Formula Two

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Formula Two was a type of formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985.

Origins and the First Formula Two

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 that there has needed to be a path to reach this peak. For much of the history of Formula One, Formula Two represented the penultimate step on this road.

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 litre supercharged engines; Grand Prix cars were permitted 3.0l supercharged or 4.5l unsupercharged.

After the War, the 3.0l supercharged rules were abandoned and Formulae A and B (later 1 and 2) introduced. Formula A permitted the old 4.5l unsupercharged cars, but as the 3.0l supercharged cars were much more than a match for these (and the pre-War German and Italian cars were no longer available), the old 1.5l voiturette formula replaced 3.0l supercharged cars in an attempt to equalise performance. This left no category below Formula A/Formula 1, so Formula Two (originally known as Formula B) was first formally codified in 1948 by FIA as a smaller and cheaper complement to the Grand Prix cars of the era.

The engines were smaller and less powerful than those used in Formula One, and the cars were also smaller, lighter and cheaper than their big brothers (with two-litre engines, or 750cc supercharged units, an option that was very rarely used). This encouraged privateer teams such as Cooper to start out in Formula Two, rather than to compete against the big manufacturers of Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati. In fact, Formula One in its early years was so expensive and entrants were so few that in 1952 and 1953 all World Championship Grand Prix racing was held using the Formula Two formula (although non-championship F1 events continued to be held).

The 1.5 Litre Formula Two

F2 went into decline with the arrival of the 2.5 litre F1 in 1954 (with small-capacity sports car racing becoming particularly popular), but a new Formula Two was introduced for 1957, for 1.5 litre cars. A slightly-enlarged version of the F2 Cooper won the first two F1 Grands Prix in 1959, marking the beginning of the rear-engined era in F1. The 1.5 litre formula was short-lived, with Formula Junior effectively replacing first F3 and then F2 until 1963 -- but the 1961 1.5 litre Formula One was effectively a continuation of this Formula Two.

The Formula Junior Interregnum

Formula Junior was introduced in 1959, an attempt to be all things to all people (both a 'training formula' and a high-level international category), and it was soon realised that there was a need to split it into two new formulae; F2 and F3 were reintroduced for the 1964 season, with F3 requiring one-litre production-based engines (very similar to FJ in fact) with very restricted tuning, and F2 also having a 1.0l engine size, but permitting pure-bred racing engines. The one-litre F2 was largely the domain of F1 stars on their 'off-days'. Engines were mostly by Cosworth and Honda, though some other units appeared.

The 1.6 Litre Formula Two, and Driver Grading

By the late 1960s however, with the 'Return to Power' of Formula One and the introduction of a new 1600cc engine formula for Formula Two, the junior series assumed its intended role as a feeder series for F1. The most popular 1600cc engine was the Cosworth FVA, the four-cylinder unit on a Cortina block that was effectively the "proof of concept" for the legendary DFV. Other units also appeared, including a four-cylinder BMW and a V6 Dino Ferrari.

Nevertheless, many Formula One pilots continued to drive the smaller and lighter cars on non-championship weekends, and some Grand Prix grids (notably that 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 there in a Formula Two car, qualifying with the fifth fastest time overall. Forced to start behind even the slower Formula One cars, Ickx quickly regained his top position to finish in the points, only to be halted by a broken suspension. Less happily, 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.

This 'invasion' of Formula One drivers in Formula Two ranks (a situation similar to that of modern-day NASCAR racing with the Nextel Cup competitors racing in the Busch series) was permitted because of the unique grading system introduced. Any driver with an 'A' grading was not permitted to score championship points. A driver gained an 'A' rating via various means (that 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 young drivers to work towards the championship, while allowing older drivers to keep their hand in during the long breaks between Grands Prix of the time.

The Two Litre Formula Two

In 1972, the formula was changed to permit 2.0 litre production-based engines - Cosworth BDs and BMW four-cylinder engines dominated the early years, with BMW-powered Marches gradually establishing dominance. For 1976 pure-bred racing engines were permitted to compete, with Renault developing a particularly potent V6; the Ferrari unit returned briefly with minimal success. The Hart monobloc was briefly successful in the works Toleman team's cars. Dominant chassis of this era were generally from March and Ralt, with the French Martinis and German Maurers being briefly successful.

Honda returned to F2 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; grids diminished in size and declining interest in the series threatened it with extinction. At the end of the 1984 season, Formula Two disappeared and was replaced with Formula 3000 -- an attempt to merge F2-style chassis with obsolete Cosworth DFV engines from a now all-turbocharged Formula One.

Japanese Formula Two and its relatives

Japan ran a series for "Formula 2000" to similar rules for several years (production-based single-cam engines were permitted to run at 2.4 litres, but they soon came into line with International F2 and the Japanese F2 series ran for two years after the end of European F2, before Japan too adopted F3000 rules. A "Grand Champion" class also existed for cars somewhat akin to the second Can-Am - F2s with enveloping bodywork.


Australian Formula Two (AF2)

Formula Two still runs in Australia. The cars are powered by production-based single-cam engines, with an engine capacity between 1100cc and 1600cc. The engines are carburetored and have an 8500 rev limit.

List of Champions

(Except for the 1952 and 1953 seasons when all Grands Prix qualifying for the World Championship were held to Formula Two regulations, Formula Two never crowned a World Champion, and many nations had their own national series. However, from 1967 a European Championship was conducted in more direct support of Formula One)

No Formula Two champion ever won the Formula One Championship.

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