2019 Formula 2 Championship

The 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship, otherwise known as the 2019 Formula 2 Season, was the third edition of the FIA Formula 2 Championship, and the fifteenth using the "GP2 Series" format. The season, which will be staged in support of the Formula One World Championship, is set to see several new drivers make their debuts after three drivers from the 2018 season were promoted to F1.

Under FIA F2 rules 2018 Champion George Russell was unable to defend his crown, although the Brit had already secured a drive in F1 with the Williams F1 team prior to the end of the 2018 campaign. He would be joined in the top single-seater category by F2 2018 runner-up Lando Norris, racing for McLaren, and Alexander Albon, whom finished in third place in 2018 prior to agreeing a deal to race with Toro Rosso-Honda. Their mutual departures hence opened up several seats in F2 for the 2019 campaign.

In terms of the Teams Championship it was Carlin who would start the season as defending Champions, who duly signed Honda Formula Dream Project member Nobuharu Matsushita to replace the aforementioned Norris. Another change came with the sale of Russian Time to another entrant, with long-standing day-to-day operators of Russian Time Virtuosi Racing taking full control.

An eventful season saw several drivers make their F2 debuts, including the much anticipated arrival of Mick Schumacher, son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. However, the standout rookie of the season would be Anthoine Hubert, who claimed his first win at the 2019 Monaco Sprint Race, the first of three for rookies in 2019.

Over the season the Championship fight would develop into a battle between F2 veterans Nyck de Vries of ART Grand Prix and Nicholas Latifi of DAMS. That battle was ultimately settled at the 2019 Sochi Feature Race as de Vries claimed victory and the title with three races to spare.

In the Teams' Championship it was DAMS who claimed their maiden F2 title almost unopposed, with their duo of Latifi and Sérgio Sette Câmara securing an impressive tally of 418 points. UNI-Virtuosi finished second ahead of ART in a decisive battle at the 2019 Yas Marina Feature Race, while defending Champions Carlin only managed to finish in fourth.

Across the season a nine of the 27 registered drivers would claim a race victory in F2, with Hubert and Schumacher the only rookies to do so. Elsewhere, Tatiana Caldéron made history by becoming the first woman to race in the F2 Championship, but failed to score points all season, while Mahaveer Raghunathan flirted with infamy as he became the first driver to register enough penalty points to receive two, two-race bans.

Unfortunately the season would be marred by Hubert's death on the second lap of the 2019 Spa Feature Race, which came as the result of a chain reaction of accidents at Radillion. Hubert received terminal injuries after being hit by Juan Manuel Correa in a T-Bone style accident at 257 km/h (c.160 mph), having crashed into the barriers atop Raidillon after contact with Ralph Boschung. Correa sustained life threatening injuries and was put into a medically induced coma, but survived after a series of major surgeries.

Calendar
In contrast to previous season of the Formula 2 Championship and the GP2 Series, the 2019 calendar would see little change from the 2018 tour. Indeed, the same twelve rounds, hosting 24 races, were scheduled for 2019, even appearing in the same order as they had the previous season. The only significant change came in the dates, with more spacing between the Le Castellet and Silverstone races.

The full 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship calendar is outlined below:

Entry List
The full 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship entry list is outlined below:

Round I: 2019 Bahrain Formula 2 Round
The 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship would open with a pair of races at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, on the 30-31 March 2019.

Race One: 2019 Bahrain Feature Race
Luca Ghiotto secured pole position for the opening race of the season, although he would be beaten off the line at the start by Louis Delétraz. Indeed, the Italian's start was so poor that he also slipped behind Nyck de Vries and Nicholas Latifi, with the Canadian emerging in second before making an early move on Delétraz for the lead. de Vries gave chase in third, while Ghiotto and Sérgio Sette Câmara, who had also made a poor start, began to gain the ground they had lost.

Ghiotto's charge began on the eve of the pitstops, rising from sixth to second in the space of three laps, prompting de Vries to sweep in on lap thirteen. Latifi followed three laps later with Ghiotto stopping a lap after that, although that decision saw the Italian slip back to sixth behind Câmara, who had also stopped. A swift move on the Brazilian would move the Italian back onto Latifi's trail, with Ghiotto stalking the Canadian racer as the moved back up the order through those who had used the alternate tyre strategy.

Latifi would, however, remain out of reach of Ghiotto and hence claimed victory in the opening race nine seconds clear of the Italian. Behind, Câmara made a late charge up the order to secure third ahead of debutante Anthoine Hubert, the first rookie and of those to run the alternate tyre strategy. Delétraz and de Vries were a long way back in fifth and sixth, with Jack Aitken, Mick Schumacher, Nobuharu Matsushita and Guanyu Zhou claiming the rest of the opening day points.

Race Two: 2019 Bahrain Sprint Race
Schumacher would start his second F2 race on pole position due to the reverse grid rule, and duly aced his getaway to claim an early lead. Aitken and de Vries both tried to lunge past the German rookie but fell short, as behind Câmara, Latifi and Ghiotto moved up the order. They duly swept up onto the back of Schumacher, with Câmara sneaking past on lap two, while Ghiotto pulled a double move on Latifi and the German youth to claim second.

