Twelve drivers will be running their first full seasons in Formula 2 this year, and the step up from Formula 3, or even GB3, comes with its own growing pains. At a pre-season F2 media session, Feeder Series asked several drivers how mentorship shows up within the garage.

By Calla Kra-Caskey

In F2, “experience is maybe the biggest factor,” Luke Browning told Feeder Series. He’s a member of one of three line-ups in which both drivers are starting their first full season of F2 this month. While there’s no lack of speed among those teams, there’s no go-to driver for feedback and set-up decisions.

Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, AIX Racing, Van Amersfoort Racing and most recently Rodin Motorsport have all chosen to pair their rookie talent with a more experienced driver. Alongside the technical knowledge that comes with having more F2 laps under their belt, returning drivers can also provide valuable mentorship to their teammates.

MP’s Oliver Goethe, who replaced Franco Colapinto for the final four rounds of F2 last year, is paired with Richard Verschoor. Verschoor has been in F2 since 2021 and is approaching the all-time record for F2 races started.

“It definitely helps to have Richard as a teammate,” Goethe said. “He’s very experienced, and he’s quick as well. I’ve got good data from him. He’s very knowledgeable with the car, in the debriefs chatting with the engineer. He knows what he’s talking about!”

Although Verschoor spent most of last year with Trident, he swapped to MP for the final two rounds of the 2024 season and took podiums in the Lusail sprint and Abu Dhabi feature. Goethe found his experience helpful in their first two weekends as teammates.

“In Abu Dhabi he had a very strong race, and mine was not as strong,” Goethe said. “I’ve learned how to drive the car better for saving the tyres, for example. His experience helps me and helps the team as well as himself.”

AIX’s Joshua Dürksen, paired with F3 graduate Cian Shields, believes learning can go both ways.

“We have a really good relationship. I’m getting [on] well with him,” he said of his teammate. “With more running with more experiences and just talking, we can share, we’re sharing information with each other. We can learn from each other and keep growing together.”

Dürksen was the final race winner of 2024, taking his first F2 victory in the Abu Dhabi feature race. As he looks to continue his winning form, he also wants to use his experience to help the entire team.

“I feel a bit more responsibility now because it’s my second year, so the team is expecting a bit more from myself,” he said. “I’m just trying to give the team the best feedback possible, really focusing on the car development and just trying to get the guys in a good mood and to have a good relationship with them. It’s really important to have the whole team connected so we can all work at our maximum level.”

Additional reporting by Martin Lloyd

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency