The 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship was the fifty-first season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also the first season under the moniker of FIA Formula 2 Championship, a motor racing championship run in support of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship. The championship is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and is open to teams and drivers competing in cars complying with Formula 2 regulations.[1]
2017 was the final season that the Dallara GP2/11 chassis package—which débuted in the 2011 GP2 Series—was used in competition. It was also the final season that the Mecachrome 4.0 litre V8 naturally-aspirated engine package that débuted in the 2005 GP2 Series was used, as a brand new chassis and engine package was introduced for the 2018 season.[2][3]
The season was dominated by Charles Leclerc, who secured the drivers' championship with three races to go.[4] Second place went to Artem Markelov with Oliver Rowland finishing third. The teams' championship was decided in the final race, with Russian Time winning by fifteen points over Prema Racing and DAMS in third, a further eleven points behind.
Champion Charles Leclerc took 7 wins, while runner-up Artem Markelov took 5 victories, Oliver Rowland took 2 wins, Luca Ghiotto, who finished fourth in the championship, took 1 win, Nobuharu Matsushita took 2 victories, Norman Nato, Nicholas Latifi, Antonio Fuoco, Nyck de Vries and Sérgio Sette Câmara each took one race win.
Teams and drivers
All FIA Formula 2 drivers competed in a Dallara GP2/11 chassis, using a Mecachrome GP2 V8 engine and Pirelli tyres.
| Team | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
 Prema Racing |
1 |  Charles Leclerc[5] |
All |
| 2 | Antonio Fuoco[5] |
All | |
 Racing Engineering |
3 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Louis Delétraz[6] |
1–7 |
 Nyck de Vries[7] |
8–11 | ||
| 4 |  Gustav Malja[8] |
All | |
 Russian Time |
5 | Luca Ghiotto[9] |
All |
| 6 | Artem Markelov[9] |
All | |
 ART Grand Prix |
7 |  Nobuharu Matsushita[10] |
All |
| 8 |  Alexander Albon[11] |
1–3, 5–11 | |
| Sergey Sirotkin[12] |
4 | ||
| DAMS |
9 |  Oliver Rowland[13] |
All |
| 10 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nicholas Latifi[13] |
All | |
| Campos Racing |
11 | Ralph Boschung[14] |
1–10 |
| Lando Norris[15] |
11 | ||
| 12 | Stefano Coletti[16] |
1 | |
| Roberto Merhi[17] |
2 | ||
 Robert Vișoiu[18] |
3–9 | ||
| Álex Palou[19][lower-alpha 1] |
10–11 | ||
| MP Motorsport |
14 |  Sérgio Sette Câmara[20] |
All |
| 15 | Jordan King[21] |
All | |
| Trident |
16 |  Nabil Jeffri[22] |
All |
| 17 | Sergio Canamasas[16] |
1–4 | |
| Raffaele Marciello[23] |
5 | ||
| Callum Ilott[24] |
6 | ||
 Santino Ferrucci[25] |
7–11 | ||
| Rapax |
18 | Nyck de Vries[26] |
1–7 |
| Louis Delétraz[7] |
8–11 | ||
| 19 |  Johnny Cecotto Jr.[26][lower-alpha 2] |
1–4 | |
| Sergio Canamasas[23] |
5–7 | ||
| Roberto Merhi[7][27] |
8–9, 11 | ||
 René Binder[28] |
10 | ||
| Pertamina Arden[29] |
20 | Norman Nato[30] |
All |
| 21 |  Sean Gelael[30] |
All |
Team changes
After six seasons in the series, Carlin withdrew to concentrate on their Indy Lights programme.[31] German entry Hilmer Motorsport were due to return to the series while it was still known as GP2, however, this never came to fruition.[32]
Driver changes
Prema Racing drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and reigning GP2 champion Pierre Gasly both left the series; Giovinazzi began a role in Formula One as Ferrari reserve driver and Gasly moved to Super Formula.[33] They were replaced by Ferrari Driver Academy members Charles Leclerc and Antonio Fuoco, who finished first and third respectively in the 2016 GP3 Series[5]
Racing Engineering drivers Norman Nato and Jordan King both switched teams.[21][30] Their seats were taken by Renault Sport Academy member and Formula V8 3.5 Series runner-up Louis Delétraz — who had made an appearance for Carlin at the final GP2 round the previous year — and Gustav Malja, who moved across from Rapax.[6][8]
Russian Time driver Raffaele Marciello left the series to begin a career in GT racing.[34] He was replaced by Luca Ghiotto, who moved from Trident to join the retained Artem Markelov.[9]
ART Grand Prix continued with Nobuharu Matsushita and hired GP3 runner-up Alex Albon to replace Sergey Sirotkin, who left the series to begin a Formula One test and reserve driver role with Renault.[11]
