As the Formula 2 season has only five rounds remaining to crown a new champion, I thought we should take a look back at the previous winners of the series and see how they have progressed since they competed in the series.
Under the FIA regulations, the Formula 2 champion is not allowed to compete in the Championship for two subsequent seasons following their title. This forces them to leave the series and progress up the motorsport ladder while making room for new talent to enter the series. Most champions aim for Formula One, but often an open seat is not available so they look to other series such as IndyCar, Formula E or the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
The series was known as GP2 from 2005-2016 however it became ‘Formula 2’ back in 2017. This list will cover where all Formula 2 champions from 2017 onwards ended up.
2017: Charles Leclerc (PREMA Racing)
Leclerc’s stint in F2 was dominant. He claimed 8 pole positions and 7 race wins in 11 rounds. Naturally, dominating in F2 like this led him to his first full-time F1 race seat. He was announced for Sauber F1 Team on the 2nd of December 2017 and made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix on March 25th 2018. He was signed to Ferrari on the 11th September 2018 to replace Kimi Räikkönen in the 2019 season. He has since stayed with the team and currently has a contract with the most historic F1 team until at least 2030. Over his time at Ferrari he has picked up 9 Grand Prix victories, 27 pole positions and 54 total podium finishes.
2018: George Russell (ART Grand Prix)
George Russell sealed himself as an elite prospect with his 2018 F2 title as he defeated a highly competitive grid including the likes of Lando Norris and Alex Albon (both of whom also went on to compete in Formula One, Lando winning the F1 championship in 2025). He claimed 7 victories in 2018, which was enough for the Mercedes junior to be placed into Williams in the following 2019 season. He was finally given a full-time Mercedes seat in 2022. Russell has gone on to achieve 7 Grand Prix victories in Formula One and is currently in the midst of a title battle with teammate Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
2019: Nyck De Vries (ART Grand Prix)
Nyck De Vries clinched the F2 title back in 2019, securing 4 wins, 5 pole positions and 12 overall podiums over the course of the year. Nyck did not immediately get a formula one seat, instead signed with Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team. De Vries has experienced a lot of success in FE, and he became world champion in 2021 for Mercedes. Alongside Formula E, he was reserve driver for Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams. At the 2022 Italian Grand Prix he was called into action when Williams driver Alex Albon fell ill. Nyck managed to score points and impress many with his debut, so much so that he secured a full time F1 seat for the 2023 season at AlphaTauri. Unfortunately his F1 stint did not go to plan and he was released by the team after 10 races as he lacked enough pace.
Although F1 did not work out he returned to Formula E. He also joined Toyota Gazoo Racing in the WEC. With Toyota, De Vries has achieved a historic 24 Hours of Le Mans victory.
2020 : Mick Schumacher (PREMA Racing)
Mick claimed his F2 title with 2 race wins and 10 podium finishes. His triumph over Formula 2 earned him a promotion to F1, signing with Haas for the 2021 season. He raced full-time at the team for 2 seasons and achieved a career best finish of 6th place. After being dropped by Haas in 2022 he was the official reserve driver for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and McLaren racing where he focused on simulator development and testing. He briefly raced in the World Endurance Championship from 2024-2025, joining Alpine Endurance Team to drive the A424 Hypercar where he competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mick currently competes in IndyCar, driving the number 47 Dallara-Hona for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
2021 : Oscar Piastri (PREMA Racing)
Piastri’s entire junior career was dominant. He won the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup, the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship and then his 2021 F2 title in successive years. He secured 6 wins, 11 podiums and 5 consecutive pole positions to achieve his title. Following his junior success, he made the step up to F1. He spent his 2022 season as a reserve driver for Alpine and in 2023 he made his full-time debut with McLaren. He has stayed at McLaren since. He has achieved 9 Grand Prix victories, 6 pole positions and 28 podiums in F1. He was also involved in a very intense Championship battle with his teammate Lando Norris in 2025, ultimately finishing third in the standings behind Norris and Max Verstappen.
2022 : Felipe Drugovich (MP Motorsport)
Drugovich secured the title at Monza with a round to spare, and he finished over 100 points ahead of Théo Pourchaire in second place. He claimed five victories on his charge to the title. Following F2 he became a Formula One reserve driver for Aston Martin from 2022 to 2025. He has now transitioned to competing full-time in Formula E with Andretti and has spent some time in the European Le Mans series.
2023 : Théo Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix)
Théo Pourchaire finally secured the F2 title in his third season by getting consistent point finishes. Immediately after his F2 title he was a reserve driver for Sauber and he joined Mercedes as an official Formula 1 Development driver. In 2024 he started in 6 IndyCar races and briefly competed in Super Formula in Japan. From 2025 he joined WEC team Peugeot. Théo is set to make his Formula E debut in the 2026-2027 season after signing with Opel GSE Formula E Team.
2024 : Gabriel Bortoleto (Invicta Racing)
Like Piastri, Gabriel won his F3 and F2 titles back to back in 2023 and 2024 respectively. He impressed massively, including his standout performance in the Monza feature race, where he won staring from last place on the grid. Following F2 he earned his promotion to F1 in the 2025 season, driving for Stake Sauber. He remains at the team which is now Audi in 2026 where he continues to impress with strong performances.
2025 : Leonardo Fornaroli (Invicta Racing)
He made history as he became the first Italian driver to win the F2 title. Furthermore like Bortoleto and Piastri, he too won the F3 and F2 titles back to back. Overall he secured 4 wins and 9 podiums to take home his championship. Following F2, he joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme as a test and reserve driver. He has made official FP1 appearances for the team during Grand Prix weekends in the 2026 season.
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