With a maximum of 11 points on offer from Saturday’s sprint and a further 27 available from Saunday’s feature race, Pourchaire would have to have a disastrous weekend to miss out on the F2 title: he needs just one race win on either day to become uncatchable. But aside from a championship trophy, the feat will come with very little external reward.
After a string of positive performances in Sao Paulo and Las Vegas, Logan Sargeant‘s immediate F1 future looks to be more assured, and a contract extension at Williams more likely. That would see the 2024 grid full, leaving the current field of F2 stars will be forced to spend another year waiting in the wings.
This poses a question for Pourchaire and Vesti especially, as whoever ultimately claims the F2 title will be unable to return to the series next year. It’s a common issue which motor racing has grown accustomed to, with the likes of Felipe Drugovich and Nyck de Vries finding themselves on the F1 sidelines just as they were hoping to build on their F2 success.
That situation may not last for long, because several F1 contracts end ahead of the 2025 season, when a number of seats could open up. Several of the contenders were given a shot in F1 machinery during this weekend’s first practice session, which may help teams to answer the question: which driver deserves their F1 shot the most?
Théo Pourchaire
Sauber Driver Academy
Théo Pourchaire is considered by many as an F1-worthy talent. He has finished no lower than fifth in the drivers’ standings since his rookie F2 campaign in 2021 and currently leads the way in 2023 by a 25-point margin. The Frenchman has secured just one feature race victory so far this season, but his consistency is what has ultimately shot him to the top of the standings and will have F1 team bosses keeping a close eye.
Pourchaire is currently a member of the Sauber Driver Academy, making him a perfect candidate to replace Zhou Guanyu or Valtteri Bottas in the years to come, but his chances look slim. Both drivers were confirmed for the 2024 season as Alfa Romeo begins its transition back to Sauber and then into Audi by 2026 — the team wanting to keep “an element of consistency” during a period of change, as stated by team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
While the chance to race for the German car giant in its debut F1 season is an exciting proposition for any driver on the grid, Pourchaire could arguably be a contender — but needs to make a sizeable impression over the next few seasons. He has also not yet been confirmed as Alfa Romeo‘s reserve driver for 2024.
During his FP1 outing at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix for Alfa Romeo, he was the only driver not to set a lap time due to technical issues on his car, but in Abu Dhabi the Frenchman found pace. He finished 14th out of all on-track runners after completing 20-laps on a mixture of tyre compounds — posting a final time quicker than the majority of rookie talent but slower than fellow F2 title contender Vesti. Maybe it’s a sign of things to come this weekend…
Frederik Vesti
Mercedes Driver Academy
Second in the current F2 standings and with a shot at the title, Frederik Vesti has often been the class of the field throughout the 2023 campaign, with feature race wins in Jeddah and Monaco. But if he conquers F2, it’s not clear where he goes next. As part of the Mercedes Driver Academy, his options could be limited.
If he is successful in claiming the 2023 F2 title over Pourchaire, Vesti will most likely be moved into a reserve role alongside Mick Schumacher — the pair then becoming competitors for open seats around the grid. With more teams’ driver line-ups leaning towards experience over youth, Schumacher would likely be the better option for most, leaving Vesti on the sidelines and unable to return to F2.
But the Dane’s performance during his latest FP1 outing for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi turned heads. Not only was he the fastest of the F2 drivers participating in the session, for a time he was also the second-fastest runner over all. He was still a whole seven-tenths off the pace of George Russell — who topped the timesheets — but he’s got more than enough time to work on closing the deficit before a realistic shot at an F1 seat comes along.
Ollie Bearman
Ferrari Driver Academy
At just 18 years old, Oliver Bearman is arguably the greatest prospect the current F2 grid has to offer. Showing talent beyond his years, the Briton has scored impressive victories in Baku, Spain and Monza and sits sixth in the drivers’ standings — all achieved under the watchful eye of the Ferrari Driver Academy in his first F2 campaign.
An impressive first FP1 outing in Mexico City for Haas continued to spark interest around the young Prema driver, who set a faster pace than Fernando Alonso. In Abu Dhabi, he finished 1.4sec off the pace of George Russell’s Mercedes — in a Haas. But even with a seat in Maranello off the table, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has confirmed that many more F1 weekend appearances are in store.
“We have three tests during the winter,” said Vasseur. “It means that it’s quite difficult to adapt to the F1 [car] and the rookies [are] not always successful.
“We have to prepare in advance and it’s why we give him two FP1s this season with us and, probably, much more next year, and we will prepare him for the future. So far, he’s doing a very good job in the junior series but we know that it’s a long way.”
On an F2 grid filled with talent which has been flourishing since 2021, teams could be more inclined to choose the likes of Drugovich and Pourchaire should a seat become available — unless of course, Bearman’s F2 performances become too good to ignore.
Ayumu Iwasa
Red Bull Driver Academy
After numerous victories and podium appearances over the past two seasons in F2, Ayumu Iwasa is an increasingly promising member of the illustrious yet cut-throat Red Bull Driver Academy. In 2023 alone, the Japanese driver has scored a feature race win in Melbourne, alongside sprint race wins in Jeddah and Monaco.