Editing Formula Two (section)

== History ==
While [[Formula One]] has generally been regarded as the pinnacle of open-wheeled auto racing, the high-performance nature of the cars and the expense involved in the series has always meant a need for a path to reach this peak.  For much of the history of Formula One, Formula Two has represented the penultimate step on the motorsport ladder.

=== Pre-war ===
Prior to the Second World War, there usually existed a division of racing for cars smaller and less powerful than Grand Prix racers. This category was usually called [[voiturette]] ("small car") racing and provided a means for amateur or less experienced drivers and smaller marques to prove themselves. By the outbreak of war, the rules for voiturette racing permitted 1.5 L supercharged engines; Grand Prix cars were permitted 3.0 L supercharged or 4.5 L [[naturally aspirated engine|naturally aspirated]].

=== Official beginnings (post war–1953) ===
[[File:Ferrari 166 F2 - Museo Ferrari (17946190090).jpg|thumb|[[Ferrari 166 F2]]]]
In 1946, the 3.0 L supercharged rules were abandoned and Formulas A and B (later 1 and 2) introduced, effective from 1 January 1947. Formula A permitted the old 4.5 L naturally aspirated cars, but as the 3.0 L supercharged cars were more than a match for these (and the pre-War German and Italian cars were no longer available), the old 1.5 L ''voiturette'' formula replaced 3.0 L supercharged cars in an attempt to equalise performance.

This left no category below Formula A/Formula One, so Formula Two (originally known as Formula B) was first formally codified by the [[FIA]] as a smaller and cheaper complement to the Grand Prix cars of the era to be effective from 1 January 1948 . Among the races held in this first year of Formula Two was the [[1948 Stockholm Grand Prix]].

In 1948 [[Scuderia Ferrari]] built the [[Ferrari 166 F2]], which made its racing debut at the Florence Grand Prix on September 26, 1948.

The rules limited engines to two-litre naturally aspirated or 500 cc supercharged (an option very rarely used). As a result, the cars were smaller, lighter, and cheaper than those used in Formula One. This encouraged new marques such as [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] to move up to Formula Two, before competing against large manufacturers like [[Alfa Romeo (Formula One)|Alfa Romeo]] and [[Maserati]].

In fact, Formula One in its early years attracted so few entrants that in 1952 and 1953 all World Championship [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] races, except the unique [[Indianapolis 500]], were run in Formula Two (there were, however, non-championship Formula One events).

=== 1.5-litre era (1957–1960) ===
[[File:Porsche 718 F1 von Carel de Beaufort, Leidschendam-Museum.jpg|thumb|250px|1.5-litre Porsche 718]]
F2 went into decline with the arrival of the 2.5 L F1 in 1954 (with small-capacity sports car racing becoming particularly popular), but a new Formula Two was introduced for 1957, for 1.5 L cars. This became dominated by rear-engined Coopers drawing on their [[Formula 3]] and "Bobtail" sports car, with [[Porsche]]s based on their RSK sports cars enjoying some success. [[Ferrari]] originally developed their "Sharknose" [[Dino (automobile)#Dino 156 F2|Dino 156]] as a Formula Two car, while still racing front-engined Grand Prix cars. The dominant engine of this formula was the [[Coventry-Climax#FPF|Coventry Climax FPF]] four-cylinder, with the rare [[Borgward]] sixteen-valve unit enjoying some success.

A slightly enlarged version of the F2 [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] won the first two Formula One Grands Prix in 1958, marking the beginning of the rear-engined era in Formula One. The 1.5 L formula was short-lived, with [[Formula Junior]] effectively replacing first Formula Three and then Formula Two until 1963—but the 1961 1.5 L Formula One was effectively a continuation of this Formula Two. For 1960, in preparation for the new Formula One, two international championships were held, the [[1960 Formula Two season|Formula Two Constructors' Championship and the Formula Two Drivers' Championship]]. The Drivers' Championship was won by [[Jack Brabham]], while the Manufacturers' Championship ended in a tie between Porsche and Cooper.<ref>{{cite book |title=Autocourse Review of International Motor Sport 1960 Part Two |date=1961 |pages=110–122}}</ref>

=== Formula Junior (1961–1963) and 1-litre Formula Two (1964–1966) ===
[[Formula Junior]] was introduced in 1959, an attempt to be all things to all people (both a training formula replacing Formula Three and a high-level international category below Formula One replacing Formula Two), and it was soon realised that there was a need to split it into two new formulae; Formula Two and Formula Three were reintroduced for the 1964 season, with Formula Three requiring one-litre production-based engines, which were similar to Formula Junior with very restricted tuning, and Formula Two also having a 1.0 L engine size, but permitting pure-bred racing engines. Formula Two was largely the domain of Formula One stars on their days off. Engines were mostly by [[Cosworth]] (based on Ford blocks) and [[Honda]], though some other units appeared, including various [[Fiat]] based units and dedicated racing engines from [[British Motor Corporation|BMC]] and [[British Racing Motors|BRM]].

