One month on from a memorable 2023 F2 season finale, here is a look at six top drivers from throughout the year.
From a dramatic title fight which went down to the wire to stunning rookie performances and plenty of thrilling battles across the season, F2 once again pulled off a memorable season packed with highs and lows and stand-out moments.
Six drivers however have undoubtedly outshone the chasing pack so here is a look at six top drivers of the 2023 F2 season.
Theo Pourchaire (ART GP)
“It’s very important to be consistent to win a championship as that’s the number one thing; you have to be consistent, you have to score points every time.”
Consistency certainly summed up Pourchaire’s victorious campaign as he spoke of that quality during our interview with him in early October, and oh boy did he deliver consistently across the campaign to take the title in a thrilling season finale.
Even the stats underline how impressive Pourchaire’s title is because he achieved the following statistics:
- Lowest points tally for a F2 champion – having taken 203 points which is 12 points lower than the previous lowest total set by Mick Schumacher in 2020.
- Least number of race wins in a title-winning season – in which he took just one victory right at the start of the season in the Bahrain Feature Race.
- Joint lowest total of podiums in a title-winning season – Pourchaire claimed 10 podiums which is joint lowest alongside Schumacher and Charles Leclerc (2017).
- Smallest title-winning margin – Pourchaire beat Frederik Vesti to the title by just 11 points which is the smallest title-clinching gap in F2 history.
In fact it is testatement to his consistency and mature driving that Pourchaire became champion especially when under pressure from title rival and 2022 teammate, Frederik Vesti who didn’t have the advantage of having experienced a F2 title fight before unlike the 20 year-old.
If had to single out a key aspect of Pourchaire’s season then it has to be Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, where he achieved double podium finishes which ultimately played an integral part in beating Vesti to the title after he achieved a double podium in Abu Dhabi.
Further highlighting the importance of those two double podium finishes is the fact that Abu Dhabi could of easily turned out differently, if Pourchaire had made costly mistaks from 14th on the grid in both races which would of likely handed Vesti a narrow title win.
Instead Pourchaire kept his cool from his poor grid slot and calmly collected 12 points in total across both races (seventh in sprint and fifth in the Feature Race), which proved enough for the title but a non top-ten finish in the latter race would of cost him the title on countback.
Now if that performance isn’t the mark of a worthy champion built on points-scoring consistency then you would be hard found to name a driver who achieved his title in the manner that Pourchaire did, especially after one points-scoring finish in a five-race blip from Saudi Arabia to Azerbaijan Sprint.
Frederik Vesti (PREMA)
After a tough rookie campaign in 2022, Frederik Vesti certainly took his levels to new heights in 2023 with a brilliant title challenge, during which he took six wins – more than any other driver.
Vesti in particular seemed to relish the street circuit rounds in Saudi Arabia and Monaco with Feature Race wins in both races, of which the latter proved a classic as he fought off Pourchaire in an epic cat and mouse contest reminscient of Pourchaire’s fight with Felipe Drugovich in 2022.
The Mercedes junior though will be rueing some pieces of bad luck from his double non-points finishes in Bahrain and Netherlands to unfortunate race-ending collisions at Silverstone and Monza largely beyond his control.
Vesti’s non-start in Belgium after a spin on the reconnaissance lap to the grid in damp conditions though was the biggest mistake which cost him the title, especially given that he was set to line up second with Pourchaire fifth on the grid.
Those errors altogether cost him the title by 11 points because if he hadn’t had his incidents and the Dutch Sprint had points awarded, you have to wonder if he would of otherwise been champion.
Oliver Bearman (PREMA)
If asked to name one stand-out F2 rookie of 2023 on the spot then Oliver Bearman immediately springs to mind because this 18 year-old has enjoyed an unbelievable season despite finishing sixth in the standings.
Bearman has had a typical rookie season packed with huge moments, valuable lessons and some mistakes – like his spin when chasing Vesti for the Sprint victory on home soil at Silverstone, but this young Ferrari junior clearly has the raw speed and racecraft to reach F1.
In fact, I expect him to be a serious title contender next season if he can build upon his experiences of this season and avoid some of the bad luck which befell him in Saudi Arabia and Netherlands, where he was taken out by reckless ART GP drivers in Sprint and Feature Race respectively.
Azerbaijan however ranks as not just the stand-out moment of Bearman’s season but the entire F2 campaign, because the Chelmsford-born Brit was just so dominant as he topped every session – even if he got lucky in the Sprint with a mistake from Vesti as the final safety car was deployed.
Conistency therefore has to be the aim for Bearman in 2024 if he wants the title because he otherwise has the package to become champion, having demonstrated his ability to fight through the field in races after difficult Qualifying sessions.
Victor Martins (ART GP)
Having found himself in the shadow of his fellow French compatriot – Pourchaire at ART GP, Martins has certainly proven that he is an outstanding talent in his own right, especially once he hit his stride.
Having amassed just 14 points in the opening eight races, Martins could of quietly struggled in his rookie season yet he put together a run of 14 points finishes in 15 races mid-season, whilst a second-placed finish in the Abu Dhabi Feature Race proved enough to finish as rookie of the year.
Martins however was prone to some typical rookie errors at times especially early on in the season, with his spin in the Saudi Feature Race whilst in the net race lead having been one notable rookie error – having taken the first of three poles this season for that race.
Six fastest laps within races across the season also showed just how much raw pace Martins is capable of producing across a single lap within individual races, which could stand him well in terms of scraping points in that regard if he can fight for the title next season.
We should also acknowledge that Martins has mirrored Pourchaire because like his teammate, he eventually finished fifth in his rookie season which could be an ominous sign of title success within next two seasons if he can adapt to the new Dallara F2 2024 car.
Jack Doohan (Virtuosi)
With just 28 points from the opening five rounds, Virtuosi’s Jack Doohan clearly knew that the title dreams were already over yet he somehow snatched third in the championship from what surely felt like a pipe dream that he would of snappd anyone’s hand off for in the summer.
140 points amassed from 12 of the last 16 races therefore is a remarkable turnaround for Doohan when he could of easily let his head drop, yet he showd resilience and maturity to bounce back from his early setbacks with three Feature Race wins.
Although his wins in Hungary and Abu Dhabi were dominant masterclasses from pole, Doohan drove a brilliant race from 11th to victory in Belgium, with a brilliant overcut strategy aided by a well-timed safety car which left his talent and fresh tyre to dispatch Pourchaire for the win.
It is therefore a shame that Doohan won’t be back in F2 next season because he would of been a hot title favourite, but this Australian driver has nevertheless been a top driver of this season and will be missed on the grid.
Ayumu Iwasa (DAMS)
Having enjoyed a strong rookie season in 2022 with two wins and poles apiece, Ayumu Iwasa certainly raised his bar with some mature drives, especially for his three wins on street circuits this year – of which his win in Australia came from his sole pole position of the year.
Iwasa however just lacked the high-scoring consistency needed to fight Pourchaire and Vesti across the season, whilst a run of four non points-scoring finishes in the last seven races of the season coupled with Doohan’s late-season improvement saw the DAMS driver miss out on third.
Consistency therefore was Iwasa’s weakness because he definitely does have the raw talent to be a strong talent if given the right car to regularly challenge for success, so his switch to Super Formula for 2024 might be the right move for him after two years in F2.
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