There are few seats, and drivers stay “forever” – that's why there is no place for Formula 2 champions in Formula 1

F1

Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 1:43 pm

Brazilian Felipe Drugovich won the Formula 2 championship in 2022 and has been a reserve driver for Aston Martin ever since. Although he has competed in the ELMS and several Formula E rookie tests, Drugovich is still waiting impatiently on the Formula 1 coast for his big chance.

The competitor appears in reserve form at 14-15 Grands Prix a year, taking part in all engineering meetings, and also working in the simulator before all rounds of the Formula 1 racing calendar – he highlighted this in an interview with The Race magazine. Despite his efforts, the door was closed on him at Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso on a multi-year extension – and that didn't exactly surprise him either.

“I was expecting to be honest. It's hard to commit to a team these days knowing what to expect. Even if you win Formula 2, it's not certain that you can move up,” Drozovic said in the interview, then explaining that field members change much more slowly. than they were in the past.

“In the previous era, racers stopped much earlier, and then there came a time when money was the cornerstone and young racers had a budget. Both are not true these days: the teams have money and the drivers stay forever. So it is difficult for whoever arrives. Other “Two Formula 2 champions are not in Formula 1 either, and I don't know if they will be there this year.”

Drozovich hinted that Theo Bourchier, who wins Formula 2 in 2023, also failed to progress – according to the signs, he gave up much earlier, and is already building his career in IndyCar, as a McLaren driver. From the current Formula 2 field, the chances of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Pearman in Formula 1 next year seem realistic, but there is a small chance that the 2024 champion will emerge from among the top contenders: the season is long, but depending on the current situation. As it stands, Paul Aaron, Isaac Hager and Zane Maloney could be second, and the poor Formula 1 chance for 2025 has only emerged in the case of Hager.

Theo Pourchaire has been a member of the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team since Long Beach

“They have to solve this. This is the situation now, there are not enough places, there are not enough Formula 1 departures. So, the teams cannot be blamed either, because there is a risk that they do not have to accept. Even the competitors from Formula 2 do not “They're also underperforming. Logan Sargeant might be having a tough year, but look at Piastri, he's at the top.”

He refuses to give up on his Formula 1 dreams

Drozovic often faces the voices that say it is time to abandon Formula 1. He also told them in the interview:

“I won't. I also read Twitter, I know what people are saying and I applaud them. They don't know how determined I have been to get to Formula 1 since I was a kid. You don't give up that easily. I think we have to wait and see what happens. For now, “I'm happy: I feel good where I am, I'm racing and having fun, and I'm still in Formula 1.”

No. 34: Drozovic in 2023 in the Abu Dhabi test

But Drugovich admits he can't wait forever – for now he has chosen Formula 1 over other offers, but there may come a point when he has to give up waiting.

“There were a couple of opportunities with very good teams in other categories, but I didn't feel it was the right moment. Maybe in a year, but then I didn't have another chance to wait for Formula 1. At the moment, I think this is the right thing to do.” “I have to focus 100 percent here, because I can try something else while one leg is still here, but if I don't show myself in 10-15 Grands Prix, it's not enough,” Drozovich said. .

“At the same time, my clock is ticking, and my patience is also limited… You have to try to make a living out of this, you can't hope to get something that may or may not be realistic.”