F2 post-season test begins in Bahrain

The official post-season test of the 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship begins tomorrow at Sakhir’s Bahrain International Circuit. The three-day event takes place between December 8-10 and provides teams and drivers the chance to begin their preparations for the 2021 season in earnest, and to draw a line under the 2020 campaign.

Six hours of testing is available on all three days of the event, with Day 1 and Day 2 consisting of two three-hour long sessions beginning at 9am and 2pm (local time). Day 3’s morning session also starts at 9am, with the afternoon session running from 1pm until 4pm (local time).

Pirelli’s hard compound tire will be used throughout the test, with each car allocated eight sets for the event.

Fresh Faces and Returning Favorites

Several new drivers join some more experienced racers behind the wheel of F2 machinery over the three days, all looking to show that they have what it takes to compete in the top tier of junior motorsport.

FIA Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri joins PREMA Racing’s title winning F2 outfit in 2021, and lines up alongside Robert Shwartzman at the Italian team for the test. Shwartzman takes part after a rookie F2 campaign that saw him take more wins than any other driver on the grid.

Felipe Drugovich makes the switch to UNI-Virtuosi after an impressive rookie season of his own. The Brazilian is joined by Guanyu Zhou on the first two days of the test before Clément Novalak, who scored two podiums with Carlin Buzz Racing in FIA Formula 3 this season, replaces the Chinese driver on Day 3.

Carlin, fresh from securing third place in the Formula 2 Team’s Championship last weekend, run two drivers familiar with F2 machinery on all three days. Red Bull’s Jehan Daruvala remains with the British outfit and is joined by Dan Ticktum, who makes the move from DAMS.

Two more Red Bull Juniors are set to test with Hitech Grand Prix, as Jüri Vips returns to an F2 machine following his four-round stint in place of the injured Sean Gelael earlier this season. The Estonian is joined by the promising talent of New Zealander Liam Lawson, who finished fifth in F3 this year.