Formula 1 has seen an influx of rookies step up to the highest level after honing their craft throughout the junior ladder.
Formula 2 has seen multiple drivers graduate to F1 as Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto have made their F1 debuts this season.
Both drivers have impressed, while Bearman is building up towards a full time seat with Haas alongside Esteban Ocon in the 2025 season.
Despite neither driver challenging for the championship in F2, they have been given chances to race in Formula 1 due to their talent and links with F1 teams.
While speaking on Sky Sports F1, Martin Brundle explained that drivers battling for the Formula 2 championship who haven’t had their chance may be annoyed at failing to graduate to F1.
Martin Brundle believes ‘there must be a lot of hugely frustrated Formula 2 drivers’
Colapinto and Bearman have both scored points within the opening two Grand Prix starts and have impressed both on and off the track.
Neither driver is fighting the title in F2, as Colapinto was chosen to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams for the final nine rounds in F1.
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Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto are fighting for the championship and have links to Formula 1 teams in Red Bull and McLaren.
Despite having connections to teams at the pinnacle of motorsport, there is a chance that neither of them will be on the F1 grid next year. The situation is different for Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will be moving straight to the Mercedes works team next year despite a mixed F2 season.
Brundle explained that it is essential to give the rookies a chance now instead of in the 2026 season where there is a sizeable regulation change.
He said: “There must be a lot of hugely frustrated Formula 2 drivers who are doing better than some of those drivers in the F2 Championship who haven’t had their chance.
“But it seems to me now the time to build for the future. Now is the time to do it. You don’t want to be introducing youngsters into the team in 2026 when there’s this change of chassis and power unit coming.”
Good performances in Formula 1 cars is seemingly much more important than F2 results
Antonelli has struggled in his only Formula 2 season, but he has completed a lot of laps in older F1 cars in test sessions.
Despite crashing in FP1 ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, his confidence behind the wheel and attacking style was very impressive.
Bearman has also struggled in F2 this season, with only moments of brilliance over the year. Despite his lacklustre season, he has been trusted with multiple FP1 sessions for Haas.
He also made his F1 debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing seventh in an eye-catching performance.