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[...]

Following his meteoric rise through the junior ranks and impressive performances in test outings in McLaren's 2017 challenger, Norris has been dubbed a "star of the future" by McLaren and is tipped to make it all the way to F1. Ferrari protégé Charles Leclerc will make his F1 debut with Sauber in 2018 after a dominant rookie title campaign in F2 last season, and Norris insists he will have to pull off a similar feat to prove his calibre.

​​​​​​​[...]

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The new Formula Two season, which begins this weekend in Bahrain, promises to be one of the most open and difficult to predict in the 14-year history of the series which began life as GP2.

Over half of the drivers confirmed for this year’s championship are new to the series and many of them have excellent racing pedigrees.

They including reigning Formula Three champion and McLaren development driver Lando Norris, plus his F3 rival Max Gunther. The top three from last year’s GP3 championship have also made the step up.

Among that trio is Jack Aitken, who in an exclusive interview for RaceFans gave his insight into his rivals and whether the all-new F2 car for 2018 will allow the championship to sustain its reputation for great racing.

[...]

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Trident Motorsport has parted ways with banned Haas Formula 1 junior driver Santino Ferrucci, after the Formula 2 driver crashed into his teammate and drove with a phone in his hand.

Ferrucci is banned for the next two events – Hungary and Spa – after driving into the left-rear of Arjun Maini's car on the cool-down lap after the Silverstone Sprint race.

The two had clashed in both Silverstone races.

Ferrucci was also fined €66,000 for driving without a glove on, also holding a mobile phone while transitioning between paddocks in his F2 car.

Trident has cited Ferrucci's actions, as well as payment issues, for the reason of the contract termination.

The statement read: "Trident Motorsport informs to have communicated to Santino Ferrucci and to its guarantor, a company represented by Mr. Michael Ferrucci, the termination of the contract with the Team.

"This decision was motivated by the events - which are now of public domain - occurred at Silverstone, as well as by the serious breach of driver's payment obligations.

"Since the beginning of the championship, the driver justified its payment default with alleged failure by his sponsors to fulfil their obligations.

"It seems weird that, despite such kind of issues, Santino Ferrucci had the resources needed to enter the Detroit IndyCar race from June 1-3 while, at the same time, he was not honoring his agreement with Trident Motorsport.

"Trident gave mandate to its lawyers in order to activate all the procedures needed to fully recover its credits towards the driver."

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George Russell’s chances of gaining more Formula 1 experience this season are uncertain after turning down a Force India practice chance at Monza to focus on his F2 title bid.

Russell has tested for Mercedes and Force India this season and was due to make his first FP1 outing of the year with the latter’s replacement entry ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

However, he is locked in a fierce F2 championship fight with McLaren protege Lando Norris and is unlikely to take part in a grand prix weekend until that is resolved.

“I was meant to be driving in FP1 for Force India this weekend,” Russell told Motorsport.com. “In this tense title battle at the moment, we preferred to put more focus on F2 really.

“We did FP1 with Force India in Abu Dhabi last year [while Russell’s GP3 title was undecided] and still put it on pole afterwards, [so] I don’t think it would have affected me too much.

“You can get so caught up in the F1 dream that you forget what your priorities are. Formula 2 is my priority.

“I don’t know if we’ll do another FP1 later in the season or not, but nevertheless I think Mercedes have my best interests at heart. I have full confidence they are doing everything in their means to secure my future in F1.”

There are two more F2 rounds this season, in support of the Russian and Abu Dhabi GPs, with Russell leading Norris by 22 points.

Russell, who is also Mercedes’ reserve driver, will not have F2 duties on the five other remaining F1 weekends in Singapore, Japan, the United States, Mexico and Brazil.

He said he did not know for certain if he would do FP1 later in this season but his argument for not pursuing his chance at Monza and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff’s own comments suggests it is unlikely.

“That was his call actually,” said Wolff. “He thought doing FP1 once in an F1 car was quite a distraction.

“I think it is a sensible call not to be too distracted from the limelight of F1 and would rather concentrate on the current job and this is F2.”

Russell’s F1 prospects for next season appear to have dimmed as a result of Force India’s collapse and revival as a new entry and the driver changes that has sparked.

Lance Stroll will move to Force India from Williams as his father Lawrence led the consortium behind the ‘new’ team, with Sergio Perez expected to remain on board as his teammate.

