FIA Formula 2 Championship
 | |
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country | International |
| Inaugural season | 2017 |
| Drivers | 20 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Constructors | Dallara |
| Engine suppliers | Mecachrome |
| Tyre suppliers | Pirelli |
| Drivers' champion |  George Russell |
| Teams' champion | Carlin |
| Official website | fiaformula2.com |
 Current season | |
The FIA Formula 2 Championship[1] is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2017 following the rebranding of the long-term Formula One feeder series, GP2 Series.
Designed to make racing affordable for the teams and to make it the perfect training ground for life in Formula One, Formula 2 has made it mandatory for all of the teams to use the same chassis, engine and tyre supplier so that true driver ability is reflected. Formula 2 mainly races on European circuits, but has appearances on other international race tracks as well with their most recent races in the 2017 season at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain and the Yas Marina Circuit in United Arab Emirates.
Contents
1 Race weekend
1.1 Point system
2 Car specifications
2.1 Chassis
2.1.1 Drivetrain
2.1.2 Wheel rims
2.1.3 Tyres
2.1.4 Brakes
2.1.5 Fuel tank
2.1.6 Suspension
2.1.7 Steering wheel
2.1.8 Safety
2.1.9 Other components
2.2 Engine
2.2.1 First generation
2.2.2 Second generation
2.2.3 Fuel and lubricants components
2.3 Other parts
2.4 Performance
2.5 Specifications (2017)
2.6 Current specifications (2018–2020)
3 History
3.1 2017
3.2 2018
4 Champions
4.1 Drivers'
4.2 Teams'
5 Drivers graduated to F1
6 Television rights
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Race weekend
On Friday, drivers have a 45-minute[2] free practice session and a 30-minute qualifying session. The qualifying session decides the grid order for Saturday's race which has a length of 180 kilometres (112 miles).
During Saturday's race (Feature Race), each driver must complete one compulsory pitstop and must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres.
Sunday's race (Sprint Race) is run over 120 kilometres (75 miles). The grid is decided by the Saturday result with top 8 being reversed, so the driver who finished 8th on Saturday will start from pole position and the winner will start from 8th place.
The exceptions to these rules are the Monaco and Budapest where the Feature Race is run over 140 km (87 miles) and 160 km (100 miles), respectively and the Monaco Sprint Race where the race is run over 100 km (60 miles).[3]
Point system
Feature races will be run with a scoring system similar to the one used in Formula One:
| Point system for Feature Race | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
| 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
The top eight finishers in a sprint race receive points as follows:
| Point system for Sprint Race | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
| 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Pole position for the feature race will now be worth 4 points, and 2 points will be given for the fastest lap in each race. Therefore, the maximum number of points a driver can score at any round will be 48.
- Driver recording fastest lap has to drive 90% of race laps and must finish in the top ten of the race to be eligible for the fastest lap points.
In the case of a tie, FIA Formula 2 Championship will determine the champion based on the most first-place finishes. If there is still a tie, FIA Formula 2 Championship will determine the champion by the most second-place finishes, then the most third-place finishes, etc., until a champion is determined. FIA Formula 2 Championship will apply the same system to other ties in the rankings at the close of the season and at any other time during the season.
Car specifications
The FIA Formula 2 Championship car is used by all of the teams, and features a Dallara carbon-fiber monocoque chassis powered by a Mecachrome single-turbocharged direct-injected V6 engine and Pirelli dry slick and rain treaded tyres. Overall weight is 720 kg including driver.
Chassis
The F2 Championship currently uses 2018 specification F2 2018 car which has been designed by Dallara Automobili. The price of Dallara F2 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship cars are approximately up to €250.000-€300.000 per car (including wheels, wings, steering wheel and other components excluding engine). The current FIA Formula 2 Championship chassis material is Carbon/aluminium honeycomb structure and also Carbon Aramid honeycomb bodywork structure. The current FIA Formula 2 Championship car's front wings are slightly wider and also wider-lower rear wing (similar to 2017–present of Formula One car).
