Formula 2 Champions

Formula 2 has undergone a few different looks over the years. But it became what we know it as today just a few years ago back in 2017. Since then, it's significance in relation to Formula 1 has grown and grown with four of the twenty drivers currently on the F1 grid having graduated from Formula 2 into the top tier sport. Furthermore, it's quite something that two of those drivers are in top teams of the sport (McLaren and Red Bull) with the other two teaming up with one another at Williams (once mighty and hopefully on their way to a long overdue comeback). Making up nearly a quarter of the field shows how important Formula 2 is and can continue to be in developing young talent and giving them a shot at the ultimate Formula there is.

With the rule changes coming into place in 2021 and 2022 making Formula 1 a little similar to Formula 2 - and Formula 3 for that matter - it's more important than ever to pay attention to what is going on in F2. With all of the cars in Formula 2 practically identical in terms of design and technology, the drivers predominately succeed due to their talent and skill behind the wheel. They're not aided by how much money the team has to invest in the car, it's down to them and what happens out there on the rack track. So whilst money still has a factor (through sponsorship, etc.) in who might get a seat in Formula 1, Formula 2 shows who has the talent and ability to perform in the car better than other categories of racing. Money will only get you so far in racing of any kind - and Formula 2 helps to determine if the drivers really have what it takes to compete at the top level should a spot become available to them.

Formula 2 also has the neat rule that if you win the Championship, you are not allowed to continue racing in that formula, thus encouraging F1 teams to take a chance on their top drivers and making room in the rest of F2 for new up and coming drivers.

So, with all that said, let's take a look at the cream of the crop - the Formula 2 Champions of the recent past and how they ended up on top.

Charles Leclerc - Formula 2 Champion 2017

Little did he know, he'd be driving for Ferrari in Formula 1 just two years later.

Little did he know, he'd be driving for Ferrari in Formula 1 just two years later.

Driving for the PREMA Racing outfit, young Charles Leclerc wasted no time in showing what he was capable of by finishing in third place at the first round of the Championship held in Bahrain. In the sprint race the following day, he then did even better and won! Now that's how you make an entrance. With a taste for victory, Charles went and won the next race in Catalunya, Spain before coming fourth in the race the following day.

A Monégasque, Charles was probably hoping for a home race to remember. It was...but not for the right reasons. He retired from the feature race and then had to settle for a disappointing eighteenth place in the sprint race on the Sunday. Known for being hard on himself when he doesn't deliver, Charles bounced back in style by winning the first race in Baku at the next round of the Championship. He finished second in the sprint race then went on to win again in the feature race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Sadly, another retirement followed during the sprint race.

After winning the feature race at Silverstone, Charles had a series of decent results - but none were up to his usual standards. He was disqualified from the feature race in Spa and wouldn't win again until the tenth round of the season in Jerez. Then in the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi, Charles came second in the feature race before ending the season with style by winning the sprint race on the Sunday. Markelov in second couldn't come close to his 282 points with only 210 to his name.

After a year at the Fomula 1 Alfa Romeo team in 2018, Leclerc then moved up into Ferrari where he remains today on a long term contract. Without Formula 2, who knows if and when Leclerc would have made it into F1?

George Russell - Formula 2 Champion 2018

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with L...

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with L...

Good old George Russell didn't have as good a start as Leclerc did in his Championship winning year, but he managed it all the same. Driving for ART Grand Prix, he began the year with a fifth and nineteenth place finish in Bahrain before a twelfth place finish at the feature race in Baku. But things changed for the better during the Baku sprint race, where Rusell took the win. High on success, he then went and won the feature race in Catalunya at the next round of the 2018 Championship. A fourth place followed and a double retirement in Monaco.

But then in France, George was back as he won the feature race. He won again during the first of the two races during the Austrian round of the Championship before settling for three consecutive second place finishes at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. Over the next five races, his best result would be a third place he achieved in Spa.

George then had enough of not winning races and so went and won the sprint race at Monza and then again in Sochi. He won the feature race at the final round in Abu Dhabi before ending the year with a fourth place during the sprint race. But it was enough for him to take claim the 2018 F2 Championship with 289 points to his name. Lando Norris finished second with 219 points with Alex Albon not far behind in third with 212.

George is now in his second season with the Williams F1 team, although rumours say he may move up to Mercedes in the next year or two. If that does happen - or if Williams are able to fight their way back to being a top constructor - we're in for some awesome battles for F1 Championships in the near future.

Nyck de Vries - Formula 2 Champion 2019

de Vries is second from the left.

de Vries is second from the left.

After coming seventh in 2017 and then fourth in 2018, 2019 was set to finally by de Vries' year. Also an ART Grand Prix driver, Nyck began the year with a sixth and seventh place finish in Bahrain. His first podium of the year came at the following round where he came second in the feature race held in Baku. His first two wins of the year would come back to back as he won the sprint race in Catalunya and then the feature race in Monaco. The hunt for the Championship was well and truly on.

de Vries won the next feature race in France, his penultimate win of the year. He would end up coming third on five occasions after this with a second place during the feature race in Hungary. His final win of the year would come at the second to last round of the year in Sochi, where he won the feature race. He came second during the sprint race which would prove to be his last podium that year. In Abu Dhabi, he finished in thirteenth place in both races.

But it was enough for him to comfortably win the Championship with 266 points, ahead of Nicholas Latifi in second with 214. He is the only driver on this list not to currently be in Formula 1. Instead, he is part of the Mercedes-Benz Formula E Team alongside former McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne. He currently sits in thirteenth place in the Driver's Standings. Despite his lack of ascension to F1, Formula 2 still paved the way for his career as he has also taken part in the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Notable Mentions:

In 2017, current Formula 2 driver Artem Markelov came second in the Championship behind Charles Leclerc. It was his best season finish to date. In 2018, a certain milkman by the name of Lando Norris finished in second place behind George Russell with Alex Albon not far behind him in third place. As most of you reading will know, both of these drivers are now in Formula 1 driving for McLaren and Red Rull respectively. Finally, 2019's runner up was Nicholas Latifi, who has now partnered George Russell at the Williams F1 team for the 2020 season.

So there you have it, three Formula 2 Champions, all of which either have a future in Formula 1 now or are already a part of it. I don't know why more attention isn't given to Formula 2 - and to that extent, Formula 3 - at the moment. Maybe it's because most of the drivers are unknowns and not at the top of their games. But I'd argue that's even more reason to watch it - there's more at stake and drivers are more willing to risk things than they might be in Formula 1. So, if this article isn't proof that Formula 2 is important in the development of the future of F1, I'll eat my hat.

But what do you think, both about the Champions and Formula 2's importance in general? Let me know in the comments below.