DAMS driver Alex Lynn left the championship to serve as a Formula E reserve driver with DS Virgin Racing.[35] He was replaced by Renault Sport Academy driver Oliver Rowland, who switched from MP Motorsport to join Nicholas Latifi at the team.[13]
Campos Racing drivers Sean Gelael and Mitch Evans both departed the team, with Evans leaving the series after four years to join Jaguar Racing in Formula E.[36] Ralph Boschung, who finished 11th in the previous two GP3 seasons, graduated to Formula 2 with Campos.[14] Stefano Coletti, who previously raced in GP2 between 2009 and 2014 and had since raced in IndyCar and the European Le Mans Series, joined Boschung for the opening round.[37]
MP Motorsport changed both drivers, with Oliver Rowland switching teams and Daniël de Jong leaving the category for sportscar racing. Jordan King joined the team from Racing Engineering and was partnered by Sérgio Sette Câmara, who graduated to Formula 2 having placed 11th in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship.[20]
Trident drivers Luca Ghiotto and Philo Paz Armand departed the team, with Armand leaving racing entirely. The team signed Nabil Jeffri and Sergio Canamasas,[16] who moved across from the Arden and Carlin teams respectively.
Rapax retained Johnny Cecotto Jr., who raced with the team in the final two rounds of the previous season in place of Arthur Pic. He was joined by GP3 sixth-placed finisher and McLaren junior driver Nyck de Vries in place of the departing Gustav Malja.[26]
Pertamina Arden did not retain Emil Bernstorff, who debuted with the team in the final round of 2016. Norman Nato and Sean Gelael joined the team from Racing Engineering and Campos respectively, in place of Bernstorff and Nabil Jeffri.[30]
- Mid-season changes
Campos Racing initially stated that Stefano Coletti would continue to race with them for the second round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but he was replaced with former Formula One driver Roberto Merhi shortly before the event.[17] Merhi was then replaced by former Rapax driver Robert Vișoiu before the third round at the Circuit de Monaco.[18]
A broken collarbone from a bicycle accident forced ART Grand Prix driver Alex Albon to miss the fourth round at the Baku City Circuit.[38][39] Sergey Sirotkin returned to the team to deputise.[12]
Trident driver Sergio Canamasas switched to Rapax for the fifth round at the Red Bull Ring in place of Johnny Cecotto Jr., who left the series.[23] His Trident seat was filled firstly by series returnee Raffaele Marciello, then by FIA Formula 3 European Championship title contender Callum Ilott at Silverstone Circuit,[40] and finally by GP3 racer and Haas Formula One test driver Santino Ferrucci for the remainder of the season.[41]
The eighth round at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps saw Rapax driver Nyck de Vries and Racing Engineering's Louis Delétraz swap seats for the rest of the season.[7] Sergio Canamasas left the series before the round and his Rapax seat was taken by Roberto Merhi, who returned to the championship. Canamasas later revealed he had left motorsport entirely due to an incident involving security at the Hungaroring round during which he "almost lost [his] father".[42]
Robert Vișoiu left the series for "personal reasons" before the tenth round at Circuito de Jerez. His seat at Campos Racing was filled by Japanese Formula 3 driver Álex Palou for the final two rounds.[19] World Series Formula V8 3.5 driver René Binder, who had raced in GP2 between 2012 and 2016, joined Rapax in place of Roberto Merhi for the Jerez round.[43]
Merhi returned to the Rapax seat for the final round at Yas Marina Circuit. Reigning FIA Formula 3 European champion Lando Norris made his debut in the category at Yas Marina,[15] taking the Campos Racing seat vacated by Ralph Boschung.[44]
Calendar
The following eleven rounds took place as part of the 2017 championship:
| Round | Circuit/Location | Date | Supporting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir |
15–16 April | Bahrain Grand Prix | |
| 2 | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló |
13–14 May | Spanish Grand Prix | |
| 3 | Circuit de Monaco, Monaco |
26–27 May | Monaco Grand Prix | |
| 4 |  Baku City Circuit, Baku |
24–25 June | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | |
| 5 | Red Bull Ring, Spielberg |
8–9 July | Austrian Grand Prix | |
| 6 | Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone |
15–16 July | British Grand Prix | |
| 7 |  Hungaroring, Mogyoród |
