The FIA Formula Two Championship was a one-make class of

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

for

Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...

open wheeled single seater racing cars. The championship was contested each year from 2009 to 2012. It was a revival of the former European Formula Two Championship that was previously run from 1967 to 1984. Organised by MotorSport Vision, drivers competed over 16 rounds at eight venues, in identical cars built by Williams Grand Prix Engineering, with 480 bhp engines developed by Mountune Racing and supplied by

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

. Formula Two was revived due to the

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...

's concern that the cost of competing in motor racing at a level to progress directly to

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

was becoming unreachable for many participants, and the category was re-introduced as a lower-cost alternative for drivers. The FIA tender to supply and operate the Championship was awarded to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

MotorSportVision Racing company, owned by former

racer Jonathan Palmer. Compared to rival series such as GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5, Formula Two cost significantly less per season whilst allowing drivers to prove their skill and develop their racecraft, in identical vehicles designed by a six-man team from Williams Grand Prix Engineering, led by Director of Engineering Patrick Head. The F2 vehicles were assembled and prepared between races at MotorSport Vision's Bedford Autodrome facility, prior to each championship event. In December 2012, MotorSport Vision announced that the series would not be run in 2013.

Chassis

Named after both Jonathan Palmer and Patrick Head, the Williams JPH1 chassis and survival cell is of carbon fibre composite monocoque construction. The car was designed to comply with 2005 FIA F1 Safety Regulations. Head protection conforms to the latest 2009 F1 standards. Amongst many other detailed safety features, roadwheel tethers are incorporated.

Race weekend

For each race meeting there was 90 minutes of free practice, one hour of official qualifying, with the race distance being approximately . This increased to 2 x 40 minute races in 2011. All drivers had their cars prepared and entered centrally by MSV. Drivers worked with a single mechanic throughout the season, and a rotating group of engineers. This means that a driver's finances had no effect on performance and no one could gain an unfair advantage as every car was operated by the same team.

Scoring system

For the 2009 season, the scoring system was 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 for the top eight race positions. In 2010, Formula Two adopted the same scoring system change as in

, with points awarded to the top ten finishers. Points were awarded the same for both races in the weekend, as follows:

Champions

Television

The races were broadcast by the sports broadcaster Motors TV. Every race was screened live at fixed times, with several repeat showings. F2 also had a one-hour highlights program distributed worldwide, and featured prominently in the global Motorsports Mundial program. Live streaming of the races was available with free access on the official F2 website.

References

External links

FormulaTwo.com
official website of the FIA Formula Two Championship

GrandPrix.com (18/07/2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fia Formula Two Championship One-make series Recurring sporting events established in 2009 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2012 Defunct auto racing series FIA championships European auto racing series Formula Two series