Jak Crawford, Richard Verschoor and Luke Browning each enter the 14th round of the Formula 2 season knowing it will almost certainly be their last in the championship. On the eve of the Abu Dhabi season finale, Feeder Series spoke to the trio about the end of their respective journeys in the series. 

By Martin Lloyd 

All three of Crawford, Verschoor and Browning travelled to Qatar last weekend with the hope of challenging Leonardo Fornaroli for the championship lead, but they were no match for the Invicta Racing rookie, who claimed the title with a round to spare.

Now, their focus is now squarely on finishing their season with a flourish, with second place in the drivers’ standings still up for grabs. 

For Crawford and Verschoor in particular, the round at Yas Marina marks the end of an era. The pair have raced in the championship for three and five years respectively but will both now leave.

Neither has secured an F1 seat for the 2026 season, but both are in driver development programmes and angling for a future seat. Crawford, 20, has been affiliated with Aston Martin since February 2024 and will act as their reserve driver in 2026. It was announced on Tuesday that Verschoor, 24, would join the McLaren Driver Development Programme alongside Fornaroli.

Verschoor, who heads into the round level on points with Crawford, became the most experienced driver in F2 history earlier this season. He said he was looking forward to a new challenge. 

“I’ve made big steps,” the MP Motorsport driver told Feeder Series at a virtual media roundtable on Thursday. “As a driver, for sure, I’m really looking forward to seeing what else there is to learn, because at some point in five years in F2, you know the tricks and the things that you need to work on, and it’s more about putting it together than learning a lot of new things even though you’re changing teams.

“Now I will get into a new environment with Formula One knowledge, some of the best engineers in the world, not only engineers but all aspects – health, commercial, communications. From all aspects, I will learn new things, so I’m very excited to learn from them.

“As a driver, I learned a lot, but I wish I could have learned more in a shorter period of time with the support of a team like this. That’s why I’m extra excited to see what it all brings.” 

Verschoor was part of the Red Bull Junior Team in 2016 and 2017, when he competed in F4 and Formula Renault, but will now have much more experience and knowledge to bring to an F1 team. In addition to their title-winning F1 programme, McLaren also have a team in IndyCar as well as a Hypercar entry debuting in 2027 in the World Endurance Championship. 

Crawford’s exclusive goal remains an F1 seat. He even revealed in the virtual media roundtable that he rejected a Formula E berth earlier this year in the hope of finding a spot on the 2026 F1 grid.

While he will not have a full-time seat in 2026, the American’s new role will integrate him more closely with Aston Martin as their first reserve in the event that Lance Stroll or Fernando Alonso is absent. He replaces Felipe Drugovich, who held a reserve driver position since 2022 but departed the team after Las Vegas to compete with Andretti’s Formula E team – where, coincidentally, Crawford was reserve driver for the 2024–25 season.

Crawford will take on his F1 reserve role after an accomplished F2 career in which he has won six races and achieved 19 total podium finishes across three years of competition. He spent two years in F3 before that, both as part of the Red Bull Junior Team.

The DAMS driver credits his three years in F2 with much of his development and preparation for F1. 

“I’ve really enjoyed my time in Formula 2,” Crawford told Feeder Series. “It was great for learning and for me. When I came out of F3, I still hadn’t learned that much – I was still very raw, driving on instinct. Especially in my first year of F2, I felt like I didn’t have a lot of knowledge.

“Over time, working with Hitech in my first year and then DAMS these past two years, I felt like in F2 I was really able to further my understanding. If I had this level of understanding in my first or second year it would have been a lot better, of course. For sure, the things I’ve learnt over time are great.”

Often, drivers choose not to stay in F2 for more than two years as doing so is seen to hinder their F1 prospects. By contrast, Crawford feels he has improved his driving by staying for longer.

“I feel almost kind of lucky in a way that I’ve done a couple of years, because I feel very prepared [for F1],” he said. “I feel like I’ve seen a lot. I’ve been through a lot compared to some other people who have just done rookie seasons in F3 and then rookie seasons in F2.

“Of course, [if you have] great results,” Crawford added about drivers who leave F2 after one year, “maybe you miss a bit of learning. And I feel like I’ve really had a lot of time to learn and understand a lot of the things that happen in motorsport. 

“Especially in F2, which is such a close category, it can always come down to little things. We spend so much time trying to find little things. So yeah, I’ve really enjoyed the championship. The racing has been great, always. I would always say that’s the best part of F2.” 

Browning is one of those who has only competed for one full F2 season, although he also raced in the final three rounds of 2024. Next season, he is set to move on from the championship and Hitech, with whom he has raced since 2022. The 23-year-old’s next steps are unconfirmed, but he will take part in a Super Formula test at Suzuka next week ahead of a possible move to that series in 2026. Hitech has a partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing, whose engines power seven Super Formula teams.

“[Leaving Hitech] has been pretty emotional. I started out in, I did a few rounds of UAE F4 with them before joining for my first year in GB3. We won the championship, obviously, and then went on to win the Macau Grand Prix,” he said. “Now in FIA F2, I’ve got the shot to go for vice-champion. It’s been emotional and every category I’ve been in, I’ve been super competitive with them.

“It’s like leaving home. It’s graduating. But all good things have to come to an end. They’ve shaped me into the driver I am today, and hopefully I’m at a stage now where I’m Formula 1–ready or knocking on the doorstep – and that’s all thanks to them.” 

Fornaroli sits on 211 points at the head of the standings, with an unassailable lead of 41 points over Crawford and Verschoor, who are both on 170 points. Crawford sits ahead of Verschoor in second place in the standings on countback, with three feature race wins to Verschoor’s two. Browning is fourth, eight points back from the pair on 162.

Rodin Motorsport rookie Alex Dunne is a further 13 points behind on 149, making him the last driver mathematically eligible to take second place. The former McLaren junior is expected to return to F2 next year.

Invicta Racing will battle with Hitech for the title in the teams’ championship, with the Norfolk-based outfit firmly in the driving seat to defend their title. Heading into Abu Dhabi, they lead by 35 points with 65 on the table. Campos Racing are also in the hunt but are 57 points behind, requiring them to win the feature race and occupy two further podium positions across the weekend at minimum to secure the top spot. 

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency