The 2022 FIA Formula 2 Championship was a motor racing championship for Formula 2 cars that was sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was the fifty-sixth season of Formula 2 racing and the sixth season ran under the FIA Formula 2 Championship moniker. It was an open-wheel racing category that served as the second tier of formula racing in the FIA Global Pathway. The category ran in support of selected rounds of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship. As the championship was a spec series, all teams and drivers competing in the championship ran the same car, the Dallara F2 2018.^[2][3]

Prema Racing entered the championship as the reigning teams' champion, having secured their title at the penultimate race of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia.

Felipe Drugovich, driving for MP Motorsport, took the drivers' championship at Monza, with three races to spare. MP Motorsport won the teams' championship at Abu Dhabi.

The season would see twelve different race winners: champion Drugovich won five races (in Barcelona he won both races), and four races were won by Liam Lawson. Another three victories went to Théo Pourchaire, Jack Doohan and Marcus Armstrong. Ayumu Iwasa, Dennis Hauger and Logan Sargeant each scored two race wins. Jüri Vips, Frederik Vesti, Jehan Daruvala and Richard Verschoor each scored one victory during this season.

Entries

The following teams and drivers were under contract to compete in the 2022 championship.^[4] As the championship was a spec series, all competitors raced with an identical Dallara F2 2018 chassis with a V6 turbo engine developed by Mecachrome. Teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli.

Entrant	No.	Driver name	Rounds
Prema Racing	1	Dennis Hauger	All
	2	Jehan Daruvala	All
Virtuosi Racing	3	Jack Doohan	All
	4	Marino Sato	All
Carlin	5	Liam Lawson	All
	6	Logan Sargeant	All
Hitech Grand Prix	7	Marcus Armstrong	All
	8	Jüri Vips	All
ART Grand Prix	9	Frederik Vesti	All
	10	Théo Pourchaire	All
MP Motorsport	11	Felipe Drugovich	All
	12	Clément Novalak	All
Campos Racing	14	Olli Caldwell	1–10, 12–14
		Lirim Zendeli	11
	15	Ralph Boschung	1–7, 11–14
		Roberto Merhi	8–10
DAMS	16	Roy Nissany	1–12, 14
		Luca Ghiotto	13
	17	Ayumu Iwasa	All
Trident	20	Richard Verschoor	All
	21	Calan Williams	1–13
		Zane Maloney	14
Charouz Racing System	22	Enzo Fittipaldi	All
	23	Cem Bölükbaşı	1–2, 4–10
		David Beckmann	3
		Tatiana Calderón	11–14
Van Amersfoort Racing	24	Jake Hughes	1–8
		David Beckmann	9–13
		Juan Manuel Correa	14
	25	Amaury Cordeel	1–6, 8–14
		David Beckmann	7

Team changes

After having ended their commitment in FIA Formula 3 beforehand, HWA Racelab ended their Formula 2 operations at the end of the 2021 season.^[5] Van Amersfoort Racing joined the series, taking over their entry.^[6]

Virtuosi Racing changed their name, having run with their sponsor UNI since 2019.

Driver changes

Prema Racing competed with a new driver lineup; reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri signed as a reserve driver for Alpine F1 Team and his teammate, Robert Shwartzman, exited after two years in the series to become a test driver for Scuderia Ferrari.^[7][8][9] They were replaced by reigning FIA Formula 3 champion Dennis Hauger and fellow Red Bull Junior Team driver Jehan Daruvala, who switched from Carlin.^[10]

Virtuosi Racing's Zhou Guanyu left the team and the series after three years to graduate to Formula One with Alfa Romeo Racing.^[11] Felipe Drugovich also left the team to rejoin MP Motorsport, with whom he had raced in 2020. Their seats were filled by Marino Sato, who switched from Trident, and FIA Formula 3 runner-up and new Alpine Academy driver Jack Doohan, who contested the final two rounds of Formula 2 in the previous season with MP Motorsport.^[12]

Carlin driver Dan Ticktum left the series to join NIO 333 in Formula E.^[13] Carlin hired Red Bull junior and former Hitech Grand Prix driver Liam Lawson alongside FIA Formula 3 graduate and Williams Driver Academy member Logan Sargeant – who contested the penultimate round of Formula 2 in 2021 with HWA Racelab – to replace Ticktum and the departing Jehan Daruvala.^{[14] [15]}

Hitech Grand Prix signed DAMS departee Marcus Armstrong, who left the Ferrari Driver Academy, to replace Liam Lawson.^[16]

ART Grand Prix driver Christian Lundgaard left the team and the series after two seasons to join the IndyCar Series, racing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.^[17] He was replaced by FIA Formula 3 graduate and Mercedes Junior Team member Frederik Vesti.^[18]

MP Motorsport partnered Felipe Drugovich with Clément Novalak, who replaced Lirim Zendeli at the team for the final two rounds in 2021 after finishing third in FIA Formula 3.^[19]