That means Russell’s fellow Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon will be ousted, and finding him a seat to stay in F1 will take priority over Russell being promoted.

Russell’s best shot appears to be with Williams, but there is mounting speculation that his F2 rival Artem Markelov could head there as part of an all-Russian line-up alongside Sergey Sirotkin.

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Formula 2 frontrunner Artem Markelov will switch to Super Formula in 2019, joining Toyota's driver line-up at the start of the series' new SF19 car era.

As predicted by Autosport, Markelov will drive for Toyota-affiliated squad Team Le Mans with a spot alongside Kazuya Oshima.

The Russian driver was due to test the previous-generation Super Formula car for the first time in December last year, before the deal was called off at the last minute.

He will now get his first taste of a Super Formula car at the first pre-season test at Suzuka, which will take place from March 4-5.

Markelov has been racing in F2/GP2 since 2014 but ruled out returning to Formula 1's feeder category for a sixth season in '19.

The 24-year-old had been hoping to a land an F1 drive and was linked to Williams, before Robert Kubica and F2 champion George Russell sealed seats.

Another confirmed Super Formula signing is Sho Tsuboi who will combine his Super GT commitments with a full-season drive in the single seater series.

The reigning Japanese Formula 3 title winner will race for Inging, partnering two-time series champion Hiroaki Ishiura.

Several drivers will change teams within the Toyota camp, most notably Nick Cassidy is leaving Kondo to join Kazuki Nakajima at multiple championship-winning team TOM'S.

Cassidy has been affiliated with TOM'S for several years, with both his Japanese F3 and Super GT titles coming with the Tokyo-based squad.

The Kiwi's place at Kondo will be taken over by Yuji Kunimoto, who has moved over from Inging to make way for Tsuboi.

Kunimoto will team up with Kenta Yamashita.

KCMG will again commit to a single car as Kamui Kobayashi remains with the Hong Kong-based squad for a third season.

The 2019 season will mark the introduction of Super Formula's new halo-fitted SF19 car, which is touted to be both faster and safer than its predecessor.

The Dallara-built chassis will retain the IndyCar-style OTS (overtake system) of the older generation car.

But changes are being evaluated that will allow drivers to deploy 100 seconds of boost freely throughout the race, with a minimum use of one second.

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Sean Gelael says his decision to withdraw from the Silverstone Formula 2 weekend was "a matter of principle", after receiving a penalty following an incident in practice.

Gelael collided with Louis Deletraz at Brooklands in Friday practice, while Deletraz was on an outlap and moving slowly with two wheels on the racing line. Gelael dived up the inside but hit the Carlin driver, with the resulting damage ruling him out of practice.

Deletraz was able to continue and went on to qualify fifth the following day, while Gelael qualified 18th - only to receive a three-place grid drop just hours before the feature race was due to start.

The Prema driver, who elected not to take to the track for the remainder of the weekend, said he was "shocked" at the decision.

F2 stewards have come in for criticism from teams and drivers in 2019, especially in Monaco where the grid was not reordered correctly in the pitlane under a red flag, Gelael being one of the drivers robbed at a chance of victory because of that mistake.

"The four years in F2 a lot of things have happened, especially this year, that are out of my control and extreme," Gelael told Autosport.

"For example, what happened in Monaco. It's not consistent.

"I think it's a matter of principle.

"If it was seen as a protest [Gelael not racing], I would not disagree.

"But for me it's a lot of things, you can't be so inconsistent in making decisions.

"When they told me the decision I was shocked and had no words to say.

"It wasn't just a protest, it was really where I draw the line in terms of how the things are handled in the championship and [by] the stewards.

"They gave me a reprimand and two penalty points. My thought was, 'You can't blame someone who is not wrong'.

"We tried to appeal, and we found in the rulebook that if you give a reprimand you can't also give penalty points.

"In the morning Guillaume [Capietto] the team manager went to talk to the stewards. We said, 'We don't agree with this, but if you give us the reprimand, we at least don't want the penalty points' as it was unnecessary.

"Apparently they just came back with the three-place grid penalty."

Deletraz, who spoke with his rival after the incident, said Gelael was not fully to blame.

"I have to agree that the penalty was quite harsh on him," said Deletraz.

"I don't think I was to blame, but I don't think he was to blame either. For me it was a racing incident and it's something we both could have avoided."

Gelael added he will use this week to consider his future.

