driver, Luca Ghiotto, and second year Nikita Mazepin should be more than enough to get them up and running too.

Can Zhou get off the mark?

Guanyu Zhou was the standout debutant in 2019, taking five podiums and a pole position in his debut campaign, finishing seventh as the highest placed rookie. For all of his ultra-consistency across the campaign, there remains one major question mark hanging over the head of the UNI-Virtuosi ace: his lack of a race win in F2.

Should Zhou get that particular monkey off his back in the opening races, then he’ll be well placed for a title charge. Fail to grab his first win in the first few rounds though, and the pressure will mount, fast.

READ MORE: Guanyu Zhou's Guest Column

Can Schumacher step up?

Mick Schumacher will need a big season if he is to make the fairy-tale move to F1. For all of the willingness to get him there, Ferrari won’t promote him if they don’t feel he is ready. Starting with two races in Austria will play into his hands, as it is arguably where he performed best last season.

He may have won in Budapest, but his surging drive from 18th to fourth in Spielberg was magical. If he can channel that on a more regular basis next season, then expect to see him in the hunt for the title.

What impact can Armstrong have?

Armstrong enjoyed a phenomenal campaign in F3 last season, with three wins and seven podiums, but most of the plaudits went to his PREMA teammate, Robert Shwartzman, who took the title.

The Kiwi was held back by a slow start to the campaign, waiting until Round 5 to take his first victory, while his teammates Shwartzman and Jehan Daruvala had already taken two wins a piece.

Armstrong will want to move out of the Russian’s shadow in 2020 and has opted to split from PREMA, who signed Shwartzman to partner Schumacher. Instead, he will take to the seat of last season’s championship winning car, at ART Grand Prix. It could just be the making of him.

Can Shwartzman carry on his momentum?

Speaking of the Russian, Shwartzman will be hoping to make an instant impact in F2. He’ll be looking to follow in the footsteps of former Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc, who won F2 at the first attempt with PREMA in 2017.

That’s a mighty tough ask of a 20-year-old rookie, but Shwartzman showed last year just how phenomenal a driver he can be.

However, in normal circumstances, he’d be entering the new campaign with the momentum from his title win, but having now gone nine months since he clinched the championship in Sochi, how much of that momentum will remain?

Aitken 2.0?

Aitken was on the periphery of a title challenge in 2019… Up there in spits and spurts, but hampered by periods of inconsistency, and just sheer bad luck. Back for his third season in F2, the Brit is rebooted and refreshed, ready to begin a new chapter in his career as Williams F1 Test Driver, following his switch from Renault.

He’s signed on for another season with Campos in F2, a partnership which brought them three wins in 2019, including a historic home victory at Silverstone. He’ll be hoping to find an extra edge to his game for the new season, and translate that fifth-place finish in the standings, to first.