Campos Racing hired new Alpine Academy member Olli Caldwell, who already competed with the team in the last two rounds of the 2021 season, on a full-time contract.^[20]

DAMS signed Red Bull junior and FIA Formula 3 graduate Ayumu Iwasa, who joined Roy Nissany and replaced the departing Marcus Armstrong.^[21]

Trident hired FIA Formula 3 graduate Calan Williams and Richard Verschoor, who had competed in the previous Formula 2 season with MP Motorsport and Charouz Racing System. They replaced Virtuosi-bound Marino Sato and Bent Viscaal, who left the championship to drive in the European Le Mans Series.^[22][23]

Charouz Racing System signed former Formula One Esports competitor and Euroformula Open graduate Cem Bölükbaşı to replace Guilherme Samaia alongside Enzo Fittipaldi.^[24][25]

New entrant Van Amersfoort Racing signed Jake Hughes, who joined the category full-time after making temporary appearances with HWA Racelab in 2020 and 2021.^[26] He was partnered by Amaury Cordeel, graduating from FIA Formula 3 after a single season in which he came 23rd.^[27]

Mid-season changes

Charouz Racing System driver Cem Bölükbaşı was ruled out of the third round at the Imola Circuit with a fractured rib.^[28] He was replaced by David Beckmann, who previously raced for the team during the first half of the 2021 championship.^[29]

Bölükbaşı returned to Charouz for the fourth round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.^[30]

Van Amersfoort Racing driver Amaury Cordeel was suspended for the seventh round at Silverstone after incurring 12 penalty points across the first six rounds,^[31] the first such ban since Mahaveer Raghunathan in 2019. He was replaced by David Beckmann, who earlier in the season had filled in for the injured Bölükbaşı at Charouz.^[32]

Roberto Merhi joined the championship at the Red Bull Ring to replace Ralph Boschung after the latter had withdrawn from multiple rounds due to persisting neck injuries. Merhi had last competed in 2018, driving for Campos Racing and MP Motorsport.^[33]

Jake Hughes was forced to miss the ninth and tenth rounds due to contracting COVID-19, with David Beckmann again joining Van Amersfoort Racing to replace him.^[34] In order to prioritise his Formula E commitments, Hughes did not return to the series and Beckmann replaced him up until the season finale.^[35]

Campos Racing driver Olli Caldwell was the second driver to receive a race ban for incurring 12 penalty points and was suspended from the eleventh round at Spa-Francorchamps. He was replaced by Lirim Zendeli, who last raced in 2021 for MP Motorsport.^[36][37] Zendeli partnered Ralph Boschung, who returned to the series after his injury. Boschung's replacement Roberto Merhi returned to the Super GT Series.^[38] Cem Bölükbaşı terminated his contract with Charouz Racing System by mutual consent prior to the Spa-Francorchamps round, his seat being taken by IndyCar Series racer Tatiana Calderón, who returned to Formula 2 after competing for BWT Arden in 2019.^[39]

DAMS racer Roy Nissany became the third driver of 2022 to receive a race suspension for incurring 12 penalty points and was excluded from the thirteenth round at Monza.^[40] He was replaced by Luca Ghiotto, who made his first F2 appearance since the end of the 2020 season.^[41]

Trident driver Calan Williams parted ways with his team before the Yas Marina season finale.^[42] He was replaced by 2022 FIA Formula 3 Vice-champion Zane Maloney, who made his championship debut.^[43] Juan Manuel Correa returned to Formula 2 for the first time since his accident in 2019 to replace Beckmann at Van Amersfoort Racing.^[44]

Race calendar

A fourteen-round calendar was announced on 15 October 2021:

Round	Circuit	Sprint race	Feature race
1	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	19 March	20 March
2	Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah	26 March	27 March
3	Imola Circuit, Imola	23 April	24 April
4	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona	21 May	22 May
5	Circuit de Monaco, Monaco	28 May	29 May
6	Baku City Circuit, Baku	11 June	12 June
7	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	2 July	3 July
8	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	9 July	10 July
9	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	23 July	24 July
10	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	30 July	31 July
11	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	27 August	28 August
12	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	3 September	4 September
13	Monza Circuit, Monza	10 September	11 September
14	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	19 November	20 November
Source:[45]

Calendar changes

The championship returned to a two-race format for its race weekends, after coming under criticism during the 2021 season that the gaps between the rounds were far too large.^[46]

• The Imola Circuit featured on the calendar; the first time it has appeared on the F2 schedule.
• The Circuit Zandvoort also featured on the calendar after it was cancelled in 2020 and not included in 2021.
• The Barcelona, Red Bull Ring, Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps rounds returned after being initially dropped in 2021.
• The Sochi Autodrom was due to host a round on 24–25 September, but it was suspended in late February due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[47] It was eventually cancelled the following week along with the Russian Grand Prix.^[48] On the 18th May 2022, it was announced that a round at the Circuit Paul Ricard, in support of the French Grand Prix, would replace the races at Sochi and would take place a week before the Hungaroring round.^[49]