"Moving forward we'll take a couple of days to calm our heads and regroup," he added.

"It's a decision between me and the team and my close group to see what the future holds.

"I think, not racing is influenced by a lot of things happening around me.

"It takes the fun out of everything, it takes the heart out of racing and if your heart isn't in it, what is the point at all."

The FIA declined to respond to Gelael's comments.

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Sean Gelael will return to Formula 2 at the Hungaroring, after withdrawing prior to the Silverstone races following a penalty he had received in practice.

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Mick Schumacher started this season with 50 Super License points -- 10 more than the required 40 points over three seasons needed to be eligible for Formula 1.

However, 20 of his points -- gained for finishing second in German Formula 4 and Italian F4 in 2016 -- will no longer be valid in 2020, as points expire after three seasons. Mick scored no points in his first year in European Formula 3, so he will have only the 30 he collected when he won the Formula 3 European title in 2018.

To get the other 10 needed, he must finish sixth in the Formula 2 Championship. At the moment, with just one event (two rounds) remaining, he is 12th with no chance to make it all the way to sixth this season.

This means he will need to stay in Formula 2 another year, with the same target of finishing in the top 10 to be F1 eligible for 2021.

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HWA will run a Formula 2 team alongside its DTM and Formula E-supporting programmes after purchasing Arden's entry, cars and equipment ahead of the 2020 season.

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The competition in Formula 2 is about to get even tougher, following the announcement that Hitech Grand Prix will become the championship’s 11th team for the 2020 season.

British-based Hitech have history on the road to F1, competing in fellow feeder series F3 last year, finishing 2019 as runner-ups in the teams' standings.

Hitech joined F3 from the European F3 Championship following the merger between that and GP3 and instantly impressed, with four wins, one pole position and six podiums.

F2 CEO Bruno Michel said: “I am pleased to welcome Hitech Grand Prix to our 2020 F2 grid. As stated before, many teams continuously show interest in joining our Championship. Today’s driver market combined with Hitech’s prowess meant this addition to the new season became possible.

“Hitech Grand Prix enjoyed a strong Formula 3 season in 2019 and I know that although they are joining late, they will be able to adapt quickly to Formula 2 in order to fight against the other teams.”

They will make their first appearance in pre-season testing in Bahrain on March 1-3 and will aim to make the transition into F2 as smoothly as they did in F3.

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The FIA have concluded their investigation into the cause of the ultimately fatal crash of Anthoine Hubert at Spa Francorchamps during the 2019 Belgium Grand Prix weekend, an accident which involved three other drivers including Juan Manuel Correa.

Motorsport is an inherently dangerous past time and thankfully incidents such as that which occurred on the Saturday August 31.

Fortunately, procedures are in place to investigate the causes of crashes and the reasons for what happens next - whether this be a small, relatively innocuous incident, or the tragic worst case scenario of that particular day in Belgium.

In their findings, the FIA - whose report goes into extreme detail about the incident - ultimately found that there was no single factor that was solely to blame for the incident, but that it was more a build up of factors that resulted in this particular scenario.

In summary, the findings of the investigation are as follows: • A chain of events resulted in a protracted and complex crash sequence involving four drivers, which ultimately led to a high-speed ‘T-Bone’ type impact between the cars of Juan Manuel Correa and Anthoine Hubert. • The dynamics of the car-to-car impact in terms of speed and trajectory were such that an extremely high level of energy was transferred and dissipated, translating into non-survivable trauma to Anthoine Hubert and very serious injuries to Juan Manuel Correa. • There was no single specific cause but multiple contributory factors giving rise to the severity of the accident were identified, following a detailed analysis of the various phases of the accident. • The investigation found no evidence that any driver failed to react appropriately in response to the yellow flag signal or to the circumstances on track. • The reaction of marshals and race control in deploying signaling and rescue services in relation to the accident is considered timely and good.

Adding to the summary of their findings, the FIA statement added, "Safety improvement is a continuous process, therefore conclusions drawn from this accident and others like it from around the world will be integrated into the ongoing work of the FIA to further develop motor sport safety.

"In 2019 the FIA Safety department conducted investigations into 28 serious and fatal accidents related to circuit racing, supported by the ASN (National Sporting Authority) in each country."

The full FIA statement can be found here.

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It isn’t just the circus of Formula 1 which will make its long-awaited return in Austria, the top tier of junior motorsport is also set to get back to racing action at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.