29–30 July | Hungarian Grand Prix | |
| 8 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot |
26–27 August | Belgian Grand Prix | |
| 9 | Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza |
2–3 September | Italian Grand Prix | |
| 10 | Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera |
7–8 October | stand-alone event | |
| 11 |  Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi |
25–26 November | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | |
| Source:[45] | ||||
Calendar changes
The series returned to the Bahrain International Circuit in support of the Bahrain Grand Prix,[45] while the rounds at the Hockenheimring and the Sepang International Circuit were discontinued.[45] The series made its début at the Circuito de Jerez, with a stand-alone event that was run as the penultimate round of the championship.[45]
Changes
The series was originally intended to be run as the GP2 Series before it was rebranded as the FIA Formula 2 Championship in March 2017.[1] The decision to rebrand the series brings it in line with the FIA Global Pathway, which aims to create a linear path of feeder series from domestic Formula 4 to the top tier of open-wheel racing, Formula One. Despite the name change, it will retain the GP2 regulations as originally scheduled, making the 2017 season the thirteenth to use GP2 regulations. It will be the first time that a series has been run under the name of Formula 2 since Jonathan Palmer's unrelated series collapsed in 2012.
Results
Season summary
Championship standings
Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers in the Feature race, and to the top 8 classified finishers in the Sprint race. The pole-sitter in the feature race also received four points, and two points were given to the driver who set the fastest lap inside the top ten in both the feature and sprint races. No extra points were awarded to the pole-sitter in the sprint race.
- Feature race points
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Pole | FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
- Sprint race points
Points were awarded to the top 8 classified finishers.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Drivers' championship
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Notes:
- † — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.
Teams' championship
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Notes:
- † — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.
Footnotes
- ↑ Palou is a Spanish driver who competed under a Japanese racing licence.
- ↑ Cecotto competed under a state Venezuelan racing licence.
- ↑ Stefano Coletti set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Artem Markelov was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- ↑ Sérgio Sette Câmara set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Charles Leclerc was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- ↑ Ralph Boschung set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Nicholas Latifi was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- ↑ Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Oliver Rowland was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- ↑ Charles Leclerc initially qualified on pole, but was later disqualified due to a technical breach.
- ↑ Antonio Fuoco set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Artem Markelov was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- ↑ Charles Leclerc won the race, but was later disqualified due to a technical infringement.
- ↑ Jordan King set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Nyck de Vries was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- 1 2 Luca Ghiotto won the race and set the fastest lap, but was later issued a time penalty and stripped of the fastest lap after he was found to have exceeded track limits and gained an advantage.
- ↑ Jordan King set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Antonio Fuoco was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- ↑ René Binder set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Nyck de Vries was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
- ↑ Oliver Rowland won the race, but was later disqualified due to a technical infringement.
- ↑ Jordan King set the fastest lap, but finished outside the top 10, so he was ineligible to score points for the fastest lap. Nicholas Latifi was awarded the points instead as he set fastest lap of those finishing in the top 10.
