Who is shaping up to be the next Formula 2 champion?

Formula 2 has seen numerous race winners throughout the 2022 season, but who is most likely to claim the title by season’s end?

Although the current grid has not seen dominant shining stars as in previous years, with George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri previous stars of the premier junior category, the season has yielded a strong and close grid overall.

With just four rounds of 14 left to go, three rising stars of motorsport have emerged as possible candidates to win the 2022 F2 season, with two of them holding strong ties with Formula 1 outfits.

Felipe Drugovich, Theo Pourchaire and Logan Sargeant have all proved this season that they have what it takes to be champion.

However, after the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, the top three are separated by 61 points, with Drugovich leading the standings on 180 points while Sargeant sits in third on 119.

So, which of these three candidates has the best chance of lifting the winner’s trophy in Abu Dhabi?

Felipe Drugovich

A clear title favourite, Drugovich has boulstered some fantastic tools in his arsenal over the ten races of 2022, snatching three feature race victories in Jeddah, Spain and Monaco.

This has allowed the Brazilian to build a lead of 21 points to second-placed Pourchaire, while his teammate has only managed to score 26 points across the season.

However, in recent weekends, his run of form has somewhat stalled, only scoring six points in Austria while his weekend in Budapest ended with only seven points for the championship leader.

If he hopes to win the championship, Drugovich must ensure that he uses his summer break to reset his season and come back stronger for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

Otherwise, if he continues to be outscored by his championship rivals, he risks losing the lead he put so much effort into building.

It is unlikely that he could reach F1, with no real ties to any F1 team academy possibly damning his future in the top-class of motorsport. But, if he impresses enough, a move to a top team in IndyCar or the World Endurance Championship could be on the cards.

Theo Pourchaire

In comparison to Drugovich, many of Pourchaire’s poor weekends came in the mid-part of the season so far, facing difficult weekends throughout 2022.

Despite beginning the year with a win in Bahrain, he scored zero points in Jeddah and once again failed to suffered low-scoring rounds in Barcelona, Baku and Austria.

However, these races have been divided by strong ones, with a win in Imola and podiums in Monaco and Silverstone ensuring that the Frenchman has remained in touching-distance of the leaders.

This has paid off in the last two rounds, taking second at his home feature race before winning in Hungary, taking advantage of Drugovich being behind to close the gap down before the summer break.

With momentum in his favour, ART Grand Prix will be placing quite the attack on both championships as the team lead the teams championship by 43 points.

As well as holding momentum, Pourchaire also holds a key to Formula 1 in the form of the Sauber Academy, meaning there is a chance that he could reach F1 in 2023 should he win the title.

But, he has Guanyu Zhou standing in his way with the Chinese driver putting in solid performances for the Swiss-based outfit alongside teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Logan Sargeant

Sargeant holds perhaps the best current route of any driver in the current field, with his place in the Williams Driver Academy ideal for the American’s future hopes if Williams opt to leave Nicholas Latifi on the side lines for 2023.

With Piastri unlikely to join Williams following his dramatic break-up with Alpine F1 Team, Sargeant has the best chance to replace Latifi and join Alex Albon as Grove next season.

But before he signs on the dotted line, he must first secure a strong enough position to reach the pinnacle of motorsport, with Williams CEO Jost Capito saying Sargeant is an option for next year.

When asked about the possibility of placing Sargeant in a Williams car next year, he said:

“Of course, we are impressed. It’s his first season in F2. We didn’t put any pressure on him, so he has time to develop, and he’s really impressed us.”

However, he made it clear that it is too early to make a call on the young American’s future, adding:

“He needs the super-licence points and for that he has to finish in the top five in the championship. At the moment, it looks good.

“But you can always go the other way quickly. So it’s tricky to take early decisions on an F2 driver when the season is not over. So that’s part of the decision-making.”

Currently, sitting third in the standings leaves him on course for a shot at Formula 1. However, like Capito said, anything can happen in motorsport, and the odds could swing out of Sargeant’s favour by season’s end.

But with the points gap standing as it is, it will be a challenge for Sargeant to claim the F2 championship. If he is able to do so, though, it will be the perfect audition to future employers.

After weighing up the three drivers, Pourchaire stands as the likely champion as things stand. The Frenchman holds momentum in his favour and has rapidly closed the gap to Drugovich in recent rounds.

But we will have to wait until after the summer break for Formula 2 to return, when the drivers are back out on track at the Belgian Grand Prix.

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