As 2025 approaches its close, here is a look at the top five drivers of the F2 season.
With 727 laps completed across 27 races over 14 rounds after the Australian Feature Race was cancelled due to torrential rain, F2 once again threw up plenty of drama as a five-way title battle came to a close in the penultimate round of the season.
Now is therefore the appropriate time to reflect on five stand-out performers as F2 looks ahead towards the new year.
Leonardo Fornaroli
Having won the 2024 F3 title without taking a single race victory, Fornaroli knew that he needed to find wins if he was to excel in F2 and he certainly did that with four total victories; consisting of three sprint wins and one feature race victory amidst high consistency.
In fact, Fornaroli only recorded two non-points finishes in the first 13 rounds which was an impressive feat for any rookie, and more so when he saved his most mature weekend for Qatar to wrap up the title with the round to spare – amidst expectations that the title fight would go to the finale in Abu Dhabi.
With F2 officials and media having anticipated a title decider at the final round given that five drivers were in mathematic contention at the start of the penultimate round, Fornaroli’s performances underlined his consistency and ability to perform under pressure in an intense title fight.
I however am most impressed that like in F3, he managed to deliver the title without any F1 backing which eventually came via McLaren after he secured the championship, so hopefully he will get some F1 FP1 outings next season as their reserve and test driver then hopefully a future F1 race seat.
Alex Dunne
After a tough rookie season in F3 in 2024 which yielded just two podiums for the top Irish talent, Dunne surprisingly stepped up to F2 this season and adapted well with an early title challenge.
Hot-headed moves however summed up Dunne’s rookie campaign because he took just too many risks like at the start in Monaco Feature Race, which saw him cause a multi-car pile-up that eliminated seven drivers at the first corner.
Disqualification due to plank wear in Austria and a 10-second time penalty for a start set-up procedure infringement which drooped him from first to ninth in Belgium though cost him 41 points, whilst he was taken out of a potential fourth place at Monza by Arvid Lindblad.
Dunne therefore will be ruing his inexperience because if he had converted pole to victory in Monaco and took fourth in Monza, he would of gained 37 points and would of probably won the title if he hadn’t lost a total of 78 points through a mixture of mistakes and a technical error from Rodin.
Alas he is returning for a second season in 2026 and with the rookie season under his belt coupled with his raw talent, he certainly will be a driver to watch next season.
Jak Crawford
In his third season at this level, Crawford enjoyed his strongest F2 season yet with four wins; including an impressively lucky Feature Race victory in Monaco, having timed his pit stop to the deployment of the safety car after the top three missed the pit entry.
Inconsistency in five of the last six rounds due to a mix of setup and technical issues however cost him a realistic shot at the title although he did well to keep Fornaroli under pressure across that period until his title chances were ended in Qatar, before he scraped together five crucial points in Abu Dhabi to take the vice-champion title.
Crawford though did jointly lead the most laps in F2 this season – having led 110 laps alongside Fornaroli and achieved his goal of fighting for the title, so he can be proud of his season overall as he prepares to become Aston Martin’s reserve driver in 2026.
Luke Browning
Having gained some experience as a mid-season replacement in autumn 2024, Browning certainly showed his learnings with a strong campaign which saw him finish fourth overall in the standings.
Inconsistency in his results however was his main weakness because he only achieved double-points finishes in three rounds, which made his fourth place all the more impressive when compared to those around him like Fornaroli, Dunne and Crawford.
Browning though didn’t have luck with strategy or technical reliability at times either but we can’t forget his stunning drive from 12th to third with some gutsy overtakes in difficult wet conditions, which was some of the best overtakes that I saw this season.
With a return to F2 for 2026 ruled out, it will be interesting to see where Browning’s career progresses with a move to Super Formula looking likely.
Richard Verschoor
After four seasons floating around the cusp of the top ten with MP Motorsport, Trident and Van Amersfoort Racing during which he took a win in each season, Verschoor finally enjoyed his breakthrough season largely built on consistency in terms of points-scoring finishes.
Verschoor though wasn’t consistently enough on the podium this season because he only recorded two podiums aside from his four wins, which was a factor in his inability to close Fornaroli down once the Italian rookie hit his stride but third is his best F2 finish in both positions and points tally with 170 points.
The 25-year-old Dutchman therefore can be proud of his final season in F2 which was by far his most competitive and deservedly attracted McLaren, who have signed him for their young driver programme with view to an endurance racing programme next season.
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