FIA Formula 2 hits the track for pre-season testing in Bahrain, livetiming 13.02.2023: FIA FORMULA 2 Championship Sakhir, Bahrain pre-season test February 14-16th, 2023 The FIA Formula 2 Championship springs back into action in Sakhir, Bahrain, this week, after a dramatic 2022 campaign that saw Felipe Drugovich claim the Formula 2

FIA FORMULA 2 Championship
Sakhir, Bahrain pre-season test
February 14-16th, 2023

The FIA Formula 2 Championship springs back into action in Sakhir, Bahrain, this week, after a dramatic 2022 campaign that saw Felipe Drugovich claim the Formula 2 crown and earn a reserve driver role with Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team.


Beginning on Tuesday, the three-day test will give teams and drivers time to prepare ahead of the start of the 2023 season, which will see the field return to the Bahrain International Circuit for the first two races of a 14-round, 28-race campaign at the start of March.





WHAT TO EXPECT



Running between 14-16 February, the three days will be split into a morning and an afternoon session with a total of five hours of testing available per day. The first session of the day will begin at 11:45 and run until 14:15, while the second session will start at 17:15 and finish at 19:45 (GMT+3).



Teams will have the choice of Pirelli’s hard and soft compounds, with each car allocated six sets of prime and two sets of option tyres for the duration of the test.





THE CHALLENGERS



• The 2023 Formula 2 grid features a mix of established names and fresh faces, with ten new FIA Formula 3 graduates, including 2022 Champion Victor Martins and vice-Champion Zane Maloney, making the step-up to the second tier.



• More than half of the teams on the grid have decided to pair a rookie with a returning driver for 2023. Meanwhile, just one team, Hitech Pulse Eight, has opted for a full rookie line-up with Jak Crawford and Isack Hadjar, both graduating from Formula 3.



• This latest cohort of graduates join a further eleven Formula 3 alumni who competed in last year’s campaign, with a total of 20 drivers on this year’s grid having earned a promotion from the third tier to the penultimate step on the Road to F1 in just four years.



• Despite the wealth of experience in the field, this year’s group of drivers have an average age of just 21 years old. Formula 3 race winner Oliver Bearman is the youngest driver on the grid, at just 17 years old.



• Seven drivers in this year’s field have already claimed a Formula 2 victory, including 5-time race winner Théo Pourchaire. Meanwhile, a total of twelve drivers have already achieved an F2 podium.



• An incredible 16 nationalities are represented in this year’s driver line-up. Two new nationalities, Bajan and Czech, will feature on this year’s grid, with Zane Maloney set to make his full-time debut with Rodin Carlin and Roman Staněk stepping up to F2 with Trident.



• One new team also make their debut in Formula 2 this year, with German outfit PHM Racing by Charouz contesting their first season in the second tier. The Berlin-based team will get their first on-track experience at the Bahrain International Circuit this week.




WHERE TO FOLLOW


Follow pre-season testing on the official FIA Formula 2 Championship website via live timing here.







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- Alexa Quintin, photo Formula Motorsport Limited