Luca Ghiotto handed Williams test drive in Hungary but the F1-hopeful car park continues to swell out of control
Five current F2 drivers will test in Hungary but it could prove to be another year of heartache for the Class of 2017
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Your support makes all the difference.Formula 2 driver Luca Ghiotto will be given his first Formula 1 drive at next week’s mid-season test at the Hungaroring following this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with Williams naming the Italian as one of their two test drivers for the two-day session.
22-year-old Ghiotto is currently fifth in the F2 drivers’ championship, 102 points behind runaway leader Charles Leclerc – who himself will turnout in Hungary for Ferrari – and finally gets his chance to test himself in an F1 having finished runner-up to current Force India driver Esteban Ocon in the 2015 GP3 series.
"A big thanks to Williams for this opportunity," Ghiotto said. "The first F1 test for any driver is a special moment, and to do it with such an historic team is even better so I'm really excited."
Ghiotto has been highly-rated since that second-place finish, yet has found chances to impress in F1 hard to come by and has persisted with a second season in F2 – formerly GP2 – in what has usually been recognised as F1’s main feeder series.
But is that the case anymore?
Not one of last season’s GP2 drivers graduated to the premiere category for 2017, with reigning champion Pierre Gasly forced to head to Japan and the Super Formula Championship as he was unable to force his way onto the grid, with the Frenchman remaining Red Bull test and reserve driver.
The other two drivers to feature in the top three last season also find themselves without full-time drives. Runner-up Antonio Giovinazzi has seen regular Friday practice action for Ferrari this year as well as deputising for Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber for the first two races of the year, while third placed Sergey Sirotkin has had to make do with a lone appearance in Baku standing in for the injured Alexander Albon along with participating in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The 2015 GP2 champion, Stoffel Vandoorne, also had to head to Japan before being given a chance with McLaren, while both Alexander Rossi and Rio Haryanto have been chewed up and spat out of the F1 circus since making their debuts – the former going on to win the prestigious Indianapolis 500 and make a name for himself in IndyCar.
Both Giovanazzi and Sirotkin appear to be close to an F1 seat – not least due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of another GP2 champion in Jolyon Palmer and his seat with Renault – while the imminent return of Robert Kubica at next week’s test adds another big name to the mix for the 2018 grid.
It is one that already looks to be taking shape. Mercedes, Red Bull, Force India and Haas all look to have settled driver line-ups for 2018, while Felipe Massa has been vocal in his desire for another year in the cockpit at Williams to keep his retirement on hold. Williams could yet axe teenager Lance Stroll, which would open up a seat for the likes of Ghiotto and Co, while Palmer looks unlikely to survive the winter unless results pick up over the second half of the season.
Ferrari are yet to decide if Kimi Raikkonen will remain with Sebastian Vettel for another year, while the futures of McLaren, Toro Rosso and Sauber look as unsettled as their results have been this season. That opens up the possibility of eight seats available between 15 drivers – the eight current F1 incumbents battling with Leclerc, Ghiotto, Sirotkin and the trio of Nicholas Latifi, Nobuhari Matsushita and Sean Gelael who will also test for Renault, Sauber and Toro Rosso respectively – not to mention the possible return of Kubica six years after suffering career-changing injuries in a rally crash.
Given that both Max Verstappen and Ocon skipped GP2 to make their name at the top, it would appear that the car park of F1 hopefuls will only continue to swell. Teams are more willing to take a gamble on young drivers like Verstappen who can deliver immediately – and bring the financial clout necessary for a drive – than wait for proven talents in F2, and despite the return of mid-season testing this year, it could be another case of near-misses when the Class of 2017 graduate at the end of the season.
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