Fast-tracking – How F2 has paved the way for today’s F1 drivers

Like a youth team football coach or an inspiring teacher, Bruno Michel has the job of creating an environment for precocious talent to flourish – with his aim to help fledgling racers make the leap to Formula 1.

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they shall never sit under, as the famous adage goes. Michel may not appreciate the mention of being of a certain vintage but, in his role as chief executive of both Formula 2 and Formula 3, it is essentially what he is being tasked to do.

Michel’s job is to help nurture the up-and-coming drivers by creating championships that are competitive, aid development and also prepare racers for what they might be up against should they get the call to one day race in F1.

Grand prix winners Lando Norris, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc all honed their craft in F2, while the current F1 season started with no fewer than six rookies – all of whom had treaded the boards in the lower categories.

“I always felt it was a path, it was a clear way, but the question was always the number of seats that were available in Formula 1,” Michel told Motorsport.com.

“Also the attractiveness of the drivers we were having in Formula 2. So let’s say that it can change from one year to another, but what is for sure is that what we achieved at the end of 2024 for this season in F1 is completely incredible.

“We never had that. I think the best we had in the past was three drivers coming to Formula 1, George, Lando and Alex [Albon], but we never had so many as we had this year. And we had a few years without drivers coming to Formula 1 as well, because there was no seat available, that’s the other end of the pyramid.”

Gabriel Bortoleto stormed to the F3 title in 2023 and followed that up with the F2 championship last season, earning him a seat at Sauber and a chance to race for Audi when it fully takes over the team next year.

Isack Hadjar has caught the eye at Racing Bulls, where he is now partnered by Liam Lawson – who was demoted from Red Bull after just two races and is looking to rebuild his reputation – while Jack Doohan fell foul of the ruthless nature of Alpine when he was axed after the Miami Grand Prix.

Asked if he could spot the diamonds in the rough, Michel replied: “We have some ideas, for sure. We’re not always right and also, as I said, it’s a question of opportunities.

“The driver who arrives and wins F2 as a rookie and wins F3 as a rookie has a massive potential. And we’ve seen that with Charles Leclerc, we’ve seen that with George Russell, we’ve seen that with Oscar Piastri. And of course, Gabriel Bortoleto did the job last year. So it’s not something new.

“After that, some other drivers take a little bit more time to really get to their maturity. And some others are immediately on the spot, even if they don’t win the championship. So we know the kind of potential that they have.

“It doesn’t mean they will go to F1, because there are many other factors that are being taken into consideration. The fact that they are part of academies or not – there are many other aspects. But yes, generally, we can see the drivers that are really, let’s say, above the others.

“Are they going to be outstanding when they get to Formula 1? It’s difficult to say, but you can see the potential.”

To complete the sextet of rookies this year, 2024 F2 Prema team-mates Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman have also impressed at times in their respective F1 debut campaigns, with Antonelli taking sprint pole in Miami and Bearman showing his capabilities at Haas.

While Antonelli was fresh into F1, Bearman had past experience after racing in three grands prix last year as a stand-in. Firstly, for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix where he finished seventh with Carlos Sainz sidelined with appendicitis.

Bearman then raced twice for his current team Haas, replacing Kevin Magnussen when the Dane was banned for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and ill for the Brazilian Grand Prix – but it was on the streets of Jeddah in his outing for Ferrari where Michel saw something special.

“Ollie, we knew from the year before that he could be absolutely outstanding. The weekend he did in Baku in 2024 showed to the world that the guy was very special,” he said.

“A rookie having a weekend like this on the track. It’s as difficult as Baku can be. There was no doubt that he had massive potential. What he did in Jeddah was just a message to the world that those drivers from F2 are ready. And of course, it was a great message.

“I’m sure it helped also the F1 team principals to make up their mind on taking the risk, because they took it as a risk to take a rookie instead of an experienced driver. What’s for sure is that for a little while, I think the F1 teams were a little bit more cautious integrating the rookies into their teams because they had the impression that experienced drivers were probably a better guarantee for scoring points.

“The importance of the classification in terms of price funds, in terms of everything, it’s really important. So they probably felt that they were more cautious and that could be a little bit more conservative. And then, obviously, this has completely changed last year. And the fact that now 25% of the grid are rookies is something that is completely outstanding.

“It’s part of the fact that they saw that we had an outstanding year in terms of infrastructure, but also that they probably changed a bit their approach. Ollie did three races for Formula 1, so he skipped some F2 races – but there was no doubt that he was a Formula 1 product. There was no doubt about that.

“When I was talking about the fact that the teams in F1 started to become less cautious about rookies – of course, Ollie helped us a lot. He arrived in F2 in 2024 with the goal to win the championship. At the very beginning of the championship in Jeddah, where he was on pole position, he went to Ferrari for the weekend, had an absolutely fantastic weekend.

“He was already being prepared to go to Formula 1, and he knew that there were some discussions with some teams in Formula 1 for the following season. He was not exactly in the same place like Gabriel was or like Isack was last year. Let’s say it was a bit different, but he still won a couple of races, he still showed that he was really, really strong.”

Bearman was up against Prema team-mate and Mercedes big hope Antonelli last year and the two remain friends now they have made the step up to F1 together.

An open secret for a long time ahead of the official announcement at the end of last August, Antonelli’s unveiling as Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement was somewhat overshadowed by a huge crash on his maiden F1 outing during the first free practice session at the Italian Grand Prix earlier in the month.

Despite some impressive speed straight out of the pits, it all went wrong for Antonelli just 10 minutes into the session as he crashed out at Parabolica after pushing too hard, too soon, but team principal Toto Wolff was quick to apportion blame elsewhere.

Michel was impressed by Wolff’s reaction to the Monza crash and believes Antonelli can make the most of having a frontrunning car at his disposal.

“Kimi is an incredible talent, so when he got to F1 and he did the FP1 in Monza and he crashed, it happens, you know,” he said. “There’s nothing you can say about that. It was the first time he got in the car. It happens and Toto had a fantastic reaction, he said: ‘No worries. You know, it’s okay.’  Not starting to put more pressure.

“I think they need to know how to manage the pressure, that’s for sure. Kimi, of course, arrived in a team with a car that’s going to be in the top of Formula 1. So he’s got to deliver. And this is compared to George, who has been with Mercedes for quite a long time. I’m sure the other rookies that are coming into Formula 1, they would love to have a great car.”

Michel was not about to reveal who he believes will be the next F1-ready racer from the feeder system he has helped implement but is aware of the fact the top talent in the championships he presides over are always destined to move on.

“Well, that’s the big wheel of motor racing at the end of the day, and I love to see that,” he adds.

“It’s a difficult one. But that’s really the way it is and every year we see new guys coming from Formula 3 into Formula 2.

“It’s the way it works. And it’s great. And I think we have maybe a little bit less than half the grid in F2 that is coming from Formula 3. That’s the way it should be. And we’re really happy about it. And then we will get more drivers coming in the future.”