2011 FIA Formula Two Championship
The 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship season was the third year of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The championship began on 17 April at Silverstone and finished on 30 October at the Circuit de Catalunya, after eight double-header rounds and all (excluding Silverstone) in support of International GT Open racing weekends.
For most of the season, the championship battle revolved around a returning driver Mirko Bortolotti (finished fourth in 2009 and rookie driver Christopher Zanella. Bortolotti took lead after win in the opening race of the season at Silverstone and did not leave him until the end of the season. The Italian secured his title and a prize test for the Williams F1 team in the home race at Monza with two races to spare.[1] Bortolotti scored seven wins in a season matching 2009 Champion Andy Soucek record and with win in 2009 at Brno the Italian took absolute win record in FIA Formula Two Championship.[2]
Zanella finished a second place in the standings with two wins, 123 points behind Bortolotti and just eight ahead of his nearest rival and another newcomer Ramón Piñeiro, who scored three wins. The fourth place went to Piñeiro compatriot and winner of the Silverstone's race Miki Monrás.
Drivers
| No. | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |  James Cole[3]
|
All |
| 3 |  Armaan Ebrahim[4]
|
1–6 |
| 4 |  Mirko Bortolotti[5]
|
All |
| 5 | Alex Brundle[6]
|
All |
| 6 |  Miki Monrás[7]
|
All |
| 8 |  Plamen Kralev[8]
|
All |
| 9 |  Mihai Marinescu[9]
|
All |
| 10 |  Max Snegirev[10]
|
All |
| 11 | Jack Clarke[11]
|
All |
| 12 |  Kelvin Snoeks[12]
|
All |
| 13 | José Luis Abadín[13]
|
1–3, 5, 8 |
| 14 | Jolyon Palmer[14]
|
4 |
| 15 | Ramón Piñeiro[15]
|
All |
| 16 |  Mikkel Mac[16]
|
All |
| 17 | Will Bratt[17]
|
1–4 |
| 18 |  Tobias Hegewald[18]
|
All |
| 19 |  Christopher Zanella[19]
|
All |
| 20 | Julian Theobald[20]
|
1–4, 6–7 |
| 21 | Thiemo Storz[21]
|
All |
| 22 | Johannes Theobald[20]
|
1–4, 6 |
| 23 | Jon Lancaster[22]
|
2 |
| 24 | Tom Gladdis[23]
|
1 |
| 25 |  René Binder[24]
|
6 |
| 26 | Luciano Bacheta[25]
|
6–7 |
| 28 |  Benjamin Lariche[26]
|
All |
| 30 |  Tom Mun[27]
|
All |
| 33 | Parthiva Sureshwaren[28]
|
1, 3–8 |
| 42 | Jordan King[29]
|
3–5 |
| 77 |  Natalia Kowalska[30]
|
1–2 |
| 88 |  Fabio Gamberini[31]
|
4 |
Driver changes
- Entering/Re–Entering FIA Formula Two Championship
- José Luis Abadín graduated from European F3 Open to compete in the championship.
- Mirko Bortolotti, Alex Brundle and Tobias Hegewald all returned to the championship, after competing in other series in 2010. Bortolotti and Hegewald moved back from the GP3 Series, while Brundle will rejoin from British Formula 3.
- James Cole moved into the series from the British Formula 3 National Class. Max Snegirev also joined Formula Two from the Championship Class in British Formula 3.
- Formula Renault NEC runner-up Mikkel Mac moved into Formula Two in 2011.
- Miki Monrás switched from GP3 Series to compete in the championship.
- Sung-Hak Mun joined the championship after racing in Formula BMW Pacific in 2010.
- Thiemo Storz moved into the championship, having missed most of 2010 due to completing his schooling and competing in the last Formula Palmer Audi season.
- After finishing sixth in the Italian Formula Three Championship, Christopher Zanella graduated into Formula Two in 2011.
- Leaving FIA Formula Two Championship
- 2010 champion Dean Stoneman had been due to compete with ISR Racing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2011, but withdrew after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
- 2010 runner-up Jolyon Palmer graduated to GP2, signing with the Arden International team. Palmer returned to Formula Two at the Nürburgring, in order to gain track time ahead of the GP2 races at the circuit later in the season.
- Sergey Afanasyev, who finished third in 2010 moved to Auto GP with DAMS.
- Mid-Season Changes
- Jordan King, Jon Lancaster and Fabio Gamberini joined the series during the season. Lancaster contested the Magny-Cours round, after racing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series during the 2010 season, while King is combining his Formula Two programme with Formula Renault UK. Gamberini, a front-runner in the European F3 Open series, competed at the Nürburgring.
Calendar
An eight-round calendar was published on 3 November 2010,[32] with an amendment made to the Magny-Cours date on 8 December 2010.[33] The series was not part of the support package of the World Touring Car Championship as it had been since the series' revival. With the exception of the opening round at Silverstone, the championship was a part of International GT Open meetings.[34]
Championship standings
A driver's best 14 scores counted towards the championship, with any other points being discarded.[35]
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References
- ^ "Mirko Bortolotti secures 2011 F2 Championship". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 2 October 2011. Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Imperious Bortolotti takes F2 win record". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 30 October 2011. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "James Cole graduates to F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ "Armaan Ebrahim returns for F2 title attack". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 18 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- ^ "Mirko Bortolotti returns to Formula Two". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 9 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ "Alex Brundle rejoins F2 for 2011". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
- ^ "Miki Monras opts for F2 in 2011". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 7 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- ^ "Plamen Kralev confirms F2 return". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
- ^ "Mihai Marinescu commits to F2 for 2011". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 17 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Max Snegirev switches from F3 to Formula Two". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ "Jack Clarke targets championship victory on F2 return". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
- ^ "Kelvin Snoeks to make F2 return". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ "Jose Luis Abadin graduates to F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Jolyon Palmer makes F2 return this weekend". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ^ "Ramón Piñeiro joins Formula Two". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Mikkel Mac signs up for F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Will Bratt returns to F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "Tobias Hegewald switches from GP3 to F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 26 March 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ "Christopher Zanella signs for F2 in 2011". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Julian and Johannes Theobald sign up for F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "Thiemo Storz to make Formula Two bow in 2011". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ "Jon Lancaster signs up to F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ "Tom Gladdis aiming for the front on F2 return". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 12 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ "Binder to make F2 debut on home soil". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Luciano Bacheta makes F2 switch". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Benjamin Lariche secures F2 return for 2011". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
- ^ "Sung-Hak Mun confirms place on F2 grid". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 8 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ "Parthiva Sureshwaren returns for 2011 assault". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
- ^ "Jordan King adds F2 programme". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ "Natalia Kowalska returns for a second season in F2". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ "Gamberini makes F2 debut at the Nürburgring". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ "World Motor Sport Council, 03/11/2010". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 3 November 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
- ^ "FIA ratifies 16-race 2011 F2 calendar". FIA Formula Two Championship. MotorSport Vision. 8 December 2010. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL GT OPEN PROVISIONAL CALENDAR SEASON 2011" (PDF). International GT Open. GT Sport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
- ^ "2011 Formula Two Sporting Regulations" (PDF). fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
6.2: Points for the title will be awarded at each race...but a driver must only count his highest scores from the total of all the races in the Championship less two.