Formula 2 2026 season preview: A guide to all 22 drivers

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A pecking order of teams has emerged through the first two seasons with the Dallara F2 2024 car, but with high-profile drivers on the grid and major overhaul occurring at several teams could that be altered in 2026?

Invicta Racing

Formerly a title sponsor, Invicta took over Virtuosi Racing’s Formula 2 squad before the 2025 season. The previous year it had hit the target of three race wins once again, all delivered by Gabriel Bortoleto who carried the team (in all forms) to its first two F2 titles. Leonardo Fornaroli then led it to another two with the new F2 car, becoming the second rookie champion in a row. Does this apply pressure on the team’s 2026 line-up?

1. Rafael Camara Brazil, 20
2025: FIA F3 champion   2024: FRegional European champion, 3rd in FRegional Middle East   2023: 3rd in FRME, 5th in FREC

The answer to that question is yes, since the question Camara has repeatedbly been asked since he was signed by Invicta last October whether he will be the team’s third successive rookie champion. Of course the question has come because the Ferrari junior, who will drive the #1 car, has won the Formula Regional European and FIA Formula 3 championships in back-to-back years. In F2 post-season testing he was fourth fastest overall and the quickest newcomer, then in pre-season testing he topped the two sessions in which the fastest laptimes were set and had a 0.274-second gap to second place.

2. Joshua Duerksen Paraguay, 22
2025: 9th in F2   2024: 10th in F2   2023: 16th in FRME, 19th in FREC   2022: 14th in FREC   2021: 17th in Euroformula

Paraguay’s motorsport following is growing thanks to Duerksen’s career, and with AIX Racing he has ended each of the last two F2 seasons with a feature race victory. There was a sprint race win in each of those campaigns too, and his 2026 switch to a top team means far more should be expected of him. But there is a trend from Duerksen’s first two seasons that will make a title challenge unlikely. He scored three times in the first 19 races of 2024, then rose from 18th to 10th in the standings with two wins, a third place and two fifths. In 2025 he had four points-scoring races within the first 19 but was one point down on his 2024 tally, then six podiums from eight races took him from 15th to ninth in the points table. He was fifth fastest in the field on race pace, and only two drivers had more podiums.

Hitech GP

Hitech is under new ownership, and it’s unclear how that will impact its F2 squad this season. Its 2025 line-up scored 278 points but being outperformed in qualifying meant less time was spent leading races than teams it bettered on race pace.

3. Ritomo Miyata Japan, 26
2025: 17th in F2   2024: 19th in F2, 3rd in European Le Mans Series – LMP2 class, 12th in Le Mans 24H – LMP2 class

Toyota placed Miyata in F2 after he won the 2023 Super Formula and Super GT titles, and to help build experience of the European racing scene he drove in the European Le Mans Series alongside F2 in 2024. He shone in ELMS, but was only just in the top 20 on pace in F2. He changed teams for his second F2 season and scored fewer points, with similar pace metrics. Now he has changed teams again.

4. Colton Herta USA, 25
2026: currently 6th in IMSA   2025: 7th in IndyCar, 47th in IMSA – LMP2 class   2024: 2nd in IndyCar, 18th in IMSA

Like his team-mate, Herta has stepped down to F2 and been placed in the championship by his employer-cum-backer. That is TWG Motorsports, owner of the Cadillac Formula 1 team he will be test driver for and the Andretti Global squad in IndyCar he has left. During his time in American single-seater racing’s top tier, which began in 2018, Herta won nine times, claimed 11 other podiums, 16 poles, was 2024 championship runner-up and set the record as the youngest-ever winner and pole-sitter. What works in his favour, compared to Miyata, is having starred on F2 circuits in Euroformula and GB3 as a youngster.

Campos Racing

The Dallara F2 2024 turned Campos into a F2 frontrunner after years of languishing down the order, and once again it has signed an extremely exciting driver that could either take the title or impress enough with the team to earn an F1 graduation in 2027.

5. Noel Leon Mexico, 21
2025: 17th in FIA F3   2024: 10th in FIA F3, 3rd in Macau GP   2023: Euroformula champion, 19th in Macau GP

Leon won the NACAM and United States Formula 4 championships before relocating his career to Europe. He struggled to score in FREC, but then stepped up to Euroformula and won the title against a weak and depleted opposition. He proved that was no fluke by making the podium in the Macau Grand Prix (which was using FRegional cars) and netting four podiums en route to 10th in FIA F3 the year after. But he had a far worse F3 campaign with a struggling Prema team in 2025, which raises questions about what his potential will be in F2.

