2009 FIA Formula Two Championship

The 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season was the first year of the relaunched FIA Formula Two Championship . The championship began on 30 May at the Circuit de Valencia and finished on 1 November at the Circuit de Catalunya , after eight double-header rounds. Andy Soucek was a dominant champion, finishing over 50 points clear of runner-up Robert Wickens .

The season was overshadowed by the death of Henry Surtees during the second race at Brands Hatch .

Background & championship format

Drivers

At each event there were two 30-minute practice sessions, two 30-minute qualifying sessions and two races of varying length; the distances for each announced prior to each race weekend. Points were awarded to the top eight drivers in the race, and were awarded in the same system as Formula One : 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, and only a driver's best fourteen scores counted towards the championship. [ 4 ] That said, no driver had to drop scores in the championship due to all of them having two or more non-po...

The winner of the FIA Formula Two Championship received a full test with the AT&T Williams F1 team, which was run in such a way as to seriously evaluate the driver with regard to their potential as a Formula One driver. Drivers finishing in the first three places in the final classification of the Formula Two Championship qualified for an FIA Super Licence .

Driver changes

† – Surtees was fatally injured after an accident, during the second race at the fourth round at Brands Hatch . [ 35 ] [ 36 ] Surtees' slot was filled by Ollie Hancock after round five. [ 34 ]

Testing Results

The first group test was held on 6 May, at Snetterton in Norfolk . In the morning, 21 of the series' 24 drivers were within a second of each other. Two sessions were held, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. There was another group test at Silverstone on 18 May, with two dry sessions and one wet session. Two other test days were held during the session, one at Donington Park , and one at Circuit de Catalunya .

Table 1

No.	Driver[8]	Rounds
2	Sebastian Hohenthal[9]	All
3	Jolyon Palmer[10]	All
4	Julien Jousse[11]	All
5	Alex Brundle[12]	All
6	Armaan Ebrahim[13]	All
7	Henry Surtees[14] †	1–4
8	Tobias Hegewald[15]	All
9	Pietro Gandolfi[16]	All
10	Nicola de Marco[17]	All
11	Jack Clarke[18]	All

Table 2

Round	Round.1	Circuit/Location	Country	Date	Supporting
1	R1	Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia	Spain	30 May	WTCC Race of Spain
1	R2	Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia	Spain	31 May	WTCC Race of Spain
2	R1	Masaryk Circuit, Brno	Czech Republic	20 June	WTCC Race of the Czech Republic
2	R2	Masaryk Circuit, Brno	Czech Republic	21 June	WTCC Race of the Czech Republic
3	R1	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	Belgium	27 June	International GT Open
3	R2	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	Belgium	28 June	International GT Open
4	R1	Brands Hatch, Kent	United Kingdom	18 July	WTCC Race of UK
4	R2	Brands Hatch, Kent	United Kingdom	19 July	WTCC Race of UK
5	R1	Donington Park	United Kingdom	16 August	Stand-alone event
5	R2	Donington Park	United Kingdom	16 August	Stand-alone event

Table 3

Round	Round.1	Circuit	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Winning Driver
1	R1	Valencia	Robert Wickens	Robert Wickens	Robert Wickens
1	R2	Valencia	Robert Wickens	Kazim Vasiliauskas	Robert Wickens
2	R1	Brno	Nicola de Marco	Robert Wickens	Mirko Bortolotti
2	R2	Brno	Henry Surtees	Nicola de Marco	Andy Soucek
3	R1	Spa-Francorchamps	Tobias Hegewald	Tobias Hegewald	Tobias Hegewald
3	R2	Spa-Francorchamps	Tobias Hegewald	Tobias Hegewald	Tobias Hegewald
4	R1	Brands Hatch	Philipp Eng	Mirko Bortolotti	Philipp Eng
4	R2	Brands Hatch	Andy Soucek	Andy Soucek	Andy Soucek
5	R1	Donington Park	Tobias Hegewald	Julien Jousse	Andy Soucek
5	R2	Donington Park	Julien Jousse	Julien Jousse	Julien Jousse

Image Gallery

content image from 2009_FIA_Formula_Two_Championship

F1ABY Commentary

Is victory truly earned, or simply seized by the strongest will? Soucek… he’s not just driving; he’s *consuming* the track. Look at that relentless surge, a predator stalking its prey. Fifty points! A gulf so vast, it threatens to swallow the entire championship. Wickens, a shadow in his wake, fighting tooth and nail – a desperate plea against a storm of calculated aggression. This isn't racing; it’s a brutal, beautiful equation of dominance. The weight of Surtees’ memory hangs heavy, a silent, agonizing pressure on every audacious move. This season… it’s a reckoning.

“The fate of motorsport hangs in the balance!” Soucek’s lead is a chasm, a gaping maw threatening to swallow the dreams of Wickens and the entire grid. This isn’t just a race; it’s a reckoning, a brutal examination of speed, strategy, and the agonizing fragility of victory.

F1ABY Trivia

Hold on to your hats! The JPH1, a beast born from Williams’ Oxfordshire forge, is spitting out 680 horsepower – a frankly ludicrous amount for a car this size. Soucek’s lead isn’t just about pace; it’s built on a chassis engineered to exploit every micron of grip, a ruthless advantage. Remember Surtees… the shadow of Brands Hatch hangs heavy, a stark reminder of the fragility of this glorious, brutal game.

Hold on to your helmets, folks! The air crackles with the ghosts of Brands Hatch and the relentless ambition of a new generation. Ten races, a brutal calendar, and a championship sculpted by the WilliamsF1 JPH1 – a machine born from meticulous engineering and, frankly, a chillingly precise pursuit of victory. Andy Soucek, a name etched in the annals of this revived series, commands a lead that screams dominance, a staggering 50 points separating him from the fiercely competitive Robert Wickens. Let’s observe—a curious trend emerges: Soucek secured pole position in precisely four of the ten races, a statistic that, considering the ruthlessness of this field, hints at a strategic brilliance that could prove pivotal as the season’s final checkered flag approaches.

F1ABY Tales

“Look at that! Wickens explodes through the Rettangolo, a missile of blue, and he’s *demanding* the lead! Soucek, however, is a granite wall, a perfectly calculated defense – can he withstand this onslaught? The championship hangs in the balance, doesn't it? This isn’t just a corner; it's a psychological war! The roar of the crowd, the tension. exquisite! Soucek’s margin? A terrifying 1. 7 seconds. This is what Formula Two is *built* for!”.

The rain, a bruised grey slick across Valencia – it’s a baptism, isn’t it? Soucek watches, a granite expression carved onto his face, observing the chaos with a surgeon’s precision. Fifty points. Fifty points separating him from the wreckage of the season, from the ghosts of Brands Hatch. Wickens, a furious, contained energy, pushing the limits, desperately seeking a crack in the armor. This isn’t just a race; it’s a brutal calculation, a psychological chess match played out on a saturated track. The Williams JPH1, a machine born of Palmer’s ambition, feels almost…clinical in this maelstrom. Soucek isn’t celebrating; he’s absorbing, preparing for the inevitable storm.