And what’s more, the Formula 2 field is seriously stacked this season. The 22 drivers on the grid this year have a bumper tally of 24 titles, from various championships and events, between them.

F2 is also bursting at the seams with F1 junior talent this year, boasting five Ferrari juniors, as well as drivers from the Renault, Red Bull, Haas and Williams driver programmes. The F2 machinery has had a makeover too, with the brand-spanking-new 18-inch Pirelli tyres set for their first taste of racing action this year.

Returning with its usual combination of two races per weekend – a Feature Race on Saturday and a Sprint Race on Sunday with a reverse grid of the top eight Feature Race finishers – we take a look at what you need to know ahead of the opener.

New tyres

Fans will get a glimpse into the future this season, as F2 debuts the 18-inch Pirelli rims ahead of Formula 1, showcasing the championship as the perfect training ground, not only for drivers, but also for technology and machinery. F1 will follow suit with the larger rims in 2022.

Adding 30kg of weight, the new Pirelli’s have certainly beefed up the cars, and thanks to the scrupulous work of the F2 team, they haven’t lost any performance either. We got a first look at the grid with the new tyres back in pre-season testing at Bahrain, where we learned that the cars were not just matching the 2019 incarnations, but at times, bettering them, with speeds of around 295 km/h - despite that extra weight.

This is thanks to a multitude of cost-effective modifications, which have resulted in what is effectively a brand-new car, with entirely different characteristics. The primary changes involve a revision of the aerodynamic properties of the car, and an addition of 20 more horsepower. For more details on the exact changes, check out F2’s handy guide.

Not only will this give fans fresh machinery to the enjoy, it will also open up the field. Teams and drivers have effectively started from scratch, lessening the importance of experience.

Established names

With Champion Nyck de Vries moving to Formula E, and vice-champion Nicholas Latifi earning promotion to F1 with Williams, there’s a raft of talent waiting in the wings to step up and stake their claim for the title.

Of last season’s rookies, first in line will be Renault test driver Guanyu Zhou, who enjoyed a stellar debut in F2 last year, taking five podiums to finish as the highest placed rookie, in seventh. Retaining his seat at frontrunners UNI-Virtuosi, the Chinese racer will be expected to deliver a title challenge at very least.

Taking the other seat in the Virtuosi garage is Ferrari junior Callum Ilott, who finished as the third highest rookie in 2019. You’ll want to keep an eye out for their blossoming bromance too. The pair have known each other since karting and were PREMA team mates in European F3, back in 2017.

More will be expected of Mick Schumacher in 2020 if he is to earn a fairytale move to F1. Though, if the PREMA man can perform anywhere near the levels of his 2018 European F3 title-winning campaign, where he stormed to eight wins and 14 podiums from 30 races, then he’ll be a shoe-in.

For fans who want to know what he’s all about, we suggest taking a look at his drive from 18th to fourth in Austria last season.

Schumacher isn’t the only famous name on the grid. Fellow Ferrari junior Giuliano Alesi is the son of Jean Alesi and will race for BWT HWA RACELAB this season. His eighth and fifth place finishes in the season finale in Abu Dhabi suggest he could surprise a few. Haas test driver Louis Deletraz, son of former F1 driver Jean-Denis Deletraz, will also return for a fourth season of F2 with Charouz.

F2 will be welcoming back some familiar faces with fan-favourite Artem Markelov in the second seat at HWA, after a year away. Williams test driver Roy Nissany will return to the grid with Trident, and there is of course also space for his fellow Williams academy driver Jack Aitken, who remains with Campos after a fifth-place finish last season.

Exciting newcomers

F3 champion Robert Shwartzman leads the list of newcomers in F2 this season, partnering Schumacher at PREMA in what looks set to be a mega team mate battle. The Russian is a lethal overtaker and should push the German every step of the way, following a gigantic season in F3, with three wins and 10 podiums from 10 rounds.

Taking over Nyck De Vries’ title-winning machinery at ART Grand Prix will be the rookie pairing of Ferrari junior Marcus Armstrong and Renault protege Christian Lundgaard. Big things are expected of Armstrong in particular, who finished second to Shwartzman in F3.

Filling the shoes of De Vries won’t faze the cool-headed Kiwi, who possesses searing speed and will be looking to move out of the shadow of his former team mate Shwartzman in F2 this year.