6. Nikola Tsolov Bulgaria, 19
2025: 18th in F2, 2nd in FIA F3, 12th in Eurocup-3 winter series   2024: 11th in FIA F3, 11th in Eurocup-3   2023: 22nd in FIA F3

Tsolov joined Campos in F2 for the last two rounds of 2025, and a podium helped put him 18th in the standings. His single-lap and race pace based on those outings were the sixth best in the field, and his focus going into those events was being physically fit enough for an F2 car since he gelled with the driving style and setup needs without issue. The statistics from those weekends, and being 2025 FIA F3 runner-up, absolutely cast Tsolov as a 2026 F2 title contender as the Red Bull junior auditions for an F1 seat with Racing Bulls.

DAMS

DAMS became more competitive last year with more experience of the Dallara F2 2024, but from pre-season testing it was already clear it would be reliant on one driver to maximise its pace. Based on this year’s pre-season testing, it looks like the same thing will occur.

7. Dino Beganovic Sweden, 22
2025: 7th in F2   2024: 20th in F2, 6th in FIA F3, 8th in Macau GP   2023: 6th in FIA F3, 11th in FRME, DNF in Macau GP

Like Tsolov, Beganovic arrived in F2 for the last two rounds of a season, netted a podium and set high expectations for his first full campaign. But he couldn’t quite transfer his 2024 pace with DAMS to his 2025 season with Hitech. Although he claimed two podiums and was on pole in Monaco, he only scored four times in the season’s first half then was only outside of the top 10 in two races during the second half. The Ferrari junior was the sixth-highest scorer in feature races despite two third places being his best results, and as the second-highest placed returnee from last season he should be considered a title contender.

8. Roman Bilinski Poland/England, 22
2025: 11th in FIA F3   2024: FRegional Oceania champion, 15th in FREC   2023: 21st in FREC   2022: 18th in FREC

Outpaced by his team-mate in pre-season testing, this rookie steps up from FIA F3 where each weekend he was either solidly in the top 10 or far from the points. Having similar weekends in F2 can prove fruitful thanks to reversed grids, but without those kinds of races there has only been five podiums for Bilinski from his last five years of racing in Europe.

MP Motorsport

MP was dominant in 2022, brought back down to earth in 2023 and then was consistently impressive again in 2024 with the new car and had the potential to be Invicta’s closest rival in the title race. In 2025 it slipped down the order, but that could be put down to its drivers as its title outsider Richard Verschoor became less competitive over the course of the season while team-mate Oliver Goethe improved as the year went on.

9. Gabriele Mini Italy, 20
2025: 13th in F2   2024: 27th in F2, 2nd in FIA F3   2023: 3rd in Macau GP, 7th in FIA F3, 22nd in FRME   2022: 2nd in FREC

After winning an F4 title as a single-seater rookie, Mini has taken two years to nail the categories he’s raced in since, which is encouraging for his 2026 F2 prospects. He has been championship runner-up in FREC and FIA F3, and coming 13th in his rookie F2 season with three podiums is a strong foundation to build on. Mini also made the podium in his 2024 F2 cameo, and his results last year came with a Prema team that looked far less competitive than usual. The Alpine junior is particularly strong on street circuits, and there are five on this year’s calendar.

10. Oliver Goethe Germany/Denmark/England, 21
2025: 15th in F2   2024: 23rd in F2, 7th in FIA F3, 2nd in FIA Macau GP   2023: 8th in FIA F3, 9th in Macau GP

Goethe is going into his fifth year of racing for MP, and third with the team in F2. He is yet to crack the podium after 35 races, and his infrequent scoring proved costly for MP in the teams’ standings in 2025. But there was a marked improvement for qualifying especially in the season’s second half, which he put a lot of focus on, and a grid penalty denied him pole at Losail. At the same track, known for being hard on tyres, he collested his best race result in 2024 by finishing the feature race in fourth.

Prema

Prema has struggled with the Dallara F2 2024, but had two F1-quality drivers that brought home victories in year one with the car. The two rookies it ran in 2025 were far from achieving the same, but outscored what their pace suggested was possible through consistenly finishing in the top seven. It needs to do the same in 2026 based on both of its drivers being in the bottom half of the field in pre-season testing.

11. Sebastian Montoya Colombia/USA, 20
2025: 12th in F2   2024: 17th in FIA F3   2023: 16th in FIA F3, NC in Macau GP, 21st in FRME

Montoya comfortably outscored his more highly rated team-mate Mini last year, boosted by making the feature race podium in Monaco and at Barcelona. Finishing second in a sprint race two rounds later meant in 14 races he beat his podium tally from his 42-race spell in FIA F3. One factor in that may be his return to Prema, with whom he racked up podiums in F4 and the FRegional Asian Championship (through sister team Mumbai Falcons) before racing for rivals once he made the F3 step. There are plenty of positives to take from Montoya’s first year in F2, and he is the fourth highest-placed returnee despite coming 12th in the standings.