References
- 1 2 Howard, Tom (10 March 2017). "GP2 Series renamed FIA Formula 2". speedcafe.com. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ↑ Simmons, Marcus (4 July 2016). "Introduction of new GP2 car pushed back to 2018". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ↑ Kalinauckas, Alex. "F2 boss reveals details of 2018 car". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- ↑ "Leclerc seals F2 title with Jerez win". Autosport. Motorsport Network. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Prema Racing confirm 2017 line up". GP2 Series. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Louis Delétraz completes Racing Engineering's 2017 driver line-up". 16 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Gruz, David (23 August 2017). "De Vries, Deletraz switch places for rest of F2 season". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- 1 2 Khorounzhiy, Valentin (9 December 2016). "Malja moves to Racing Engineering for GP2 2017". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Ghiotto makes Russian Time switch for GP2 2017". Crash.net. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ↑ "ART re-sign Matsushita". 13 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- 1 2 "GP3 runner-up Albon confirmed for GP2 2017 promotion". 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- 1 2 "Renault's Sirotkin replaces Albon for F2 Baku round". 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- 1 2 3 "DAMS reveal 2017 line up". 13 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- 1 2 "Ralph Boschung joins Campos Racing for 2017 FIA Formula 2 season". FIA Formula 2 Championship. GP2 Motorsport Limited. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- 1 2 Allen, Peter (12 November 2017). "Lando Norris to make Formula 2 debut in Abu Dhabi with Campos". formulascout.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- 1 2 3 "2017 Formula 2 Entry List". fia.com. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- 1 2 "Ex-F1 driver Roberti Merhi to replace Stefano Coletti at Campos in F2 - F2 - Autosport". www.autosport.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
- 1 2 Kalinauckas, Alex (22 May 2017). "Visoiu gets Campos F2 seat for rest of the season". motorsport.com. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- 1 2 Kalinauckas, Alex (3 October 2017). "Palou joins Campos for F2 debut". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- 1 2 Simmons, Marcus (27 November 2016). "Sergio Sette Camara secures MP Motorsport seat for 2017 GP2 season". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- 1 2 "KING JOINS MP MOTORSPORT". 14 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ↑ "JEFFRI JOINS TRIDENT FOR 2017 SEASON". 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 Khorounzhiy, Valentin (6 July 2017). "Marciello returns to single-seaters for Red Bull Ring F2 round". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ↑ "F3 title contender Ilott to make F2 debut". 12 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ↑ Bukharov, Dmitry (25 July 2017). "Формула 2: Феруччи выступит за Trident в Венгрии" [Formula 2: Ferrucci to compete for Trident in Hungary]. f1news.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Rapax to race with Cecotto and De Vries". 11 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ↑ Vega, Jacobo (17 November 2017). "Ex-Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi back to Formula 2 again". Autosport.
- ↑ "Binder joins Rapax for Jerez F2 round". GPUpdate.net. SportUpdate. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ↑ "BWT Arden - Formula 2". www.fiaformula2.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 "Pertamina Arden confirm 2017 line up". 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ↑ Simmons, Marcus (6 January 2017). "Carlin leaves GP2 Series ahead of 2017 season". Autosport. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ↑ Beer, Matt (23 November 2016). "Hilmer planning to make GP2 return". Autosport. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ↑ "Giovinazzi to be Ferrari's third driver". BBC Sport.
- ↑ "Marciello set for GT switch amid unrealistic F1 dreams". 10 December 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ↑ Mitchell, Scott (23 January 2017). "Lynn lands DS Virgin Formula E role". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ↑ "Evans confirms he won't return to GP2 in 2017". 1 December 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ↑ Lillo, Sergio; Khorounzhiy, Valentin (11 April 2017). "Stefano Coletti joins Campos for 2017 Formula 2 opening round". autosport.com. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ↑ Kalinauckas, Alex. "ART F2 driver Alexander Albon explains injury behind Baku absence". Autosport.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ↑ "Albon explains extent of cycling crash injuries". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ↑ motorsport.com (16 July 2017). "f3-title-contender-ilott-to-make-f2-debut".
- ↑ "Santino Ferrucci to join Trident for remainder of 2017 Formula 2 Season from Budapest". 26 July 2017.
- ↑ Chokhani, Darshan (2 August 2018). "Canamasas breaks silence on 'pathetic' incident for leaving racing". formularapida.net. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ↑ Kalinauckas, Alex (2 October 2017). "FV8 3.5 driver Binder gets ex-F1 man Merhi's Rapax Jerez F2 seat". autosport.com. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ↑ Allen, Peter (3 November 2017). "Ralph Boschung vacates Campos F2 seat before Abu Dhabi". formulascout.com. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 "GP2 Series 2017 season calendar revealed". gp2series.com. GP2 Motorsport Limited. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ↑ "F2 Fastest laps". results.motorsportstats.com. Motorsport Stats. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.