While PREMA will be hosting an all Ferrari battle, Carlin have taken a double-helping of Red Bull juniors, snapping up Yuki Tsunoda and Jehan Daruvala. The duo were arguably the surprise packages of F3 last season, with the latter challenging Shwartzman for the title.

More surprising was the emergence of Japanese driver Tsunoda. The youngster had never raced in Europe prior to 2019, and had little-to-no-experience with any of the tracks. After a quiet opening few rounds, he burst onto the scene with Jenzer, enjoying an incredible run of three podiums in a row between Belgium and Italy, with second place, third place and victory in the Monza Sprint Race. Don’t rule any of them out…

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Ferrari has praised Mick Schumacher's Formula 2 progress this year, but says it needs to see more from him before it can consider moving him up to Formula 1.

Schumacher, who is part of Ferrari's young driver programme, is currently fourth overall in the F2 standings on the back of a double podium haul in Hungary last weekend.

F1's superlience requirements mean that Schumacher needs to finish sixth overall to qualify for an F1 seat for 2021, with Ferrari having the possibility to slot him in at Alfa Romeo if they think he is ready.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says the step up that Schumacher has made since last year, when he finished 12th overall, is clear, but is aware that the young German will need to keep producing results if he is to be in contention for an F1 contract.

"I think that Mick is certainly doing well, and he is doing a lot better than last year," said Binotto, when asked by Autosport about Ferrari's plans for Schumacher.

"It was important for him in his second year of F2 and he is showing progress.

"I think that he is showing progress as well since the start of the season.

"He had some bad luck situations but if you look at his results in Hungary, he did well. So Mick is progressing which is important.

"Next year I think it is really too early to decide. We are really clear and fair with him: his overall performance in the championship will be important.

"So he will be in an F1 seat at the time that we believe he has done sufficient progress overall. Also he needs simply to continue as he is doing now, and we will decide later on in the season."

Schumacher says his focus this year is on improving to become the best driver he can.

Reflecting on the steps forward he has made and what he hopes to get out of 2020, he said: "I want to be among the top drivers: fighting for good positions.

"My main target is to improve myself as a racing driver to become the complete racing driver I am chasing.

"I want to improve on the human side, to become let's say more grown up, to become more mature and to bond with the team in a way which no other driver can."

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Formula 2’s switch to 18-inch rubber has given Pirelli some useful data to guide its development of the similar tyres Formula 1 will use in 2022.

There are several major differences between the two series: Formula 1 cars have wider tyres than the junior category and put significantly more energy through the rubber. Tyre warmers are permitted in F1 but banned in F2.

Nonetheless, Pirelli’s head of motorsport Mario Isola said they can glean some useful data for their F1 project from F2’s first races on 18-inch wheels this year. F2 races have revealed how tyre temperatures are affected when drivers are running in traffic, something Formula 1 cars are highly sensitive to.

“We have the opportunity to use these tyres in a race environment,” Isola told RaceFans in an exclusive interview. “What we missed during our tyre development tests is using the tyres in a real race environment.

“Sometimes when we were talking also in the past about overheating when you follow another car, this is something that we cannot test during our session because we have one or two cars running on-track so it’s almost impossible to have a race simulation.”

F2 drivers have changed their racing lines at some circuits because the lower-profile rubbers responds differently to kerbs at certain tracks, Isola added.

“The fact that they have slightly modified their racing line – that didn’t happen in Paul Ricard, that didn’t happen in Bahrain but it happened [at the Red Bull Ring] – is giving us some indication of what probably is going to happen also in Formula 1,” he said.

The introduction of 18-inch wheels to F1 was postponed by a year due to the global pandemic. Pirelli’s real-world development programme for the 18-inch wheels has therefore been put on hold. However they are still able to make some progress with the new rubber, said Isola.

"We tried to use the time in the best possible way. We don’t have an any opportunity to organise any track test until the beginning of 2021.

"Luckily, with the four sessions that we ran until February of this year – the first one was with Ferrari in Jerez – we defined a baseline for the 18-inch development that was quite good. Now, what we are doing is even if we don’t have the possibility to test on track, we still have the possibility to make some design analysis and also physical prototypes that we can test in our facilities.

“We are not just losing time because we are not testing on track. What is clear is that we cannot confirm any of our virtual models virtual prototypes because we are not testing on track. But we can we can do something. We are not just sleeping and waiting for January 2021.”

