With 2024 upon us, all eyes will be on F1 acadmies to see which driver can enjoy a breakthrough year in their push to reach the pinnacle of motorsport.
From graduations into new racing categories to those looking to consolidate upon their experiences of 2023, this year promises to be a season of intrigue as several drivers within various academies look to take that crucial step forward on the road to F1.
Add in a new-spec car for F2 this season and positive momentum for those who raced in Macau, then 2024 promises to be a huge year for six drivers.
Oliver Bearman
Having opted to stay in F2 with PREMA for a second season, Oliver Bearman undoubtedly will be considered one of the hot favourites for a title challenge after a stunning rookie campaign, which saw him win four races and take three pole positions.
Bearman though will need to use his experience to quickly adapt to the new generation spec F2 car and find more consistency, which together with his raw speed and racecraft will surely put him on course for a serious title tilt this year,
The 18 year-old Chelmsford-born driver also has Ferrari backing so all eyes will be upon him to see if he can raise his game and produce a breakthrough season to reach F1, where many seats could be available for 2025.
Victor Martins
Over the last three seasons in F3 and F2, Alpine junior – Victor Martins has demonstrated that consistency is key as he finished as the top rookie in his maiden F3 and F2 campaigns, whilst he went on to win the F3 crown in his second season at that level.
That pattern suggests that the omens could well favour Martins this season especially if he hits the ground running quickly if stays in F2 as expected, because he clearly has raw consistency across race pace to deliver a title challenge and his single lap pace also saw strong improvement last season.
Now if Martins can extend his racecraft consistency across to Qualifying and regularly put his car at the front of the field, he undoubtedly will put himself in the mix to be the cream of the junior crop especilly now that he will be the lead ART GP driver this season with his experience.
Zak O’Sullivan
As the 2023 F3 vice-champion, Zak O’Sullivan will this season graduate to F2 with reigning team’s champions, ART GP as Theo Pourchaire’s replacement alongside likely title contender – Victor Martins who is expected to remain with the French outfit.
O’Sullivan also is one of Williams Academy’s top drivers and after making his F1 debut in FP1 at Abu Dhabi at the end of last season, hopes will be high that he can continue to progress this season with one of F2’s top teams and find more consistency after a tricky F3 season.
On that note, ART GP might just suit O’Sullivan given that they have a strong reputation for extracting consistency from their drivers, whilst the start of a new era with a new-spec car provides a level playing field for him against Martins.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Now part of McLaren’s Development Driver Programme following his dominant F3 campaign in 2023, Gabriel Bortoleto has certainly earnmarked himself as a driver to watch this year as he steps up to F2.
The 19 year-old Brazilian though will be driving for Virtuosi who are yet to take a driver to the F2 title, yet are a proven team as evidenced by their strong record in taking drivers to wins and regular podiums in past season and even fought for the 2020 title with Callum Ilott.
Bortoleto therefore is certainly one to watch but F2 is a huge step up from F3 and with a new-spec car introduced this season, he could well be a huge talent to watch out for if he can adapt quickly but 2024 will likely be a learning year with a serious title tilt in 2025.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Having cruised to the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional Europe titles in 2023 with eight wins and ten further podiums combined, Mercedes junior – Andrea Kimi Antonelli is taking a huge leap into F2 this season with PREMA.
The new spec car levels the playing field but at 17 years-old, Antonelli is taking one hell of a gamble bypassing F3 but given his clear maturity in his racecraft and raw speed, this Italian will certainly be one to watch.
Should he indeed adapt quickly to the tougher machinery then fantastic and he will certainly be the top tip out of the rookies to fight for wins if not the title or at least the top rookie honour, otherwise this risk could backfire if he struggles to settle and possibly hurt his long-term F1 dreams.
Either way this year is sink or swim time for Antonelli without any doubt following Mercedes’ bold decision to allow him to skip F3, especially given that he will be up against the experienced Bearman at PREMA.
Luke Browning
Following his dominant performance in Macau, Williams junior – Luke Browning is hotly tipped to enjoy a breakthrough 2024 as he stays with Hitech Pulse-Eight in F3, where he will look to build upon a promising rookie campaign which saw him claim his sole podium finish in the Spanish Sprint.
The 21 year-old Brit though will need to show more consistency and better speed across both single and racing laps if he is to fight for podiums regularly, especially with Hitech who hadn’t exactly been able to provide a competitive car regularly in 2023.
Browning however knows that he is capable of achieving strong results as evidenced by his consistency in 2021 ADAC F4 and 2022 GB3 seasons, of which he won the latter competition so there is little doubt that he could deliver if Hitech provide him with the right environment to thrive.