New-season F2 cars to edge closer to F1 performance
The 2018 car of the Formula Two Championship will feature more technological solutions close to Formula 1. This technical revamp cements the place of the series on the motorsport ladder by providing the young drivers with an excellent scene for completing the last steps of their development process.
Gone are the old good days when nothing came close to the Formula One machinery and stepping into it was a cruel test of skills and the moment of truth. The cars of the GP2 series which was renamed as Formula Two for 2017 has been long featuring solutions which made the cars physically demanding, the series followed similar sporting rules to F1 and used Pirelli tyres which share similarities with the F1 tyres. F2 even featured the F1-style overtaking aid, the drag reduction system.
For 2018, the series makes another step to get even closer.
The old V8 normally aspirated engine will be scrapped and will be replaced by a turbo engine. The former one was a 4.0 liter V8 engine while the new one is a 3.4 liter V6 turbo engine. The new power unit has a performance of 620bhp, delivering 8BHP more than the previous engine. Just like with the previous engine, French company Mecachrome will take care of development and maintenance.
The acceleration characteristics stay unchanged. The 2018-specification needs 2.9 seconds to reach the mark of 100km/h while speeding up to 200km/h takes 6.6 seconds.
The cars will weigh 720kg while the predecessor weighed in at 688kg. This rise in weight is partly down to the turbo and partly to the head protection system, the so called halo. This Halo is a new additional to the F2 cars, just like it will be added in F1. The much debated head protection device will later make its appearance in Formula E as of the 2018/2019 season.
The aerodynamics of the new F2 car was also under review. The chassis is made of carbon and aluminum and is developed by the Italian company Dallara. The new car, with its length of 5224mm, is longer than the previous one (5062mm) while the width and the height remain almost unchanged. Many changes were implemented on the aerodynamics. The nose cone was lowered for safety reasons while many flaps and wings were modified to refine the aerodynamic performance of the car.
