On Saturday, Felipe Drugovich was crowned the first Brazilian champion in Formula 2 since Bruno Junqueira in the days of the F3000 series back in 2000. Twenty-two years later and Drugovich has achieved a historic season of dominance, with the MP Motorsport driver being a class above the rest of the field for the majority of the campaign.

By Tyler Foster

With title rival Théo Pourchaire scoring no points in the Sprint Race on Saturday, Drugovich became F2 champion with three races to spare. A gap of 69 points meant that no other driver could catch the 22-year-old. Following the Sprint, F1 Feeder Series spoke to the new titleholder about his championship accomplishment.

Consistency was the key

Motorsport is all about consistency and Drugovich has shown just that in bundles this season. A total of five victories, four of which came in the more important Feature Races, were the highlights of his 2022. From four pole positions, the Brazilian successfully converted three into race wins on Sunday. The raw speed matched with a maturity in racecraft helped him rise above all else amongst an ultra-competitive grid. From all of his impressive performances, Drugovich was asked which was his favourite.

“Monaco would be one, probably the most special one. Also, Zandvoort was really special for the team to win at their home race, so I think these two will be my favourites.”

“Yeah, that was something special as well, actually I forgot about that. There were five wins and all of them were very special, so I think each one has its good points and I think we just need to enjoy it. I think all of them are really my favourites.”

MP Motorsport: a match made in heaven

Considering that the next step should be Formula 1, Drugovich hasn’t received anywhere near as much attention as you’d expect for the incumbent F2 champ. Nevertheless, his career defining season has been one of pure enjoyment for the Brazilian. Not many drivers get the opportunity to find a perfect team combination and dominate their series – for Drugovich, this was just that. We asked him just how fun his 2022 has been with MP Motorsport.

“First of all, it has been a great year with results, but also speaking about the atmosphere inside the team –  I really enjoyed it, probably the best year I’ve ever had. All was fun, a lot of races which is good for us, we’re always enjoying as much races as we have.”

Despite now achieving his goal of winning the series, Drugovich still has two final races left in Abu Dhabi where he can help his team also be crowned champions in the Teams’ Championship. MP Motorsport have been heavily reliant on Drugovich this year, who has scored over 85% of their total team points, and will be hoping that he can continue his results to secure the Dutch outfit their first F2 title. 

Having made his F2 debut with the same team back in 2020, it would be a touching moment to see Drugovich go on to help the team that helped reignite his career, after a disappointing 2021 with Virtuosi, win both championships in his final year in F2. Going into the fourteenth and final round, MP Motorsport are currently tied on 281 points along with French team ART. It seems like just as for the drivers’ title this year, the teams’ title will be decided by the battle between Drugovich and Pourchaire. 

I have nothing to lose anymore, but I need to think about the team

Felipe Drugovich will be fighting hard for points in Abu Dhabi

“Going to these last few races,” Drugovich said, “we just need to go for it. From my side I have nothing to lose anymore, but also I need to think about the team and bring the points home because they really deserve it as well.”

Regardless of his future, and if he gets the opportunity that his performances have deserved, Felipe Drugovich will forever be the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Champion. Fully deserved and recognised, the Brazilian defeated a number of top rookies and experienced F1-backed drivers to the top spot and now has the spotlight upon him to see where he ends up.

Header photo credit: Formula Motorsport Limited