Drivetrain
The current gearbox is manufactured by Hewland and features an 8-position barrel with ratchet body and software upgrades as well as a new transverse shafts fixing system designed to facilitate improved gear selection. Currently, the FIA Formula 2 Championship gearbox uses a 6-speed semi-automatic configuration with electronically-controlled paddle shifters with reverse operated by Reverse button on the steering wheel. The clutches of all FIA Formula 2 Championship cars are supplied by ZF Sachs with the multi-plate clutch operated by a hand-paddle lever.
Wheel rims
O.Z. Racing exclusively supplies wheel rims for all FIA Formula 2 Championship cars.
Tyres
Similar to the 2011 change for Formula 1, Pirelli is now the sole tyre supplier for the series. The FIA Formula 2 Championship runs the different compounds and size as F1 since 2017 (due to in fact Formula 1's 2017 season tyres are wider, the FIA Formula 2 Championship carried over the pre-2017 Pirelli F1 tyres). The front tyre size are 245/660-R13 and rear tyre size are 325/660-R13. The compounds of Pirelli Formula 2 tyres are 4 dry compounds and 2 wet compounds due to the hyper-soft, ultra-soft and super-hard only used in Formula One.
Brakes
Brembo supplies monobloc brake calipers and disc bells, which are exclusive to FIA Formula 2 Championship. Carbone Industrie also supplies carbon brake discs and pads for FIA Formula 2 Championship. The brake discs are 278 x 28 mm in size (similar to Formula One).
Fuel tank
The current Dallara F2 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship car's fuel tank carried over the FIA standard Premier FT5 tank with the capacity up to 125 litres.
Suspension
The suspension of all FIA Formula 2 Championship cars are upper and lower steel wishbones, pushrod operated, coupled with twin Koni dampers and torsion bars suspension (front) and spring suspension (rear) similar to current Formula One car suspension.
Steering wheel
Since 2011, XAP Technology exclusively provides the XAP single-seater F2 steering wheel as well as XAP SX steering wheel dash display for all FIA Formula 2 Championship cars. The XAP steering wheel features 6 buttons in the front with 5 paddles (DRS, gear shift and clutch) in the back of steering wheel. From the 2018 season, all FIA Formula 2 cars will utilize all new XAP steering wheels with a larger dash screen and also three new rotary switches (similar to the current FIA Formula E steering wheel).
Safety
The current safety innovation of FIA Formula 2 Championship is the top priority. Front, side, rear and steering column impact tests are the FIA safety standards. The all FIA Formula 2 Championship car include front and rear roll hoop, impact structures and monocoque push tests. Anti-intrusion survival cell protection panels are also featured since 2011. Wheel retainer safety cables are also featured to avoid wheel flying similar to Formula One, IndyCar Series (known as SWEMS) and other single-seater Formula racing series. The seat belts of all FIA Formula 2 Championship cars are supplied by Sabelt with 6-point seat belt configuration similar to Formula One. From 2018 onwards, the “halo” cockpit protection system would be introduced to avoid the series of fatal crashes.
Other components
All FIA Formula 2 cars carry a Magneti Marelli-provided electronic control unit (Marvel SRG 480 model) as well as Magneti Marelli PDU 12-42 power supply management unit. Live telemetry is used only for television broadcasts, but the data can be recorded from the ECU to the computer if the car is in the garage and not on the track.
Rear view mirrors for all FIA Formula 2 cars are fully mandated to easily viewing opponents behind.
Engine
The series uses 620 hp 3.4-litre V6 single-turbocharged direct-injected engines which resemble the GP3 Series engine model supplied by Mecachrome, prepared and maintained by Teos Engineering. The V634 Turbo was introduced in 2017 along with the new Dallara F2 2018 chassis but will be used from 2018 onwards.[4] Dutch turbocharger company Van Der Lee Turbo Systems currently supplies the turbochargers for all FIA Formula 2 Championship all-new engines.
