It’s only January but the full 22-man grid for the upcoming FIA Formula 2 season has been confirmed.
There are a number of familiar names on the grid with arguable title favorite Theo Pourchaire sticking around for another year, while F2 stalwarts Jehan Daruvala and Roy Nissany remain in the series.
While the returnees are somewhat underwhelming, this year’s crop of rookies – making the move up from FIA Formula 3 – is incredibly exciting.
Here’s five drivers you should look out for – beyond Pourchaire – in 2023:
Ollie Bearman-Prema
At just 17, Bearman is the youngest driver on this year’s F2 grid, with there being 11 years between him and the oldest, Nissany.
Part of the Ferrari’s young driver academy, Bearman is Britain’s biggest rising star looking to emulate the likes of George Russell and Lando Norris.
While he only has three years of single-seater experience, Bearman has excelled in every racing category since making his Italian F4 debut in 2020.
He stormed to the Italian F4 title with ease in 2021 before making the step up to F3.
Despite his young age and limited experience, Bearman remained in title contention up until the final round, claiming his maiden victory at Spa-Francorchamps.
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Had it not been for a lackluster Zandvoort round, perhaps Bearman would have been champion.
However, failure to take the title hasn’t halted his progress as he steps up to F2 with Prema.
Alongside Mercedes F1 junior Frederik Vesti, the Italian team have a mighty line up.
Like with Russell and Norris in recent years, Bearman is another hot prospect British fans should be very excited about.
Jack Doohan – Virtuosi
Likely to be Pourchaire’s nearest title challenger, Jack Doohan – the son of motorcycle legend Mick – remains in F2 for a second year.
His rookie year was mixed, taking three victories and three pole positions, but struggling for overall consistency.
In terms of raw speed, Doohan has consistently demonstrated he has what it takes to be an F1 driver of the future.
Doohan is part of Alpine’s F1 driver academy and team boss Otmar Szafnauer has already said that only the title would be good enough in 2023.
Zane Maloney-Carlin
Another talented driver making the step up from F3 to F2 in 2023 is Zane Maloney.
The Barbadian racing driver ended last year as runner-up to eventual champion Victor Martins.
Maloney ended the campaign in scintillating form, winning three of the final five races.
His fine performances caught the attention of Helmut Marko and thus he was signed to Red Bull’s junior team for 2023.
Like Bearman, Maloney will be another exciting rookie to watch in 2023.
Isack Hadjar – Hitech
The second Red Bull junior on our list is 18-year-old Isack Hadjar.
In his rookie F3 season, Hadjar looked favorite to take the title following his dominant feature race victory at the Red Bull Ring.
Things did fall apart in the second half of the year, failing to register a podium finish in any of the remaining four rounds.
The Frenchman’s aggressive driving style makes him a fan favorite as he remains with Hitech Grand Prix in 2023.
Ayumu Iwasa
Perhaps a surprise choice given we’ve left off the F3 champion, Victor Martins, among other great talents.
Iwasa was arguably the surprise of the 2022 season with a strong second half to the year, taking two feature races wins in France and Abu Dhabi.
Given it was his first year in the series, and he managed to out-score the likes of Doohan, Vesti and Dennis Hauger, it was very impressive.
While it’s uncertain whether Iwasa will be able to back it up in 2023, if he was able to take another step forward in performance, he could be an unlikely title contender.
He’s part of the Red Bull junior team, and being Japanese may make him even more appealing given that the Honda association remains.
