Formula 1 is the highest category of motorsport, and all drivers dream of reaching it, but only a select few can take the start of a grand prix. In each season, a few lucky ones make their Big Circus debuts, like Yuki Tsunoda, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin in 2021, and Guanyu Zhou in 2022.
Getting a driver in Formula 1 is not easy, and all drivers go a long way through the lower categories acquiring the necessary skill and experience in single-seaters. As a result of the new era that will begin this year, it is interesting to see which drivers are the ones who can reign with the new cars, and the category itself made a selection of the most promising that have not yet reached the top.
Robert Shwartzman
Date of birth : September 16, 1999 (22 years old)
2022 season plans : Ferrari test driver
The Russian driver finished in second position in the 2021 Formula 2 season, the prelude to the Great Circus, thanks to his 192 points. Throughout the 23 races, he managed to add 2 victories, 8 podiums and 3 fastest laps with the PREMA team.
Shwartzman was also third in his first season in Formula 3, and was able to win the title a single year later. In 2022 he will be a Ferrari test driver, but he will not have a seat in any category, so he will focus on working within the Maranello structure to reach Formula 1 sooner rather than later.
Logan Sargeant
Date of birth : December 31, 2000 (21 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : Formula 2 with Carlin
With more modest results, Sargeant was able to move up to Formula 2 at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but he showed his driving skills early on, coming third in Macau in 2019 and taking bronze for the season. 2020 of F3 with Charouz.
The American belongs to the Williams academy, and can be a very interesting option for teams that want to enter the American market with a local driver, although he will first complete 2022 with Carlin in F2.
Oscar Piastri
Date of birth : April 6, 2001 (20 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : Alpine reserve driver
The Australian dominated with an iron fist at the end of last Formula 2 season, taking the championship with 252 points, 6 wins, 5 pole positions and 11 podiums.
Piastri signed a successful path to the prelude to Formula 1, as he won consecutively in Formula Renault, F3 and F2, however, he will not have a place for 2022 in Alpine, the team to which he belongs. At just 20 years old, he will be a test driver for the French team in 2022, and repeat what Russell or Leclerc did, win in his Formula 2 debut and reach the top category.
Victor Martins
Date of birth : June 16, 2001 (20 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : unannounced
The French driver won the 2020 season in Formula Renault with the ART team, and finished fifth in his first year of F3, although he surprised with a victory and 6 podiums.
Like Piastri, he is within the Enstone family, and will try to find a place with a competitive team in 2022, either in F3 or F2, as he has not yet signed any contract.
Frederik Vesti
Date of birth : January 13, 2002 (20 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix
With the seal of the Mercedes young drivers program, Vesti will make the leap to Formula 2 for next year thanks to his title in the European Regional Formula in 2019 and his two fourth places in the following exercises in F3 with PREMA and ART respectively .
The Dane will try to convince Toto Wolff that he deserves a chance to be in Formula 1 in the coming years, although he will first have to show off his driving with ART on the eve of the Grand Circus.
Liam Lawson
Date of birth : February 11, 2002 (19 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : Formula 2 with Carlin
From New Zealand, land of the founder of one of the most important teams in the history of Formula 1, Bruce McLaren, Lawson was 11th in his first year of F3 with MP Motorsport, although with Hitech he could be 5th in 2020, with three victories included. .
In 2021 he combined F2, in which he was 9th with 193 points and one win, with the DTM, where he finished runner-up with three wins. This year he will be at Carlin to try to become the tenth New Zealander in Formula 1.
Jack Doohan
Date of birth : January 20, 2003 (19 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : Formula 2 with Virtuosi
With the weight of being the son of a 500cc world champion like Mick Doohan, Jack became interested in four wheels, and he already left little pearls of what he could do, since he was 2nd in the Asian F3 in 2019 , as well as a year later, and in his second season in F3 with Trident he won 4 times and was runner-up.
The Australian also made his debut in F2 and managed to score points with MP Motorsport, but his new home will be Virtuosi, with whom he will try to make a great performance and attract the attention of a Formula 1 team.
Dennis Hauger
Date of birth : March 17, 2003 (18 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : Formula 2 with PREMA
The Norwegian proved to be one of the most consistent since the start of 2021 in F3, managing to stay in the lead all year. On the first date in Barcelona, Hauger climbed to the top of the podium, something he repeated three more times to add a total of 205 points and take the title in his debut campaign with PREMA.
Still 18 years old, he has a bright future, and will have a whole course to prove his worth with the Italian structure in F2, in addition to having the tutelage of Red Bull’s young driver program.
Theo Pourchaire
Date of birth : August 20, 2003 (18 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix
The Frenchman followed an upward dynamic since 2018, achieving the title in French F4 with 16 wins in 21 races, in ADAC Formula 4 and the runner-up in F3 in 2020, leading to his F2 debut that same year.
After being the youngest driver to win a Formula 2 event, Pourchaire finished fifth in 2021 with ART, and will look to improve on that result with the same team this year, although he already has experience in a Formula 1, having tested with Alfa Romeo at the Hungaroring.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Date of birth : August 25, 2006 (15 years old)
Plans for the 2022 season : unannounced
The Italian pilot is one of those called to appear in the Great Circus in the future, since at just 15 years old he is considered one of the best promises. After winning in everything he participated in karting, he debuted in single-seaters in the F4 of his country, achieving 3 podiums in nine races.
Antonelli may be a diamond in the rough that still needs polishing, much like other young stars who rose to the top of motorsport very early, like Max Verstappen or Lando Norris, although he still doesn’t know what he will do in 2022.
There are other drivers that are worth mentioning, such as Juri Vips, Arthur Leclerc, Jak Crawford or Ugo Ugochukwu who may have options to reach the Great Circus, although it seems that they will have to work much more.
