As we approach the halfway point of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship, Everything F1 looks at some of the key talking points from the season so far.
Rise Of The Rookies
So far this season, the spotlight has been on the rookie drivers who have stepped into Formula 2 for 2025.
Rather than just stepping up, several of these drivers have been dominating. Each one is hoping to take the Championship title within their first year in the series.
Rookie Alexander Dunne currently sits at the top of the standings, with fellow competitors Arvid Lindblad and Luke Browning also sitting in the top five.
Consistency has been key for Dunne. The Irish driver has so far achieved two Feature Race wins in Sakhir and Imola as well as points in all bar four races so far.
Becoming the second-youngest race-winner in Formula 2 history, Lindblad’s title hopes are burning bright as he currently sits in third.
Taking his first Sprint win in just the second round in Jeddah, the Red Bull Development Driver was also able to convert Pole to Feature Race victory at Campos’ home race in Barcelona.
Similarly, Browning has also achieved points in every round so far. But the British driver is still chasing his first victory in the series.
With the trajectory of these drivers’ performances so far, one of them could rightfully achieve the 2025 Championship by the end of the year.
Lindblad’s F1 Chase
Lindblad also celebrates his recent super license approval. The FIA accepted the request submitted by Red Bull despite the fact that he is only 17 years old.
This means that the British driver can now participate in Formula 1 sessions. Many are expecting to see him drive in an FP1 session before the end of the season.
The Race Against Time
Although 2025 has given the Formula 2 rookies an opportunity to shine, all eyes have also been on the veterans of the series as they fight for the Championship.
Richard Verschoor is currently the highest performing returner. He is sitting second in the overall standings as he participates in his fifth season.
The Championship title is also in Jak Crawford’s reach, with the American driver currently in a positive upwards trajectory.
Despite a difficult start to the season, the Aston Martin Development Driver has since achieved two victories. He’s also achieved the first pole position for DAMS Lucas Oil since 2023.
The talent pool is strong, with experience not necessarily being the driving factor towards success.
However, drivers including Verschoor and Crawford are continually proving that long-term dedication and work equals reward.
In The Background
Whilst many drivers have shown impressive levels of performance so far this season, there are others who have not found the pace and struggled to produce meaningful results.
Currently tenth in the overall Standings, Dino Beganovic’s first full season in the series has been difficult. This is despite a promising effort in the final two rounds in 2024 which included a P3 finish.
A double points result at the second round in Bahrain showed promise. However, the Swedish driver has only managed to secure one other scoring finish since then; third place in Imola.
Furthermore, scoring just one point in the first four rounds, Kush Maini will be aiming for greater consistency within his third year in the series.
Switching from Invicta Racing to DAMS Lucas Oil, the Indian driver has since been able to extract better levels of performance, including a Sprint Race win in Monaco, to sit 11th in the Standings.
After two points scoring finishes in both opening rounds, Joshua Durksen is another driver who has struggled so far.
Winning the final feature race of the 2024 season, the Paraguayan driver would have been hoping to keep the same momentum. Yet he has struggled to find the pace in his second year with AIX Racing.
In addition, Cian Shields, John Bennett and Max Esterson currently stand as the only drivers without any points on the board.
United Against Online Abuse
The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix has been a key talking point not just amongst Formula 2 fans, but amongst the entire motorsport community.
An incident on the opening lap, which saw Dunne and Martins clash at the first corner, led to a multi-car pile-up. It also resulted in a 10-place grid penalty for the McLaren Development Driver.
Another incident at the following race in Barcelona saw Dunne clash with Martins once again. This time, he hit the back of the French driver in the pit entry during Friday’s practice.
Speaking about these events, Dunne apologised for Barcelona’s accident, claiming it was “completely ridiculous” on his part.
Commenting on Monaco, Dunne added that “what happened, happened. Everyone knows Monaco Turn 1, if you come out in the lead, the chance of you finishing there is pretty high. I think it was just one of those things. I think moving forward, to just bring it back in again is all that needs to be done; nothing massive needs to change”
However, it was the backlash that the Irish driver received on social media that drew the attention of sport fans across the globe.
“I got a lot of stuff after Monaco, normally I’m not someone who reads things and gets annoyed by them,” said Dunne.
“But, I think an hour after the race, I deleted social media off my phone because I’ve never received such bad messages in my life.
“A lot of the stuff I got was really, really bad and quite upsetting to be honest. But you know, I think…”
Speaking to selected media in Barcelona, the 19-year-old stopped there. He became visibly upset when thinking about the comments and messages he had received.
This led to the release of a joint statement from the FIA, F1, F2 and F3. It stated that their “United Against Online Abuse Campaign” firmly condemns “abuse and harassment of any form.”
It was a powerful, yet necessary message. It was also a stark reminder that all drivers deserve to be treated with decency and respect.
All To Race For
Out of 11 races so far, seven different drivers have stood on the top step of the podium.
Similarly to last season, one of the defining factors of the 2025 Season is how competitive the field is.
Several deserving podium finishers have also made their mark as we approach the halfway point.
Achieving his first podium in Barcelona with an impressive drive from 22nd to 3rd, Rafael Villagomez rewarded Van Amersfoort Racing in his second year with the team.
Furthermore, Sebastian Montoya has also achieved two podium finishes. He did this in the latest rounds in Monaco and Barcelona. This once again emphasises the rise of the rookies.
Speaking last year, Kick Sauber Formula 1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto said: “It keeps going around the F1 paddock that it’s one of the highest levels ever in F2, so it helps a lot. We are very grateful to be part of this generation of drivers.”
With this statement still remaining true one year later, it is all to race for. The fight for the Championship could easily go down to the last round in Abu Dhabi.
Formula 2 continues in Austria from June 27-29 at the Red Bull Ring.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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