First generation
The 4.0-litre normally-aspirated electronic indirect fuel-injected Mecachrome V8 engine features internal, cartographic and software upgrades designed to improve performance and fuel consumption required since 2005 season and used until the end of the 2017 season. The engine produced 612 hp and 500 Nm (380 ft-lb) of torque @ 8,000 rpm. FIA Formula 2 Championship engines are rev-limited to 10,000 rpm and need a rebuild after 4,000 to 4,500 km. The valve train is a dual overhead camshaft configuration with four valves per cylinder. The Mecachrome V8 engine weight is 326 lb (148 kg). The crankshaft is made of alloy steel, with five main bearing caps. The pistons are forged aluminum alloy, while the connecting rods are machined alloy steel. The electronic engine management system is supplied by Magneti Marelli, firing a high-power inductive (coil-controlled) ignition system. The engine lubrication is a dry sump type, cooled by a single water pump. The price of Mecachrome FIA Formula 2 Championship engines are approximately €150,000 per engine unit.
Mecachrome came to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2005 (when it was named GP2 Series), and by the same year Mecachrome was clearly the dominant engine manufacturer as of 2017.
During that time, since the FIA Formula 2 Championship had only one engine manufacturer, Mecachrome still focusing on minimizing engine failure and minimizing costs instead of defeating rivals. As such, the engines were moderately de-tuned. The engines proved themselves to be quite durable—there had been no engine failures at all F2 tracks from 2005 to present, which also lowered the number of crashes. Most of the engines, including those used for the Monaco race, are used for multiple races and were intended to last 1,100 miles between rebuilds. The Mecachrome engines were only available via lease arrangement from Mecachrome currently.
Mecachrome GP2 V8 engines were crated and shipped to all FIA Formula 2 Championship teams on a serial-number basis as determined by the sanctioning body (FIA) to ensure equality and fairness in distribution.
Second generation
The Mecachrome V634 Turbo 3.4-litre single-turbocharged direct-injected Mecachrome V6 engine is an evolution of the GP3 engine, which is the solely supplied engine for the FIA Formula 2 Championship. With the addition of a single turbo, the engine has undergone rigorous dyno testing, ahead of its racing debut.
Mecachrome V634 Turbo F2 V6 engines were crated and shipped to all FIA Formula 2 Championship teams on a serial-number basis as determined by the sanctioning body (FIA) to ensure equality and fairness in distribution.
Fuel and lubricants components
All Formula 2 cars currently use ordinary unleaded racing gasoline as fuel (similar to commercial vehicle unleaded street gasoline), which has been the de facto standard in second tier single-seater formula racing since the introduction of GP2 Series in 2005. Current Elf LMS 102 RON unleaded gasoline resembles ordinary unleaded gasoline but produces better mileage while being environmental-friendly and safer than other fuels[citation needed]. Since 2017, Elf exclusively continues providing the LMS 102 RON unleaded fuel and also Elf HTX 840 0W-40 lubricants for all FIA Formula 2 Championship cars.
Other parts
The car also features internal cooling upgrades, a new water radiator, radiator duct, oil/water heat exchanger, modified oil degasser, new oil and water pipes and new heat exchanger fixing brackets.