12. Mari Boya Spain, 21
2025: 3rd in FIA F3, 2nd in Macau GP   2024: 15th in FIA F3, 5th in FRME, 7th in Macau GP, NC in Eurocup-3

Boya had a stellar 2025 in F3, in addition to a FRegional cameo at the Macau GP where he lost out in a tense fight for victory. Qualifying was an area of weakness last year, but Boya was still the third fastest driver in the F3 field. He is now backed by the Aston Martin F1 team, but its focus on avoiding having a catastrophic 2026 means their protege will get less attention and it will also be harder for him to learn from within Prema since it lost high-profile staff members in the off-season who were credited with turning the team’s past drivers into title contenders.

Rodin Motorsport

Rodin Cars’ buyout of the team that used to be known as Carlin was the big story prior to the 2024 season, and it started with a double win. But it was hit and miss thereon, with podiums and very poor results. Consistency was added in 2025, and the team was reliant on Alex Dunne for all but five of its points. It looked even more competitive in 2026 pre-season testing.

14. Martinius Stenshorne Norway, 20
2025: 20th in F2, 5th in FIA F3   2024: 18th in FIA F3, 8th in FRME, 27th in GB3   2023: 2nd in FREC, 18th in FRME

Stenshorne has three rounds of F2 experience, two of which were with Rodin. He stepped up after an FIA F3 campaign in which he came fifth in the standings with the biggest points haul from sprint races but ninth in feature races. After early struggles for race pace, he ended up spending more time leading races than all but three drivers. In F2’s pre-season test at Barcelona he was in the top 10.

15. Alex Dunne Ireland, 20
2025: 5th in F2   2024: 14th in FIA F3, 6th in Macau GP   2023: DNF in Macau GP, 2nd in GB3   2022: British F4 champion

Dunne was in contention to be championship runner-up in 2025, was third fastest on single-lap pace, and the four drivers who were ahead of him in the points table have all moved on from F2. There were also eight podiums for Dunne despite on average being ninth fastest in the field on race pace. While being Rodin’s lead driver by a huge margin meant the team could (unofficially) prioritise him as it developed its setups, it also meant his learning was hamstrung by usually comparing himself to his own data only. When Stenshorne joined, that finally changed. Having raced as a McLaren junior, and failed to become a Red Bull junior, Dunne will now be an Alpine protege in F2.

ART Grand Prix

Like Prema, ART GP went from a sure-fire title contender to a struggling squad when F2 introduced its new car. But like Prema it got plenty of wins and second places. It was a very different story in 2025, as it ran the fastest qualifier in the field but they were outside of the top 12 on race pace and scored fewer points than 2024. While its line-up may not immediately say that decline can be reversed, the pre-season test pace says it can.

16. Kush Maini India, 25
2025: 16th in F2   2024: 13th in F2   2023: 11th in F2   2022: 14th in FIA F3   2021: 11th in FRegional Asian Championship

Maini’s third season in F2, which was with DAMS, was his weakest and he’s now onto his fourth team in four years. While he has only had one feature race podium so far, from his sole pole in Jeddah back in 2024, his experience has to be considered an advantage and particularly in the first few rounds of the season. But he failed to score in round one venue Melbourne last year, is also yet to score at the Baku and Losail circuits which most F2 newcomers will be unfamiliar with, and was in the bottom half of the field in pre-season testing.

17. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak Thailand, 20
2026: 28th in FRME   2025: 26th in F2, 7th in FIA F3, 16th in Macau GP, 16th in Eurocup-3 WS   2024: 24th in FIA F3

In contrast to his team-mate, Inthraphuvasak was very much on the pace in testing at Barcelona and was third fastest overall. While the word momentum can’t be used — he was anonymous on his F2 debut and at the Macau GP in late 2025 as well as points-free in a FRME cameo this year — it does build on the strong second half to the 2025 FIA F3 season he had. He had only scored three times in the season’s first half and on average qualified below 18th, but after that he was usually in the top 10 and that led to two sprint race wins and then a feature race victory that on its own lifted him from 14th to seventh in the standings.

AIX Racing

The Emirati-licensed German outfit has continued with a driver it has been running since late 2024 and has signed a rookie with a big surname who also a big learning curve ahead of them.