=== 1.6-litre era and driver grading (1967–1971) ===
For 1967, the [[FIA]] increased the maximum engine capacity to 1600cc.<ref>[http://www.oldracingcars.com/f2/ Formula 2 (1967–1984)] Retrieved from www.oldracingcars.com on 1 February 2011</ref> With the "return to power" of Formula One the gap between Formula One and Formula Two was felt to be too wide, and the introduction of new 1600cc production-based engine regulations for Formula Two restored the category to its intended role as a feeder series for Formula One. The [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] also introduced the [[European Formula Two Championship]] in 1967. Ickx, driving a [[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]] MS5, won the inaugural championship by 11 points from the Australian, [[Frank Gardner (driver)|Frank Gardner]].

The most popular 1600cc engine was the [[Cosworth]] FVA, the sixteen-valve head on a four-cylinder [[Ford Cortina|Cortina]] block that was effectively the "proof of concept" for the legendary DFV. The 1967 FVA gave {{convert|220|bhp|kW PS|abbr=on}} at 9000 rpm. Other units also appeared, including a four-cylinder [[BMW]] and a V6 [[Ferrari Dino engine|Dino]] [[Ferrari]].

Nevertheless, many Formula One drivers continued to drive the smaller and lighter cars on non-championship weekends, and some Grand Prix grids (notably in Germany, where the long circuit at the [[Nürburgring]] could cope with large entries) would be a mix of Formula One and Formula Two cars. [[Jacky Ickx]] made his Grand Prix debut at the Nürburgring in a Formula Two car in 1966. The following year Ickx qualified with the third fastest time overall but was forced to start behind the slower Formula One cars. Ickx quickly forced his way back into a points position, only to be forced to retire with broken suspension. [[Jim Clark]], regarded as one of the greatest race drivers of all time, was killed in a Formula Two race early in 1968, at the [[Hockenheimring]]. A year later [[Gerhard Mitter]] was killed at the Nürburgring while practising for the [[1969 German Grand Prix]] in a Formula Two car.

The "invasion" of Formula One drivers in Formula Two ranks (a situation similar to that of [[Buschwhacker|buschwhacking]] in modern-day [[NASCAR]]) was permitted because of the unique grading system used. Any driver with an ''A'' grading was not permitted to score championship points. A driver gained an ''A'' rating via various means which changed somewhat over the years, such as finishing in the points in two Grand Prix events or the top three in two [[World Sports Car]] events. The annual Formula Two champion was also granted an ''A'' rating for one year, and a Formula One World Champion was ''A'' graded for five. This system permitted less experienced drivers to work towards the championship and forward their careers, while allowing senior drivers to keep their hand in during the long breaks between Grands Prix of the time.

In the early years of the 1600cc formula, Brabham and Lotus were the most numerous constructors, although Ferrari intermittently entered a works team, as did BMW (with [[Lola Cars|Lola]] and [[Dornier Flugzeugwerke|Dornier]]-built chassis). A number of smaller constructors such as Matra and Tecno were successful. [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron]] also provided cars. The French firm Matra won the three first editions of the European championship, with Tecno winning the fourth.

[[File:Peter scharmann formel2 1978.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Peter Scharmann]]'s 1978 [[March Engineering|March]]–[[BMW]]]]

=== 2.0-litre era (1972–1984) ===
In 1972, the formula was changed to increase power by permitting 2.0 L production-based engines—Cosworth BDs and BMW four-cylinder engines dominated the early years, with BMW-powered Marches gradually establishing dominance. For 1976, engines developed purely for racing were permitted to compete, with [[Renault]] developing a particularly potent V6; allied to a sponsorship scheme from oil company Elf the formula was briefly dominated by French teams and drivers; BMW started to back a works March team and raised the stakes in the late-Seventies. Even the [[Ferrari]] engine returned briefly with minimal success. The [[Hart (racing)|Hart]] 420R (ultimately derived from the Cosworth BDA) was briefly successful in Marches and Team Surtees won the European F2 Championship in 1972 with Hart engines, driver Mike Hailwood, but most notably in the works [[Toleman]] team's cars. Dominant chassis of this era were generally from [[March Engineering|March]] and [[Ralt]], with Chevron, the French Elf and [[Martini (cars)|Martinis]] and German [[Maurer Motorsport (Germany)|Maurers]] being briefly successful.

[[Honda]] returned to Formula Two in the early 1980s with a powerful V6, but this was very much a ''works'' engine and the cost of competing with the works Ralt-Honda team became prohibitive. As a result, grids diminished in size and declining interest in the series threatened it with extinction.

=== Superseded ===
After the 1984 season, the FIA replaced Formula Two with the newly created [[Formula 3000]] category, which was designed to cut the cost of competition. The initial regulations joined F2-style chassis with the naturally aspirated 3000 cc [[Cosworth DFV]] V8 engines, that were by then obsolete in the all-[[turbocharged]] Formula One. The premier series was the [[International Formula 3000|FIA Formula 3000 International Championship]], though a number of other championships were also run to Formula 3000 regulations.