Regulation changes

Sporting changes

The number of races per round was reduced from three to two, with a 120 km/45 minute sprint race on Saturday and a 170 km/60 minute feature race with a mandatory pit stop on Sunday. Starting grids for both races were decided in one qualifying session on Friday, with the top 10 drivers having their positions reversed for the sprint race.^[50][51] The championship received a reprofiled scoring format. The points for pole position and fastest lap were each cut in half; now awarding 2 points for pole, and 1 for the fastest lap in each race. No points were awarded for scoring reverse-grid pole, i.e. finishing 10th in qualifying. The sprint race points were changed significantly, with 10 points being awarded for the winner, 8 points for 2nd, then 6 for 3rd, and it descends all the way to 1 point for 8th. Changes were also applied for Formula 1's other feeder series, the FIA Formula 3 Championship.^[52]

Season report

Round 1: Bahrain

The season began at the Bahrain International Circuit, where Jack Doohan set the fastest time in qualifying to take pole position for the feature race.^[53] Tenth-place qualifier Felipe Drugovich started the sprint race from reverse-grid pole position,^[54] but dropped places at the start, allowing Richard Verschoor to take the lead. The race was briefly interrupted by a safety car as Marcus Armstrong stalled on track after being spun around by Jake Hughes. Verschoor maintained his lead to take Trident's first FIA Formula 2 race victory.

Pole-sitter Doohan lost the lead of the feature race to Jüri Vips at the start, but a slow pit stop later caused Vips to lose places. As Doohan left the pits after his stop, his front wing clipped Théo Pourchaire and broke, forcing him to stop again for a replacement. Pourchaire took the lead after every driver had pitted. A late-race safety car caused by a collision between Verschoor and Enzo Fittipaldi prompted some drivers to make extra pit stops. Dennis Hauger and Calan Williams were prematurely released from their pit boxes, causing both drivers to have a wheel detach and roll down the pit lane. Pourchaire held his lead at the restart to claim victory and the lead of the championship after the first round, one point ahead of Liam Lawson.

Round 2: Saudi Arabia

Felipe Drugovich took feature race pole position at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, whilst an engine failure for championship leader Pourchaire caused him to qualify 21st. Dennis Hauger started the sprint race from pole position. The race was twice interrupted by a safety car, firstly after Amaury Cordeel crashed and secondly when Jack Doohan and Logan Sargeant collided as the race restarted. Drivers were initially ordered to follow the safety car through the pit lane, however the pit lane was closed shortly after as the two stricken cars were located at the pit entry. Amidst the confusion, race leader Hauger was the only driver to enter the pits, losing his lead and later receiving a penalty for entering the pit lane when closed. Calan Williams led the race at the restart but was soon passed by Jake Hughes, who was himself then overtaken by Liam Lawson for the race victory.

Championship leader Lawson was running in third place in the feature race before the pit stops, but a loose wheel forced him into retirement. Drugovich won the race from pole position to take his fourth Formula 2 race win. Jehan Daruvala finished on the podium having started the race fourteenth. At the conclusion of the round, Drugovich led the drivers' championship by 11 points over Lawson.

Round 3: Italy (Imola)

Jüri Vips set the fastest qualifying time at the Imola Circuit and Logan Sargeant took pole position for the sprint race. A poor start from Sargeant dropped him to fifth at the first corner, allowing Marcus Armstrong into the lead. The safety car was then briefly deployed to recover David Beckmann's car, which had spun. Armstrong held his lead for the remainder of the race to claim his second Formula 2 victory, followed by Jehan Daruvala in second and Dennis Hauger third with his first Formula 2 podium finish.

Pole-sitter Vips dropped to fourth place at the start of the feature race whilst Roy Nissany passed five cars to take the lead at the first corner. Meanwhile, a start-line collision between Jack Doohan and Dennis Hauger resulted in a safety car period to recover Hauger's car. The safety car was deployed again on lap six when Vips spun and crashed. This allowed drivers who started the race on super-soft compound tyres to pit for medium tyres and gain a time advantage. Nissany remained in the lead of this group of cars until he crashed on lap 21, after which Théo Pourchaire led the group. The race ended under safety car conditions as Liam Lawson crashed with three laps remaining. Felipe Drugovich was the final car to make a pit stop on the penultimate lap, allowing Pourchaire into the lead to take his second victory of the season. Enzo Fittipaldi finished second having started fifteenth. At the end of the round, Pourchaire led the championship by two points over Drugovich.

Round 4: Spain

Jack Doohan took his second feature race pole position in qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Calan Williams was set to start the sprint race from pole but stalled on the formation lap and started from the back. Felipe Drugovich took the lead at the first corner and maintained this position for the rest of the race, holding off Ayumu Iwasa and Logan Sargeant at the safety car restart which was caused by Jüri Vips spinning into the gravel. Drugovich's victory allowed him to reclaim the championship lead from Théo Pourchaire, who finished fifth. Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=2022_Formula_2_Championship
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