Formula 2 leaves the Caspian Sea following a sometimes unpredictable and incident-filled weekend in Azerbaijan, the place the streets of Baku had crashes galore. But, one acquainted title avoided the chaos to take to the rostrum within the Function Race. Felipe Drugovich’s P3 finish represents his sixth journey to the podium in 2022. Now, the Brazilian heads to Silverstone for the championship’s midway weekend with a hefty 49-point benefit over his nearest rival.

Initially printed at Fueler.ca — A Magazine with Purpose on 14 June 2022

The consistency that Drugovich has had this 12 months is frankly excellent, and it’s laborious to think about anybody catching the MP Motorsport driver by the point the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi. But pundits seldom introduced his title up in pre-season discussions about this 12 months’s title favourites. He’s stunned everybody, and the game was ill-prepared for the Drugo dominance.

I’m making a few assumptions right here, with the obvious being the suggestion that Felipe has already received the F2 championship crown. Let’s be clear — he hasn’t — and there are eight rounds the place something can occur.

The second assumption is that ought to he win, he received’t graduate to F1, however I’m fairly assured on this level. Drugovich is throwing out the rulebook for junior drivers this 12 months by comfortably main the championship however not being affiliated with an F1 group. As such, there are other F2 drivers nearer than he’s to an F1 seat, no matter their F2 performances. Merely put, if he wins, Drugovich has nowhere to go.

The path to F1 is sort of a extensive funnel with a number of filtration techniques that create a tiered inverse pyramid. To drop all the way down to the subsequent degree, you need to have monetary backing, be gifted, or be a part of an F1 Driver Academy. The filter will declare victims yearly as children don’t make the lower till a couple of hopefuls hit the ultimate F1 backside layer to seek out it’s already full — until you possibly can pay to play, that’s.

Final 12 months, Oscar Piastri demonstrated he possessed expertise and had the Alpine Academy affiliation, and he nonetheless didn’t get to F1. Nonetheless, the motive force that completed third within the championship joined Alfa Romeo, and now Guanyu Zhou resides his F1 dream due to some sizeable sponsorship opportunities he brings to his new employer.

There was an analogous story in 2019 as Nyck de Vries bested Nicholas Latifi to the title, but the latter signed for Williams, bringing his father’s company as a sponsor to the cash-strapped constructor. Within the subsequent years, de Vries has turn out to be a World Champion in Formula E, whereas Nicholas Latifi has two high ten F1 finishes in nearly 50 race begins.

I’m certain the Brazilian spare parts business Drugovich’s household runs is financially sound, however I can’t see them discovering the funding to purchase Felipe an F1 seat. I’ve it on good authority that an F1 Academy mentioned the potential for Drugovich becoming a member of them however handed on the collaboration. And we received’t see one bounce on the Drugo bandwagon midway by means of the 12 months — it could present they’ve given up hope on their current junior crop.

The F2 title hopeful who left his house continent aged 16 to pursue his F1 dream will show he’s quick sufficient and nonetheless has no option to attain his goal. He’s failed the finance check (i.e., be wealthy), and F1 Academy packages didn’t scout him out early sufficient. So you need to marvel what the purpose of the F1 feeder sequence ladder is that if successful the championship that immediately feeds into Formula One isn’t sufficient to earn a seat within the sport.

I think about we’ll see Drugovich racing in IndyCar or WEC for 2023. Though they’re credible championships, with the Indy 500 and the 24hrs of Le Mans displaying in current weeks how iconic these occasions are, they’re not on the extent of F1. As an F1 fan, it saddens me to assume my sport will lose a expertise like Drugovich to a different sequence with out him even having the prospect to check an F1 automobile.

It’s another excuse why the ever-decreasing price cap advantages the game on a broader degree than simply leveling out the taking part in discipline for the groups. Because the monetary necessities to compete in F1 drop, maybe the general talent degree can enhance with drivers like Drugovich discovering a house while not having luggage of money. Additionally, having more teams join with out concern of the excessive price of working an F1 operation will open extra alternatives for rookie drivers.

Whereas Felipe Drugovich’s future doesn’t lie in Formula One, I’m hopeful that an equal driver received’t hit the identical roadblocks because the Brazilian in 5 or ten years. That might not be a lot comfort for Felipe within the brief time period, however because the F1 flops Brendan Hartley, Sebastian Buemi, and Marcus Ericcson confirmed in current weeks, there are different motorsport futures on the market for gifted drivers. Maybe the true loser is Formula One.