How Pourchaire, Vesti and Iwasa can win the 2023 Formula 2 Championship

22 November 2023

One Qualifying session, two races and 39 points – that’s all that stands between Théo Pourchaire, Frederik Vesti and Ayumu Iwasa and their dreams of being crowned the 2023 FIA Formula 2 Champion at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

As title fortunes continue to chop and change, each of them knows the job that they need to do around the Yas Marina Circuit, so here's the rundown of how the title fight could be won.

THÉO POURCHAIRE – CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER

The title is Pourchaire’s to lose this weekend. Holding a 25-point advantage over Vesti, the majority of the hard work has been done, but the ART Grand Prix driver can’t take his foot off the gas and get complacent.

Saturday could be the day that he is crowned Champion should he hold a 29-point lead over the PREMA Racing driver after the Sprint Race or 27 if he achieves his third pole of the campaign. Yet with only one win to his record this season, the Sauber junior will be going all out to finish the year the way he started – on the top step of the podium.

FREDERIK VESTI – 2ND IN STANDINGS

For over a third of the season, Vesti was the one to beat with an impressive five victories to his name. Leading the Drivers’ Championship from Round 6 in Monaco until Round 11 in Spa-Francorchamps, the PREMA Racing driver’s fortunes have changed drastically in the previous three rounds.

An 11-point advantage over Pourchaire has flipped into a 25-point deficit to the Frenchman. Sitting second on 166 points, it’s effectively a double podium or bust mission for the Mercedes junior.

If he were to qualify on pole, win the Sprint and take the fastest lap point with Pourchaire outside the top eight, Vesti would still need to outscore him by 12 points in the Feature Race to win on countback. This means he’d have to aim for fourth or higher if the Pourchaire joins him inside the top 10 finishers.

AYUMU IWASA – 3RD IN STANDINGS

Nothing short of perfection will be enough for Iwasa. Currently on 152 points, the DAMS driver’s 39-point deficit to Pourchaire means he needs to score every single point possible and hope his two rivals trip up along the way and fail to score.

Pole, Sprint Race win, Feature Race victory and both fastest laps is an incredible to-do list for the Red Bull junior. If he were to achieve a clean sweep, Iwasa would write himself into F2 history as the only driver to claim the maximum number of points possible on a race weekend.

TEAMS’ BATTLE – ART GRAND PRIX vs PREMA Racing

It’s not only the drivers locked in a fierce fight to the finish, with ART Grand Prix and PREMA Racing going toe-to-toe secure the Teams’ title. Both are squaring off in the Drivers’ fight and the battle to achieve the top rookie honours with the Anthoine Hubert Award.

Championship leader Pourchaire and fifth-placed Victor Martins have given ART the advantage. The French squad sit top on 322 points, 26 points clear of PREMA, who have Vesti and sixth-placed Oliver Bearman looking to put in one final charge to bring the trophy back to the Italian team’s base after a year away.

With a maximum of 65 points available, PREMA need to outscore ART by 39 points. As only 21 points are available before the Feature Race, this fight will go all the way down to the chequered flag…