20. Emmo Fittipaldi Brazil, 18
2025: 6th in Eurocup-3 WS, 11th in Eurocup-3   2024: 5th in Eurocup-3, 20th in FRME   2023: 19th in Eurocup-3, 24th in FREC

Fittipaldi turns 19 during the season opener, which is remarkable given he has been in junior single-seaters since 2021. The two wins he claimed in Danish F4 that year remain the only two wins of his car racing career, and across two years in Eurocup-3 with MP he picked up seven podiums. But there has not been an upwards trajectory, as he scored under half as many points and was six places lower in the main championship’s points table last year compared to 2024. Since the series was using FRegional-based cars in 2025, he is also making a double step up the ladder to race in F2.

21. Cian Shields Scotland/Ireland, 20
2025: 24th in F2   2024: 30th in F2, 30th in FIA F3   2023: 2nd in Euroformula   2022: 13th in GB3

In contrast, Shields’ junior single-seater career is weighted towards experience in higher categories. He debuted in GB3 in 2022, was runner-up in the F3-level Euroformula in 2023, a points-free 30th in FIA F3 the following year (only finishing one race in the top half of the field) then the lowest full-time driver in F2’s 2025 standings. But it only took two races in F2 for him to surpass his best F3 result when he joined the grid in late 2024, and matched that early in the 2025 campaign. But he was the slowest driver by every metric.

Van Amersfoort Racing

VAR had its lowest-scoring F2 season last year, but did make the podium twice. It’s gone for continuity on one side of its garage this year, and for a driver whose last single-seater start was in August 2020 on the other.

22. Nico Varrone Argentina, 25
2026: currently 4th in IMSA – GTD class   2025: 27th in WEC – Hypercar class, 42nd in IMSA – GTP class

The two-time Le Mans 24 Hours class winner and World Endurance champion, who has also taken class victories in IMSA and the European Le Mans Series, has made a surprise switch from sportscars (where he races both prototypes and GTs) to F2. Although he raced in single-seaters as a youngster, he only got up to BRDC British F3 (which actually used cars that sat between FRegional and F4 on the ladder), and did five rounds across two years there. While there is a lot to learn, the fact that Varrone raced the high-downforce top-tier Hypercar prototypes last year (with plenty of cockpit time due to race lengths) means he should be prepared in many ways for F2. This includes the car’s physicality, tyre and fuel-saving and making the right decisions in wheel-to-wheel action at high speeds.

25. Rafael Villagomez Mexico, 23
2025: 14th in F2   2024: 24th in F2   2023: 25th in FIA F3, 13th in FRME   2022: 25th in FIA F3   2021: 8th in Euroformula

This year will be the sixth of the Villagomez-VAR alliance, which began in Euroformula where he claimed a few podiums. There were four points across the 56 races in FIA F3 that followed, and one podium in FRME, then Villagomez has actually shown major improvements over two years in F2. He scored 13 points as a rookie, all coming in feature races, then increased that tally to 43 in 2023 as he stood on the podium twice. That put him in a championship position where he is the sixth-highest placed driver from 2025 to stay in F2 for 2026.

Trident

Trident showed stunning pace when the Dallara F2 2024 was introduced, taking poles and wins in 2024, but went for a line-up lacking experience and usually speed last year and the return was two points. It has not attracted any proven F2 talents for this year, but its new drivers’ test pace is encouraging.

24. Laurens van Hoepen Netherlands, 20
2025: 25th in F2, 12th in FIA F3   2024: 13th in FIA F3   2023: 10th in FREC, 11th in FRegional Oceania, 10th in Macau GP

A four-year stint with ART GP ended when van Hoepen stepped up to F2 with Trident for the last three rounds of 2025. A 14th place was his best finish, and he was second from bottom on the pace metrics at year-end. During his time at ART GP, van Hoepen had been on the podium in FIA F3 five times but second place with fastest lap on his debut in 2024 was a result he never matched. Last year was particularly odd, as he came 12th in the standings with the 19th best qualifying pace in the field but as the fourth fastest driver on race pace. F2’s longer races therefore could suit his strengths, and he was seventh in pre-season testing.

25. John Bennett England/Ireland, 22
2025: 22nd in F2   2024: 28th in F2, 2nd in GB3, 23rd in FRME, 30th in FREC   2023: 10th in GB3   2022: 8th in GB3

One place ahead of van Hoepen in pre-season testing, Bennett is hoping for an upturn in form that he previously achieved in GB3. He spent three years in that series, making the podium once in his first two campaigns before embarking on a title attack in 2024. Following that he joined VAR in F2, and finished eighth in his maiden feature race. That result wasn’t repeated as he embarked on a full season in 2025, but now he’s got critical circuit experience, has been reunited with a past engineer and utilised Trident’s karting branch to set himself up for far better results.