

Before making his F1 debut in 2001, he raced in Formula Renault UK and Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup.Īs we have said before, there are numerous equally valid competitions to get to F1, and there is no fixed path.


F1 DRIVERS DRIVER
Carlos Sainz: before becoming an F1 driver for Toro Rosso, he raced in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.Daniel Ricciardo: made the leap to F1 from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.Max Verstappen: went from European F3 directly to F1 in 2015 by Toro Rosso.Valtteri Bottas: jumped from the GP3 Series to Williams F1 reserve driver in 2012, becoming an official driver for 2013.
F1 DRIVERS DRIVERS
Here is a list of drivers who did not compete in F2 and the category in which they raced before F1: Is It Necessary To Race In F2 To Be An F1 Driver?Īlthough it is a recommended category that prepares you to be an F1 driver, it is not necessary, as many drivers of the grid have not raced in it and have succeeded in F1. The objective of F2 is to show all your talent to be signed by an F1 team. There are also many drivers who, despite not winning F2, make the leap to F1 due to its great exposure. Since its creation in 2005, 12 of the 16 winners have competed in F1, so we can conclude that winning F2 gives you a lot of chances to make the leap to F1. These drivers are: Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Mick Schumacher, Nikita Mazepin, George Russell, Nicholas Latifi and Antonio Giovinazzi.įrom these drivers, the ones who won it are Hamilton, Perez, Gasly, Leclerc, Russell, and Schumacher. If you’re looking for some F1 merchandise, check out the awesome stuff at the official F1 store here.įrom the current grid, 11 of the 20 drivers have participated in F2. In today’s article, we will see how current drivers came to F1 and the different categories to get there, so keep reading! F2 is recommended to be an F1 driver, but it is not the only one, as numerous prestigious competitions can also lead you to F1, such as the F3 or Formula Renault. It is said that F2 is the prelude to F1 since its objective is to discover and prepare young talents to make the leap to the highest motorsport category, but do all F1 drivers come from F2?įrom the current F1 grid, 11 of the 20 drivers have participated in F2, of which 5 have won it.
