Author: Enrique Calvo

American driver Jak Crawford has spoken to Motorsport.com about a possible future in F1. The F2 title challenger told the Miami-based news outlet his plans to jump category: “We’re trying to find any space on the grid, whether it’s with Cadillac or Aston Martin or some other teams”.

The Charlotte-born driver is realistic with his possibilities and does not reject the possibility of taking the gamble of a starter seat with a new team like Cadillac over staying at a reserve role at Aston Martin. The former Red Bull junior also defined his future with Lawrence Stroll’s constructor as “up in the air”.

Many a driver has been linked to the two vacant seats at Cadillac, including, once again according to Motorsport.com, forced-outsiders and veterans Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas. The former Red Bull and Mercedes drivers, respectively, are both race winners and vice-champions, and will no doubt have the edge over Crawford in proven talent and pedigree. 

Mick Schumacher also confirmed to Motorsport.com that he has been “in talks” with the US-based future team. However, the former Haas driver seems to have been mentioned less times in 2026 rumours than the previous candidates. Additionally, reports from Kym Illman suggest that former Stake F1 driver Zhou Guanyu, McLaren F1 reserve driver Pato O’Ward and 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich are other “leading contenders” to make the jump to F1 with the Ferrari-powered constructor.

Whether Jak Crawford reaches the top category will surely depend on his driving ability in Formula 2. The DAMS driver is completing his third full year in the silver division with his eyes on the prize as he hopes to slim down the 9-point deficit to leader Leonard Fornaroli in this weekend’s Hungarian GP. Other contenders for the title in this crazily tight season are second-place Richard Verschoor (MP), who is two points behind the Invicta driver; as well as Alexander Dunne (Rodin) and Luke Browning (Hitech), who trail first-place by 11 and 12 points, respectively.

Whoever scores most points in both the Sprint and the Feature Races (as well as the two points for pole), including the F1-linked Jak Crawford, might be at an advantage to take this year’s F2 title and hopefully be closer to a seat in the top category.

Since its (re)creation in 2017, Formula 2 has, in theory, had the objective of preparing young drivers for Formula 1. But, despite the perception that the sequel of GP2 has failed in this regard, the truth is that there have been 21 graduates to the pinnacle of motorsport (22 if we count Roberto Merhi, who drove for Marussia in 2015).

However, not every driver that excels in this second division reaches their goals. There has even been occasions where being the championship winner has not been enough. Whether it be for financial or sporting-related reasons, I will be developing a list of the best Formula 2 drivers that never reached F1 (Formula 2 being the FIA category that started in 2017). But before, a few familiar names will be mentioned in the honourable mentions:

13.      Dan Ticktum

–             2018: 23^rd

–             2020: 11^th

–             2021: 4^th

Last seen: 2024-25 Formula E season (currently 7^th)

12.        Zane Maloney

–             2022: 26^th

–             2023: 10^th

–             2024: 4^th

Last seen: 2024-25 Formula E season (currently 23^rd)

11.        Sérgio Sette Câmara

–             2017: 12º

–             2018: 6º

–             2019: 4º

Last seen: 2025 ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am season (currently 7^th)

The list

10. Ayumu Iwasa

• 2022: 5^th
• 2023: 4^th

The Japanese driver debuted in Formula 2 the year after his rookie year of Formula 3 backed by Red Bull. Iwasa, who still remains associated with the team nowadays, competed in 2022 (5^th) and 2023 (4^th) with DAMS in said category and never stood a real chance against the likes of Drugovich, Pourchaire, or Vesti.

After earning his five victories in the second division, he has been both a reserve and development driver for the Red Bull structure. The Osaka-born youngster tested for AlphaTauri in 2023 before becoming their reserve driver and has completed FP1 sessions in Grands Prix for Racing Bulls in 2024 and for Red Bull in 2025.

Nonetheless, it seems like the possibilities of him starting a race are slim. Racing Bulls chose Liam Lawson as a replacement of forced-retiree Daniel Ricciardo for the United States Grand Prix in 2024. However, the lack of possibilities of moving up in the pecking order remained: his 2023 F2 team-mate Isack Hadjar overtook him to take the remaining spot in the Italian team, which was, back then, left without Lawson due to the New Zealander’s signing with Red Bull after Sergio Pérez’s sacking.

Even though, for a few months earlier this season, Iwasa seemed to be the first emergency driver in line for the Red Bull structure (that now has Tsunoda in the first and Lawson in the second team), Arvid Lindblad obtaining his super license, which gave him the permission to participate in the first Free Practice session of this past British GP, has changed all of this. It is a matter of time before the Brit jumps into a full weekend, probably as a replacement of the Hastings-born driver. For now, Iwasa’s future seems to lie in his home country, as he has been competing in the Japanese Super Formula since last year.

Both Formula 2 and Formula 3 return to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps track to celebrate their rounds as F1 feeders at the 2025 Belgian GP. And whilst the intra-McLaren battle between Norris and Piastri is heating up and promises to be as entertaining as a title fight can be, it is also worth checking out the silver and bronze divisions.

In Formula 2, Aston Martin junior Jak Crawford has emerged as a dark horse contender for the title. The American, who won the last Feature Race at Silverstone, is now only 6 points behind veteran Richard Verschoor. The Dutchman has 122 points compared to the DAMS driver’s 116. Close behind are Alexander Dunne (Rodin) and Leo Fornaroli (Invicta), at 108 and 104, respectively. The latter has been on an upwards spiral which culminated in his Sprint win at the British GP, whilst the McLaren junior wants to continue shattering expectations. Williams’ Luke Browning (Hitech) trails by only 6 points following his Feature podium behind the Irishman. Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad (Campos), arguably the driver closest to an F1 seat, sits at 84 points. And it’s now or never for arguable contenders Sebastián Montoya (Prema) and Red Bull’s Pepe Martí (Campos). Both of Alonso’s protégés, although the former on a good streak and the latter with a not so fortunate immediate past, sit just behind a GP length by trailing the lead by 40 and 43 points, respectively.