Performance
According to research and pre-season stability tests, the 2005 model can accelerate from 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.7 seconds. The car has a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph) meaning that it is the fastest single seater racing car behind Formula One and IndyCar Series.[citation needed]
The 2011 model can accelerate from 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 6.6 seconds.[citation needed]
The car has a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph) with the Monza aero configuration.[citation needed]
Specifications (2017)
Engine displacement: 4.0 L (244 cu in) DOHC V8
Gearbox: 6-speed paddle shift gearbox (must have reverse)
Weight: 1,517 lb (688 kg) (including driver)
Power output: 612 hp (456 kW)
Fuel: Elf LMS 102 RON unleaded
Fuel capacity: 33 US gallons (125 litres)
Fuel delivery: Fuel injection
Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
Length: 5,065 mm (199 in)
Width: 1,800 mm (71 in)
Wheelbase: 3,120 mm (123 in)
Steering: Non-assisted rack and pinion
Current specifications (2018–2020)
Engine displacement: 3.4 L (207 cu in) DOHC V6
Gearbox: 6-speed paddle shift gearbox (must have reverse)
Weight: 1,587 lb (720 kg)
Power output: 620 hp (462 kW)
Fuel: Elf LMS 102 RON unleaded
Fuel capacity: 33 US gallons (125 litres)
Fuel delivery: Direct fuel injection
Aspiration: Single-turbocharged
Length: 5,224 mm (206 in)
Width: 1,900 mm (75 in)
Wheelbase: 3,135 mm (123 in)
Steering: Non-assisted rack and pinion
History
2017
The 2017 season consisted of eleven rounds, ten of which supported the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship and a stand-alone event in Jerez.[1] It started in Bahrain on 15 April and finished in Abu Dhabi on 26 November. The season saw rookie Charles Leclerc, driving for Prema Racing, take the title with 7 wins and Russian Time secured the inaugural teams' championship. It was also the final season for the Dallara GP2/11 chassis which débuted in 2011 when the series was known as GP2 and the Mecachrome 4.0 litre (244 cu in) V8 naturally-aspirated engine package that débuted in the inaugural season of the GP2 Series.
2018
The 2018 season consisted of twelve rounds, with all twelve rounds supporting the 2018 Formula One World Championship. It started in Bahrain on 7 April and finished in Abu Dhabi on 25 November. The 2018 season also introduced the new Dallara F2 2018 car as well as the all-new Mecachrome 3.4 litre (207 cu in) V6 turbo engine with its large single turbo with a double waste gate, a world novelty supplied by Dutch turbocharger manufacturer Van Der Lee Turbo Systems.
Champions
Drivers'
| Season | Driver | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 |  Charles Leclerc |  Prema Racing | 8 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 282 | Race 19 of 22 | 72 |
2018 | George Russell |  ART Grand Prix | 5 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 287 | Race 23 of 24 | 68 |
Teams'
| Season | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 |  Russian Time | 1 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 395 | Race 22 of 22 | 15 |
2018 | Carlin | 2 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 383 | Race 23 of 24 | 33 |
Drivers graduated to F1
| Driver | F2 | F1 | Other major titles after F2 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons | Races | Wins | Podiums | Seasons | First team | Races | Wins | Poles | Podiums | ||
| Charles Leclerc | 2017 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 2018– | Sauber | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | GP3 Series |
| Sergey Sirotkin | 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2018 | Williams | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Formula Abarth European Series |
 Alexander Albon | 2017-2018 | 44 | 4 | 10 | 2019 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lando Norris | 2017–2018 | 26 | 1 | 8 | 2019 | McLaren | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | FIA Formula 3 European Championship |
| George Russell | 2018 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 2019 | Williams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | GP3 Series |
Bold denotes an active Formula One driver.- Gold background denotes a Formula 2 champion.
- Drivers marked with a † started Formula One on mid-season.
- Sergey Sirotkin spent two seasons in Formula 2 forerunner GP2
Television rights
The television rights are held by Formula One Management, which also manages the rights to Formula One. Sky Sports F1 show every practice, qualifying and race live in the United Kingdom, and so does Movistar Fórmula 1 in Spain.
In Brazil the races are shown live by Sportv and delayed by Fox Sports, that also shows Formula One. Coverage in North America is available exclusively online on TSN GO (Canada) and ESPN3 (USA). In South East Asia, the races are shown live on Fox Sports Asia.
See also
- GP2 Series
- GP3 Series
- European Formula Two Championship
- FIA Formula Two Championship (2009)
- Formula Two
References
^ ab "Newly renamed F2 series to feature at 10 Grands Prix". Formula1.com. Retrieved 9 March 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ http://www.gp2series.com/Guide-to/The-regulations/
^ "The regulations". Retrieved 5 August 2017.
^ "GP2 Series aiming for V6 switch, but not wider tyres for 2018 car". motorsport.com. Motorsport.com. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
External links
- Official website