The new tyres will bring a weight penalty, however, due to the larger wheel rims. Isola estimates the switch to 18-inch wheels will increase F1 car weight by eight to 10 kilograms.

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The FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 series could be separated next season, with the two championships no longer appearing on the same Grand Prix weekends.

If a plan that is currently being discussed is agreed, the extra track time available would mean that both series would run three races at each meeting at which they feature, instead of two.

It’s understood that a move to separate the series is being considered as teams prepare for another season that will inevitably be impacted by COVID-19, with driver budgets potentially suffering.

One potential financial benefit of splitting the championships would be that teams with entries in both could pool resources between their F2 and F3 operations, and run them with fewer people. Nine of the 11 F2 teams also contest the F3 category.

By holding three races on each weekend both series would also visit fewer circuits during the season than they currently do, which would also contribute to cost savings.

The proposed schedule appears to support Chase Carey’s recent assertion that the 2021 F1 calendar will be similar to the one originally planned for 2020, in that it suggests that there will be nine races in Europe.

The provisional plan is that F2 will do eight race weekends instead of the current 12, with four in Europe and four flyaways, adding up to a total of 24 races – the same as 2020.

F3 would run on seven race weekends, with five in Europe and two flyaways, which are likely to be at the end of the season. That adds up to 21 races, or three more than the total in 2020.

Details of how the three-race format might work are yet to be finalised, but one option could be a split qualifying session, with the first half forming the grid for race one, and the second half creating the grid for race two.

The third race of the weekend would then use the reverse grid format currently used by the F2 sprint, and the second F3 race.

When questioned by Motorsport.com about plans for next season an F2/F3 spokesperson said: “We are currently assessing costs cutting measures for 2021, but nothing has been decided yet. Should decisions be made, we will communicate them in due time.”

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Ferrari Academy Driver Giuliano Alesi is attempting to force a change of fortunes in Formula 2, swapping from the BWT HWA RACELAB team to race winners MP Motorsport.

Making the move ahead of Round 10 in Russia, Alesi will replace long-time F2 racer Nobuharu Matsushita at the Dutch outfit, after the Japanese driver “decided to move on to fresh challenges elsewhere.”

Son of former Ferrari Formula 1 racer Jean Alesi, 21-year-old Giuliano is in his second season of F2, and initially showed signs that he could be set for a breakthrough year. Alesi finished 2019 with five points finishes from his final six races and followed this up with sixth in the 2020 season opener in Austria.

Neither he nor HWA has been able to recreate this form, though, and the 21-year-old has failed to take a point since then.

“I am super happy, excited and most of all motivated to be working with MP and starting this new adventure in Formula 2,” said Alesi. “So I’m really looking forward to Sochi, and can’t wait to get in the car and get started.”

With three rounds of the F2 season to go, MP Motorsport will provide Alesi with proven race-winning machinery, having taken three victories already this year.

The Frenchman will join Felipe Drugovich, who has clinched two of those MP wins. Formula 3 race winner Jake Hughes will replace Alesi at HWA for Round 10.

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Formula 2 title contender Callum Ilott has announced he will not be racing in Formula 1 next season after missing out on a seat.

Ilott, 22, is part of Ferrari’s young driver programme, and currently sits second in the F2 points standings heading into this weekend’s Bahrain finale.

The British driver had been linked with possible F1 seats at both Haas and Alfa Romeo in 2021 given the team’s ties with Ferrari.

Ilott was due to feature in opening practice for Haaso at the Eifel Grand Prix last month, only for the session to be cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

With F2 title rival and fellow Ferrari Driver Academy stablemate Mick Schumacher anticipated to be announced in a seat with Haas for 2021 soon, Ilott confirmed on Monday that he would not be on the F1 grid next year.

“It is time I announce that I have been told I will not be racing F1 in 2021,” Ilott wrote on his social media accounts.

“Obviously I have known this for a couple weeks now. I am disappointed, but I will just work harder and do what it takes to make sure it happens in 2022.

“Anyway, I have a championship I want to win.”

Ilott’s announcement is another indication that Schumacher will be the only Ferrari youngster to graduate from F2 to F1 for next year.

Ilott’s UNI-Virtuosi teammate and Renault academy driver Guanyu Zhou wrote in reply to Ilott’s post: “This guy deserved an F1 seat.”

