F2 driver line-up all set for season-opener in Bahrain

The 20-driver line-up for the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship is now complete and the field is ready to take Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) by storm this weekend for the opening round of their season, being held in support of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2019. The final additions to the roster of up-and-coming race stars were made in the past few days, and all 10 Formula 2 teams are ready to line up on the grid. The season-opening meeting in Bahrain will have a 32-lap Feature Race covering 173.184 kilometres on Saturday and then the 23-lap Sprint Race over 124.476km will be held on Sunday.

Amongst the more prominent drivers competing in Formula 2 this year is Mick Schumacher, who is the son of seven-time Formula 1 World champion Michael Schumacher. He will be taking to the tarmac with Italian outfit Prema Racing, alongside Indonesian teammate Sean Galeal.

It was also announced that 20-year-old Schumacher will be making his debut in a Formula 1 car in Bahrain at a young drivers’ test, to be held April 2 and 3 right after the Grand Prix. A few other big names competing this Formula 2 season include Williams test and reserve driver Nicholas Latifi from Canada, who will race for French team DAMS alongside Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara; Renault test driver Jack Aitken from Great Britain, who competes for Spanish team Campos Racing with Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci; and former Formula 1 test driver Nikita Mazepin from Russia, who drives for French outfit ART Grand Prix alongside Nyck De Vries from the Netherlands.

There is one lady driver on the grid this season, Colombian Tatiana Calderon, who races for British squad BWT Arden alongside Anthoine Hubert of France. From the other teams, Carlin are set to race with Louis Deletraz from Switzerland and Nobuharu Matsushita of Japan; UNI-Virtuosi Racing from Great Britain will compete with Guanyu Zhou from China and Luca Ghiotto from Italy; and Sauber Junior Team by Charouz from the Czech Republic with Callum Ilott from Great Britain and Juan Manuel Correa from the US.

The grid is completed by MP Motorsport from the Netherlands with Jordan King from Great Britain and Dutch teammate Mahaveer Raghunathan; and Trident from Italy who will race with Giuliano Alesi of France and Ralph Boschung of Switzerland. The new Formula 2 campaign is set to feature 12 meetings in all, each running in conjunction with a Formula 1 Grand Prix.