=== Revival (2009–2012) ===
[[File:Dean stoneman.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Dean Stoneman]] won the championship in 2010.]]
{{Main|FIA Formula Two Championship (2009–2012)}}
Following an absence of 25 years, a Formula Two championship was re-established by the FIA in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Motor Sport Council – Decisions|url=http://fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/wmsc/wmsc08/Pages/wmsc_250608.aspx|publisher=Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|access-date=22 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628095000/http://fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/wmsc/wmsc08/Pages/wmsc_250608.aspx|archive-date=28 June 2008|date=25 June 2008}}</ref> Unlike the previous incarnation, the [[FIA Formula Two Championship (2009–2012)|FIA Formula Two Championship]] was a [[One make racing|one make]] series, with the competitors all using the same chassis and engine. [[Jonathan Palmer]]'s [[MotorSport Vision]] company managed the championship and also operated and maintained the cars on behalf of the drivers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Palmer's MSV wins F2 contract|url=http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=43986|website=ITV-F1.com|publisher=ITV Sport|access-date=22 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724155452/http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=43986|archive-date=24 July 2009|date=15 September 2008}}</ref> There were no teams in the championship – unlike other professional motorsport series each driver instead worked with engineers supplied by MotorSport Vision. The cars were designed by [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering]], and were powered by a 1.8L turbocharged Audi engine developed by [[Mountune Racing]], with {{convert|480|bhp|kW PS|0}}. The cars fell between Formula One and Formula Three in performance, and cost each driver £195,000 for a season.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Butcher|first1=Lawrence|title=F2: A closer look|url=http://www.racecar-engineering.com/allarticles/283559/f2-a-closer-look.html|website=Racecar Engineering|publisher=Chelsea Magazines|access-date=22 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207011649/http://www.racecar-engineering.com/allarticles/283559/f2-a-closer-look.html|archive-date=7 December 2008|date=3 December 2008}}</ref>

The 2009 championship comprised eight events in Europe between the months of May and November. There were two races per weekend – each 110&nbsp;km long (around 40 minutes). Two 30-minute practice sessions and two 30-minute qualifying sessions preceded both races.<ref name="grandprix.com">{{cite news|title=How Formula 2 can work|url=http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns20599.html|publisher=grandprix.com|date=18 July 2008}}</ref> The inaugural championship was won by Andy Soucek although was marred by the death of [[Henry Surtees]] during the fourth round at Brands Hatch.<ref>{{cite news|title=Henry Surtees dies after F2 crash|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77088|work=Autosport|publisher=Haymarket Media|date=19 July 2009}}</ref>

The series was discontinued by the FIA and MSV after the 2012 season.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Elizalde|first1=Pablo|title=MotorSport Vision cancels Formula 2 championship|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/104751|website=Autosport.com|publisher=Haymarket Media|access-date=24 January 2015|date=6 December 2012}}</ref> The championship had struggled to attract enough drivers in the final year, with the single team concept proving to be unpopular compared to championships run on a more conventional basis.<ref name="F2 cancelled" /> Despite being marketed as a feeder series for Formula One, the competing [[GP2 Series|GP2]] and [[Formula Renault 3.5]] series had significantly more powerful cars,<ref name="F2 cancelled">{{cite web|title=Formula 2 cancelled for 2013|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/fia/motorsport/story/97104.html|website=ESPN F1|publisher=ESPN|access-date=24 January 2015|date=7 December 2012}}</ref> and no Formula Two driver had managed to progress to a Formula One team until [[Jolyon Palmer]] in [[2016 Formula One season|2016]] with [[Renault in Formula One|Renault Sport F1 Team]].

=== Second revival (2017) ===
{{main|FIA Formula 2 Championship}}
In 2015, the FIA announced plans to overhaul the [[FIA Super Licence|Super Licence]] system, streamlining the qualification criteria and weighting the various feeder series to allow drivers a more linear progress system. Included with this were plans for a revival of the Formula Two category, which was given priority over all other categories of competition. Further details were published by the World Motorsport Council, revealing plans to model the new Formula Two championship along the same lines as the revived [[FIA European Formula 3 Championship|European Formula 3 Championship]] and the newly introduced [[FIA Formula 4|Formula 4]] category.<ref name="3rd time lucky">{{cite web|url=http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118147/fia-begins-work-on-new-formula-2|title=FIA begins work on new Formula 2 feeder category for Formula 1|work=autosport.com|access-date=2015-03-21|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221810/http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118147/fia-begins-work-on-new-formula-2|url-status=dead}}</ref> The series will be a part of the [[FIA Global Pathway]].

Rather than reviving the series by creating a new one where none had previously existed, the FIA chose to rebrand the [[GP2 Series]] as the ''FIA Formula 2 Championship'' in early 2017. Since then, drivers to have graduated to F1 include [[Charles Leclerc]], [[George Russell (racing driver)|George Russell]] and [[Oscar Piastri]]. All eleven teams run the [[Dallara F2 2024]] chassis, powered by a [[Mecachrome]] engine.