The most consistent pairing, however, is Campos Racing’s. The Spanish team, benefitted by having two drivers in arguable contention, leads the team standings with 153 points to DAMS’ 142. Only one point behind is the Browning-led Hitech; whilst both MP Motorsport, at 134 points, and Invicta, at 133, are still in the fight.

It’s anyone’s game at the Belgian GP, as a maximum of 39 points are up for grabs in a thrilling weekend. Friday starts with a free practice and is followed by a qualifying session that offers 2 points for pole position as well as the first spot on Sunday’s grid. The top 10 are flipped around for Saturday, however, for a Sprint that awards 10 points to the winner. The Spa round will be topped off by a thrilling Feature Race that has the big prize of 25 points for the victor. Both races have one point awarded per fastest lap as long as the driver to do so ends in the top 10.

Here are the timings, all in local times, so you don’t miss any of the action:

Friday 25^th July

• 10:05 – Free Practice
• 14:55 – Qualifying

Saturday 26^th July

• 13:45 – Sprint Race

Sunday 27^th July

• 10:00 – Feature Race

If you are a regular Formula 1 viewer and you want to get into watching Formula 2 and Formula 3 but don’t know much about the drivers, here is a short guide with their nationalities (and heritage), their associations (or past associations) and the teams they race in.

Formula 2

Invicta:

• Leonardo Fornaroli (N/A, last association: Ferrari) – Italian
• Roman Stanek (N/A, last association: Sauber) – Czech

Campos:

• Pepe Martí (Red Bull & A14) – Spanish
• Arvid Lindblad (Red Bull) – UK (Swedish nationality & Indian heritage)

MP Motorsport:

• Oliver Goethe (Red Bull) – German (Danish nationality)
• Richard Verschoor (N/A, last association: Red Bull) – Dutch

Hitech TGR:

• Luke Browning (Williams/Haas) – UK
• Dino Beganovic (Ferrari/Haas) – Swedish (Bosnian nationality)

Prema:

• Gabriele Minì (Alpine) – Italian
• Sebastián Montoya (N/A, last association: Red Bull) – Colombian (USA nationality)

DAMS:

• Jak Crawford (Aston Martin) – USA
• Kush Maini (Alpine) – Indian

ART:

• Victor Martins (Williams) – French (Portuguese nationality)
• Ritomo Miyata (Haas) – Japanese

Rodin:

• Amaury Cordeel (N/A) – Belgian
• Alex Dunne (McLaren) – Irish

AIX:

• Joshua Dürksen (N/A) – Paraguayan (German nationality)
• Cian Shields (N/A) – UK (Irish nationality)

Trident:

• Sami Meguetounif (N/A) – French (Algerian heritage)
• Max Esterson (N/A, last association: Red Bull) – USA (UK nationality)

VAR:

• John Bennett (N/A) – English
• Rafael Villagómez (N/A) – Mexican

Formula 3

Prema:

• Noel León (N/A, last association: Red Bull) – Mexican
• Ugo Ugochukwu (McLaren) – USA (Nigerian & Italian heritage)
• Brando Badoer (McLaren) – Italy

Trident:

• Noah Strømsted (N/A) – Danish
• Rafael Camara (Ferrari) – Brazilian
• Charlie Wurz (N/A) – Austrian (Monegasque & UK nationalities)

ART:

• Laurens van Hoepen (N/A) – Dutch
• Tuukka Taponen (Ferrari) – Finnish
• James Wharton (N/A, last association: Ferrari) – Australian

Campos:

• Nikola Tsolov (Red Bull & A14) – Bulgarian
• Mari Boya (Aston Martin) – Spanish
• Tasanapol Ithraphuvasak (N/A) – Thai

Hitech:

• Martinius Stenshorne (McLaren) – Norwegian
• Joshua Dufek (N/A, last association: Sauber) – Austrian (Swiss & UK nationalities, German heritage)
• Gerrard Xie (N/A) – Chinese (Hong Kongese nationality)

MP Motorsport:

• Tim Tramnitz (Red Bull) – German
• Bruno del Pino (N/A) – Spanish
• Alessandro Giusti (Williams) – French

VAR:

• Théophile Naël (N/A) – French
• Santiago Ramos (N/A) – Mexican
• Ivan Domingues (N/A) – Portuguese

Rodin:

• Callum Voisin (N/A, last association: Aston Martin) – Swiss (UK nationality)
• Louis Sharp (N/A) – New Zealander (UK nationality)
• Roman Bilinski (N/A) – Polish (UK nationality)

AIX:

• James Hedley (N/A) – UK
• Nicola Marinangeli (Ferrari) – Italian
• Brad Benavides (N/A) – USA (Spanish and Guatemalan nationality, Colombian heritage)

DAMS:

• Nicola Lacorte (Alpine) – Italian
• Christian Ho (N/A) – Singaporean (South Korean nationality)
• Matías Zagazeta (N/A) – Peruvian

Past drivers:

AIX:

• Javier Sagrera (N/A) – Spanish
• José Garfias (N/A) – Mexican
• Nikita Bedrin (N/A) – Italian (Russian nationality)
• Freddie Slater (N/A) – UK

DAMS:

• Nikita Johnson (N/A) – USA