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The 2021 Formula 2 season was one of the best we have witnessed in a long time.
With the rookies getting up to speed from the off and the field being competitive than ever, this was always going to be a season filled with fantastic highlights.
Drivers’ Champion – Oscar Piastri
The Aussie’s consistency shone through as he emerged as the 2021 Formula 2 World Champion with two races to go.
Piastri burst onto the Formula 2 scene with his win during Bahrain’s second Sprint Race. The Prema driver emerged victorious after a late move into turn one as he secured his first win in F2.
A tangle with Dan Ticktum during the Feature Race saw the rookie retire but 21 points from his opening weekend was a good start to a season.
Monaco was another good points haul for Piastri with two podium finishes in the second Sprint Race and the Feature Race. It helped the 20-year-old move up to second in the championship as he looked destined for greatness with his consistent performances.
Another retirement in Azerbaijan was followed by his fourth podium of the season as closed the championship gap down to a single point.
After that, it was plain sailing for the Aussie with five pole positions, five victories and eight podiums seeing him claim the title with a total of 252.5 points, 60.5 points more than runner-up and Prema teammate Robert Shwartzman.
Constructors’ Champions – Prema Racing
A second consecutive constructors’ championship for the Italian outfit rounded out a very impressive and dominant season.
With their two drivers finishing first and second in the drivers’ standings, Prema Racing will be delighted with the continued talent they have produced over the last couple of seasons.
Eight victories, 20 podium finishes and 444.5 points collected, 156.5 points ahead of second-placed UNI-Virtuosi who finished the season with 288 points, the Vicenza based team have been consistent throughout the 2021 campaign and showed just how strong they really are.
If reports are correct, Prema could have another strong driver pairing next season with the returning Jehan Daruvala and 2021 Formula 3 champion Dennis Hauger.
The duo are no strangers to the team and will likely guide Prema to more victories and add more trophies into the cabinet for the Italian team.
Rookie of the Year – Theo Pourchaire
At just 17, Theo Pourchaire broke all the possible records in Formula 2 becoming the youngest ever race participant, race winner and pole-sitter.
The Frenchman did struggle with mechanical failures and injuries throughout the year but that made him more determined to get back on track and continue his fantastic progress.
He also managed to test the 2019 Alfa Romeo C38 in Hungary with Formula 1 a definite possibility for the teenager in the next couple of years.
Looking back over his season in F2, two race wins, three podiums and a fifth-place finish in the drivers’ championship just proves how extremely competitive the category is.
Pourchaire was only 19.5 points behind Ticktum in fourth and 43 points behind 2022 Alfa Romeo driver Zhou in third.
The future is bright for the Frenchman and Formula 1 is definitely a reachable goal for such a talented driver like the now 18-year-old.
Unsung Hero – Robert Shwartzman
After winning the 2019 Formula 3 title, Robert Shwartzman made the step up to Formula 2 with Prema Racing alongside Mick Schumacher.
The Russian was in the title hunt from the get-go but a few poor rounds at the latter end of the season ended his hopes of taking back-to-back championships.
Heading into the new season and with a new teammate, Shwartzman had a fantastic chance of building on his first Formula 2 campaign as he collected 16 points from the season opener in Bahrain.
Consistently scoring points saw the 22-year-old finish the 2021 F2 season as runner-up to his teammate and champion Piastri.
However, you cannot take anything away from the Russian as his points tally of 192 helped Prema to another constructors’ title. With Shwartzman’s time in Formula 2 coming to an end, he can take a lot of valuable lessons from his two seasons in the category.
Round of the Season – Round One in Bahrain
The season opener in Bahrain was an electric way of starting a campaign. Three different winners and seven different podium finishers showed just how competitive these drivers were.
On debut, Liam Lawson fended off his fellow Red Bull Academy driver Jehan Daruvala to claim a maiden Formula 2 win with David Beckmann rounding out the rostrum.
Under the lights, eventual champion Oscar Piastri finished on top after a brilliant battle with Christian Lundgaard and Guanyu Zhou who finished second and third respectively. Ticktum and Lawson completed the podium in the final race of the weekend and set the tone for many brilliant races to come.
So long, farewell
Formula 2 sees two of their drivers graduate into Formula 1 with champion Oscar Piastri becoming Alpine’s Reserve Driver and Guanyu Zhou joining Alfa Romeo as a full-time driver.
Dan Ticktum, Christian Lundgaard and Robert Shwarztman have also confirmed they will be leaving F2 as the trio look to take on new challenges.
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