Capacity entry of 24 cars expected at Silverstone on Tuesday
Formula Two heads to Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, for the first pre-season test next Tuesday (22 March), and impressively a capacity entry of 24 cars is expected to attend following a rush in demand.
In addition to the drivers already announced for the 2011 championship, a number that have previously raced in F2 have also signed up to take part, including regular 2010 points scorer Mihai Marinescu and female racer Natalia Kowalska. Julian Theobald, Johannes Theobald and Ramon Piñeiro, who each contested part-seasons in 2010, will also test at Silverstone along with F2 newcomers James Cole and Sunghak Mun.
Mikkel Mac and Jukka Honkavuori, who took part in F2 winter testing at Portimao and Barcelona respectively, have also committed.
Provisional entry list F2 test, Silverstone, United Kingdom 22 March 2011:
No. Name Country
2 James Cole GBR
3 Armaan Ebrahim IND
4 Mirko Bortolotti ITA
5 Alex Brundle GBR
6 Miki Monras ESP
8 Plamen Kralev BUL
9 Mihai Marinescu ROM
10 Maxim Snegirev RUS
11 Jack Clarke GBR
12 Kelvin Snoeks NED
14 Alexey Karachev RUS
15 Ramon Piñeiro ESP
16 Mikkel Mac DEN
17 Jukka Honkavuori FIN
18 Tobias Hegewald DEU
20 Julian Theobald DEU
21 Thiemo Storz DEU
22 Johannes Theobald DEU
24 Tom Gladdis GBR
28 Benjamin Lariche FRA
30 Sunghak Mun KOR
33 Parthiva Sureshwaren IND
77 Natalia Kowalska POL
- F2 Test Car
Formula Two Series Director Jonathan Palmer commented: As ever we tend to have a rush of drivers sign up to F2 shortly before the start of the season, and it looks very likely well have a capacity 24 cars at our Silverstone F2 test. Indeed, all indications point to a full grid of drivers for our opening round in April, as we had for our first season in 2009.
F2 is the only logical option for young drivers struggling for budgets thanks to its combination of equality, outstanding value and the prize of a full Williams F1 test for the champion. Every driver that joins F2 knows that they have a car capable of winning the championship – and that makes it a compelling choice.
The first pre-season test will take place at Silverstone on Tuesday 22 March, followed by a second on Wednesday 30 March on the new Snetterton 300 circuit. You can follow all the latest developments throughout pre-season testing on the official F2 website www.formulatwo.com, with live timing and instant session results available.