Alexander Albon has claimed the early honours with a strong lap halfway through this morning’s free practice session for the final round of the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit, taking advantage of an almost clear track to stop the clock at 1:48.974 to grab the top spot by over a tenth from Norman Nato and Nyck De Vries.

The session got underway to gloriously sunny conditions, with all of the drivers heading straight out to make the most of their time on track. Nobuharu Matsushita led the way early in the session, grabbing the first competitive lap time before teammate Albon claimed the top spot 10 minutes in, with Nato stealing it from him 5 minutes later.

With most of the field returning to the pits around the 20 minute mark, Albon was one of the few to remain on track: the Thai driver reclaimed the top spot at the halfway mark before returning to the pits. With the field concentrating on race run data in the second half of the session, the fight for the top spot was over.

Behind the top 3 Matsushita, Antonio Fuoco, Oliver Rowland, Artem Markelov, Sergio Sette Camara, new champion Charles Leclerc, Gustav Malja and Louis Deletraz were all within a second of the top spot and will be looking to close the gap in this evening’s qualifying session, to be held under lights for the first time since the season opening qualifying session in Bahrain.

source: fiaformula2.com

FIA Formula 2 Championship organisers are pleased to announce that eleven teams have been entered for the 2018 season.

Eight of the outfits currently competing in the Championship will return, whilst three new squads will be introduced: Carlin, Fortec Motorsport and Charouz Racing System.

Carlin is a British outfit with winning experience in numerous top categories and it is well-known for fostering drivers to success.

Fortec Motorsports, owned by former racing driver Richard Dutton, is also a British team involved in six categories with a record of 20 driver championships and 12 team championships. Charouz Racing System is a Czech outfit, created by Antonin Charouz in 1985, with record of racing in such prestigious categories as the 24 hours of Le Mans.

A twelfth team could be added to the grid in the coming weeks.

FIA Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel said: “We’re happy to announce our line-up for next season. We have decided to remain loyal to the majority of our existing teams who know the Championship well and are strong assets to nurture young drivers.

“We are pleased to welcome Carlin, Fortec and Charouz to the grid. They will get their first taste of F2 early 2018 at the new car shakedown which date will be announced in the coming weeks.

 “We have received high quality requests from many teams who wish to join our Championship. Therefore, we keep open the possibility to add a twelfth team to our line-up before the end of this year.”

The following teams are entered in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship season

Prema has announced that Sean Gelael will drive for the team in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship. 

A 21-year-old from Jakarta, Indonesia, Gelael is an experienced driver, having started his single-seater career back in 2012. After lining-up for the Formula Abarth and Formula Pilota China Championships, he moved to Formula 3 competition in 2013 and then made a further step in 2015, joining the Formula Renault 3.5 championship and later the GP2 Series. 

His accomplishments include a positive stint in endurance racing, with two wins in the Asian Le Mans Series. He also already made his way to Formula 1, debuting as a test driver for Toro Rosso and scoring outstanding results in his free practice runs.

With his great deal of experience and knowledge of the top Formula 2 venues, Sean will be a valuable asset for Prema in 2018, in a season that will feature a brand-new car for teams and drivers to develop. 

He will join the Prema team for post season testing right after the 2017 finale at Abu Dhabi, with the goal of establishing good chemistry with the team and their work methods so to lay great foundations for the season ahead.

René Rosin - Team Principal: “I’m proud to welcome Sean to our team. With his multifaceted experience, he will definitely be a key resource for the 2018 Formula 2 season as we will need to adapt to a brand-new car."

"In our first year in the series, we decided to field a mix of an experienced driver and a rookie, while this season we went for an all-rookie program. In both cases, the results proved us right. For next year though, there will be a new factor in play and we will rely on experience to speed-up the development of the 2018 Dallara."

"Having raced and adapted himself to such diverse environments in the past, I’m sure that Sean will be able to meet his expectations and contribute to more success for the team."

Sean Gelael: “Driving for such a successful team, so rich in history, is a great opportunity for every driver. Hopefully we will be able to build something important together with the team."

"We will go for a strong start at the Abu Dhabi post season tests to build the momentum. Everything will be new next year, a new car and challenge. I’m excited to take the next step for my third year in Formula 2 and hopefully we can achieve some good results."

McLaren Formula 1 protégé Lando Norris will contest the final round of this year’s FIA Formula 2 championship with Campos Racing. At the age of 18, Norris will make his F2 debut at Yas Marina Circuit on 25.26 November.

he youngest ever FIA F3 European champion has an impressive racing pedigree as he previously won the MSA Formula 4 (2015), the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand (2016), the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2016) and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup (2016).

Shortly after claiming the 2017 Drivers’ crown in the FIA F3 European championship, he was promoted by McLaren to be their official test and reserve driver for the 2018 Formula 1 season.

Lando Norris says: “I’m really excited to be joining Campos Racing for Abu Dhabi and cannot wait to make my Formula 2 race debut with them. I’m looking forward to working closely with the team and hope that I can repay their faith in me as I make the next step up the motor racing ladder by running competitively in both races.”

Adrián Campos, CEO of Campos Racing, explains: “I would like to give a warm welcome from the team to Lando. He is an incredibly talented young driver and I’m sure he will able to deliver a strong performance at Yas Marina Circuit despite it will be an ultimate challenge.”