As the 2024 F2 season draws closer, here is a look at seven drivers who will be worth watching out for across the campaign.
From the introduction of the F2 Dallara 2024 car to fresh drivers and two top returning drivers ready for a title tilt, F2 is set for a cracking season which promises to deliver plenty of thrills and spills.
Some drivers though will stand out from the crowd so here is a rundown of seven drivers to watch out for across the 2024 season.
Oliver Bearman (PREMA)
Firmly established as one of the title favourites, Oliver Bearman will be many fans’ tip for the title despite an underwhelming pre-season, which isn’t totally representative due to different fuel loads and testing programmes.
Bearman already has shown that he has raw speed and racecraft to fight for titles in his junior career – having won ADAC F4 and Italian F4 in 2021 – but after a spade of inconsistent rounds last season amidst four wins, he now needs to put together a regularly consistent run to fight for the title.
The 18 year-old Ferrari junior also found himself unfairly on the harsh side of stewarding decisions at times in 2023, so enjoying clean races will also be a key part of Bearman’s bid for the title amidst adapting to a new car.
Another challenge that Bearman will have to deal with is managing certain weekends where he will have dual responsibilities of F1 FP1 sessions for Haas alongside his F2 campaign, which certainly proved tough in Abu Dhabi last season.
That experience though will of been a huge learning curve and if he can master that obstacle whilst finding consistency and clean races, there is no doubt that Bearman will be a red-hot title contender.
Victor Martins (ART GP)
Following his stunning turnaround from a sluggish start to his rookie campaign last season, Victor Martins enters this season as a top title contender especially with the continuity of staying at ART GP for a second season.
Martins also is the highest-placed returning driver despite having taken just one win in 2023 and enjoyed the longest points-scoring run of any driver which came across 12 races, underlining his evident consistency but he now needs to improve that level if want to push for the title this season.
We also shouldn’t forget that Martins finished fifth with one win in his rookie F3 campaign before he went on to win the title in 2022 with strong consistency, meaning that omens could well be stacked in his favour if he can replicate that form this season.
Martins though will have to be at his best because not only will he face tough opposition from Bearman but he has a new teammate who looks set to run him close if ART GP enjoy a strong start like they did in 2023 despite having the obstacle of a new spec car to get to grips with.
Zak O’Sullivan (ART GP)
Having finished second in F3 last season with four wins, Zak O’Sullivan now steps straight into last season’s title-winning ART GP which brings strong expectations for the 19 year-old Brit.
If there is one thing that stands O’Sullivan in good stead for this season, it is that he is surrounded by engineers who know how to take drivers to the title, which could make for a strong season if he can hit the ground running given his strong race pace and find consistency.
Now if O’Sullivan can nail his one-lap performances in Qualifying then there is no doubt that he could get right in the title mix, especially after his most representative running in pre-season testing suggested that he could closely match Martins if can translate his speed into the season.
As for the season ahead, it is tough to predict how O’Sullivan will perform specifically but if he can build upon his strong 2023 season, he certainly has the potential to get right into the title fight.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (PREMA)
After dominating ADAC and Italian F4 categories plus FRMEC and FRECA in the last two seasons, Mercedes junior – Andrea Kimi Antonelli faces the daunting jump up to F2 bypassing F3 in what is seen as a bold gamble by PREMA.
Antonelli’s move also broke PREMA’s cycle of promoting their highest-placed F3 driver into their F2 team, which adding further scrutiny upon the 17 year-old who has already shown great raw talent and adaptability in previous junior catgories.
One positive in Antonelli’s favour is that the new spec car has levelled the playing field so if he can showcase his adaptability, and he has an experienced teammate in Bearman who knows what it is like to be a rookie from last season.
As a Mercedes junior with a seat now available within the F1 team next season following Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, Antonelli also will have to deal with speculation that he could get a promotion if he delivers this season – thus adding more attention to the Italian who could be a title outsider.
Taylor Barnard (PHM AIX Racing)
Coming into this season with an all-rookie line-up after a disastrous 2023 season which yielded no points, PHM AIX Racing certainly have an underrated gem on their cards in Taylor Barnard who steps up from F3 where he took one win and finished 10th in his rookie season.
Barnard also has developed close links to McLaren after conducting Formula E testing for the team so has plenty of future options, but this season could well allow Barnard to shine now that PHM have established themselves in F2 and the new car has levelled the playing field.
The 19 year-old Brit however wasn’t confirmed until just days before pre-season testing so the pressure is off this rookie, which could well be to his advantage given that he isn’t expected to fight for wins or podiums but he does have the raw speed to punch above the team’s expectations.
Zane Maloney (Rodin Motorsport)
After suffering a difficult rookie season in 2023 littered with inconsistency despite claiming four podium finishes, Zane Maloney now will be hoping that he can take a step forward and start pushing for success this season.
The ‘Boy from Barbados’ also has reasons to be full of confidence heading into the season after he topped the last two days of the pre-season test and finished second on the opening day, which is a positive sign that he could be a major contender this season.
Maloney though will be wary of the fact that dominance in pre-season hasn’t often transitioned into title success, although Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire in the last two seasons have won the title after they topped one day of pre-season testing.
Either way we can’t discount Maloney from a potential title fight especially with a new spec car in play.
Gabriel Bortoleto (Invicta Racing)
Stepping up to F2 as the reigning F3 champion, Gabriel Bortoleto can’t be underestimated because he has shown that once he has that win under his belt, consistency can be his key weapon to mount a title challenge.
Throw in a new car which effectively has reset the grid and Bortoleto certainly could sniff the prospect of doing a George Russell, who arrived in the series in 2018 at the same time as the introduction of a new car and proceeded to take that season’s title through consistency.
If there is one thing going against Bortoleto is that Invicta haven’t really battled for the F2 title on a serious level – aside from Callum Ilott in 2020, meaning that he needs to bring his F3 title-winning experience to help propel the team forward if they get into a proper title scrap.
Bortoleto also has support from McLaren now behind him but as enjoyable as it would be to see Bortoleto get in on the title scrap, you have to feel that this could be a year of learning before a title tilt in 2025.
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