Formula 2 unveiled its new car for the 2024 season and beyond at Monza.
The F2 2024 will replace the current F2-18, which has been in use since 2018, and is set to be used for three seasons though has a six-year cycle, meaning it could be run through 2029.
The single-spec machine again features a 3.4-litre, V6 turbocharged engine and gearbox, and has been designed to be as close to a Formula 1 car as possible, but at a reasonable cost. (Reasonable, of course, being relative in the world of motor-racing given we are talking about seven figures).
The nose, front and rear wing, which is rather striking, and floor have been designed to encourage wheel-to-wheel racing, while from 2025 fully sustainable synthetic Aramco fuel will be used.
The car was shaken down in July and further development tests will take place across the remainder of the year before being delivered to the 11 F2 teams. The car has again been designed such that teams only need 12 operational personnel for cost purposes.
“F2 consistently delivers excellent racing and acts as an important training ground for future members of the Formula 1 grid, and by bringing the design philosophies of the two cars closer together we will support this development further,” said Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.
The F2-18 has one more round to go before retirement, in Abu Dhabi, in November. Sauber protégé Théo Pourchaire leads Mercedes junior Fred Vesti in the championship by 25 points with 39 up for grabs. Neither are expected to graduate to a Formula 1 seat in what has not been a stellar year for the series.
But keep an eye out for 18-year-old Ferrari Academy member Oliver Bearman, who triumphed at Monza in front of the Tifosi to take a fourth win of the season. It is also understood that Mercedes is lining up its highly-rated youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli, only 17, for a front-running Formula 2 seat in 2024, though a final decision has not yet been made.
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