The news leaves Ilott with unclear plans for 2021. Should he overturn the 14-point deficit to Schumacher in the final two races and clinch the F2 title, he would be unable to return to the championship next year.

Ilott has scored five pole positions and three wins through the F2 season to date, but saw his title hopes take a blow in Sunday’s sprint race in Bahrain when contact with Jehan Daruvala dropped him to the rear of the order.

Ilott and Schumacher will complete their title battle with two races on the Bahrain outer loop this weekend in support of the Sakhir Grand Prix.

Ilott will then drive Alfa Romeo’s C39 F1 car at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.

Another Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman is expected to remain in F2 for a second season in 2021. The Russian driver, who is also affiliated to SMP Racing, sits fourth in the championship after scoring his fourth victory of the year in the Bahrain sprint race last Sunday.

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The Colombian driver will race in F2 for the first time since 2019, when she drove with BWT Arden.

Bolukbasi’s contract has been terminated by mutual consent, with Calderon competing in the remaining four rounds for the team.

Calderon had been competing in IndyCar in 2022 with AJ Foyt Racing, but her road and street course campaign came to an early end after seven starts due to financial issues regarding sponsor ROKiT.

She said: “I’m really excited about my return to the Formula 2 Championship, I still can’t believe I’m back. It’s been a long while since I drove the car, but it is an amazing opportunity which I want to make the most out of.

“I'm very thankful to the Charouz Racing System and I'm really looking forward to this busy triple-header of races and beyond."

Team owner Antonin Charouz said: “We’re very happy to welcome Tatiana. We have been following her for a long time, she’s a very competitive driver and her experience will surely be really valuable for the team.

“This weekend will be very important for us, because we have four rounds left and a demanding triple header ahead, that will require our best effort in order to arrive at Abu Dhabi to close the season on a high.”

Calderon finished 22nd in the 2019 F2 standings before going on to race in Super Formula in 2020-21 for Drago Corse, as well as the European Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship for Richard Mille Racing.

The 29-year-old made her move to the US for 2022 and sits 29th in the IndyCar standings with a best finish of 15th at Indianapolis.

Calderon was previously Alfa Romeo F1 team’s test driver, and is still the only woman to have competed in F2.

Bolukbasi had failed to score a point so far this season, having joined Charouz from Euroformula Open, where he finished fifth in 2021 with Van Amersfoort Racing.

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Belgian Formula 2 driver Amaury Cordeel has been found guilty of speeding in his hometown of Temse, the 2023 Virtuosi driver reaching a top speed of 179km/h on a stretch of road where the limit is just 50km/h.

He was caught after posting a video of his antics on TikTok.

Cordeel committed the offence back in December 2020 but was only found guilty earlier this month, fined €3,600 while also losing his driver’s licence for six months.

The video, which he posted on TikTok but subsequently deleted, showed the driver pushing it on a road where the speed limit was just 50km/h, clocking a top speed of 179km/h.

The video was brought to the attention of local police who pressed charges with Belgian media HLN reporting he has been found guilty.

He has denied he was the one behind the wheel, telling the court: “I couldn’t possibly have driven, because I didn’t have a driver’s licence at all at the time.”

But according to HLN, he did not tell the court that he had bought a driver’s licence for 450 euros on the internet.

His lawyer insisted there wasn’t enough evidence to prove it was Cordeel behind the wheel, saying: “There can be no link whatsoever between the video and the fact that my client was driving.

“It was his father’s car, but otherwise there is enough doubt to say that he was not driving.”

The court ruled otherwise, finding the 20-year-old guilty.

It is not yet known what impact Cordeel’s guilty verdict could have on the Virtuosi driver’s 2023 plans.

“I’m learning what you’re telling me just now!” Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel told Motorsport.com. “It’s probably something that will have to be discussed with the FIA, to see how to deal with it and whether to do anything special.

“We can’t ignore that fact, that’s for sure.

“I don’t can’t really answer your question, but it’s something we definitely need to discuss with the FIA, to see how to handle it.”

It’s not the first time Cordeel has been under the spotlight for something like this, having previously been accused of hitting 185km/h on a public highway in an Audi.

That video was also shared online but at that time he also denied he was the one behind the wheel. Nothing came of it.

Cordeel raced for Van Amersfoort Racing in the 2022 Formula 2 season and finished P17 with 26 points. Next year he’ll join Alpine junior Jack Doohan at Virtuosi Racing.

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