A lap later and Ghiotto was elbowing his way past Câmara to secure the lead, before disappearing up the road from the Brazilian racer. Indeed, the Italian had planned on making a stop for fresh tyres and so pushed as hard as he could, stopping on lap twelve to rejoin in thirteenth, twenty seconds off the lead. However, his fresh Pirelli rubber, combined with several other drivers gambling on making a stop, saw him quickly streak back up the order.

Indeed, running three seconds a lap quicker than Câmara, there was little that the Brazilian could do to keep the Italian at bay, who duly swept back past Câmara late on to secure victory. Latifi came just shy of taking the Brazilian and so had to settle for third, while Zhou climbed to fourth ahead of Delétraz, Schumacher, de Vries and Jordan King.

Round II: 2019 Azerbaijan Formula 2 Round
The second round of the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship would see the F2 paddock assemble at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 27-28 April 2019.

Race Three: 2019 Baku Feature Race
Nobuharu Matsushita secured his first F2 pole position since 2017 for the opening race of the Baku weekend, but was beaten off the grid by Nyck de Vries at the start. Behind, the two tridents of Giuliano Alesi and Ralph Boschung came together to bring out the Safety Car, while Jack Aitken leapt up to second from eighth to third. de Vries aced the restart to claim an early lead, while Aitken managed to challenge Matsushita for second, before charging off after de Vries.

Their fight came to a head during the mid-race stops for fresh tyres, with Aitken stopping first and under cutting the Dutchman. Elsewhere, Tatiana Caldéron filtered through to the front of the field as the only driver on the alternate tyre strategy, becoming the first woman to lead an F2 race in the modern era. Unfortunately her hopes of making serious progress were ended by the SC's second appearance, caused by Mick Schumacher stopping on track.

With old tyres there was little to prevent Caldéron slipping down the order after the restart, with Aitken sweeping past to claim the lead almost instantly. He duly went on to secure victory in-spite of a third SC destroying his lead, caused when Guanyu Zhou crashed while fighting with Juan Manuel Correa. Caldéron then stopped on track during the SC, before the race was ended under the SC when Sérgio Sette Câmara and Louis Delétraz tripped over each other at the first corner.

Behind Aitken, de Vries would finish second ahead of Jordan King, while Nicholas Latifi finished fourth to claim the Championship lead.

Race Four: 2019 Baku Sprint Race
Nikita Mazepin would start the race from pole position, although both he and fellow front row started Correa would be mugged into the first corner by Sean Gelael. Behind, Caldéron's poor weekend continued as she collided with Ralph Boschung and Louis Delétraz, bringing out the safety car on lap two. Geleal was hence unable to continue his barnstorming start, although he did ace the restart to secure an early lead.

Latifi, meanwhile, would sweep past Matsushita for third at the restart, before harassing Correa for second over the following laps. Once he had dealt with the American rookie, Latifi was off to challenge Gelael, and duly scythed past the Prema three laps later. He subsequently sprinted clear to secure a dominant lead, while Gelael slipped down the field as Correa, Aitken, de Vries and Ghiotto all passing in short order.

A late safety car threatened to end Latifi's blitz to victory, as Giuliano Alesi crashed while trying to elbow his way past Zhou. The restart then saw Correa almost snatch the lead back from Latifi with a dramatic lunge, only for the race to be instantly brought to a halt as Ghiotto slammed into the barriers at turn one. The final restart came with two laps to go, with Latifi ultimately keeping Correa and Aitken at bay to secure victory.

Round III: 2019 Spanish Formula 2 Round
F2 moved into its full European season on the 11-12 May 2019, with the Championship arriving at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the third round of the campaign.

Race Five: 2019 Barcelona Feature Race
Luca Ghiotto claimed his second pole position of the campaign for the Barcelona Feature, and would once again make a poor getaway at the start. Nicholas Latifi hence instantly looked to have gained the lead, only to have the sister UNI-Virtuosi of Guanyu Zhou to charge past on the opposite side of the Italian to challenge. Zhou duly emerged at the head of the field in the first corner ahead of the Canadian, while Ghiotto's hopes of victory were ended by a collision with Dorian Boccolacci that broke his front wing.

However, Ghiotto's hopes were given a major boost when Giuliano Alesi brought out a VSC by spinning during the opening tour, allowing the Italian to pit for repairs without losing too much time. Out front, meanwhile, Zhou managed to keep hold of the lead at the restart, in-spite of a marauding Latifi, while de Vries stalked them in third. The order at the head of the field hence remained stable through the mid-race stops, with Zhou remaining ahead of Latifi and de Vries, as Ralph Boschung led those on the alternate strategy.

Zhou and Latifi would continue to battle through those on the alternate tyre strategy, with Zhou resisting until he came to back of Anthoine Hubert and Jordan King, and hence allowed Latifi to pass without issue. The Canadian duly inherited the lead when Hubert and King pitted, and would ease clear to secure a dominant victory, his third in three races. Behind, Jack Aitken battled past de Vries and Zhou to secure second, while the Chinese racer secured his maiden podium finish after resisting de Vries in the closing stages.

Race Six: 2019 Barcelona Sprint Race
Callum Ilott was the man to start the Barcelona Sprint from pole position, although he was instantly beaten off the line by a charging Hubert. Indeed, the rookie Frenchman had blitzed his launch from third to sweep ahead of Ilott and King on the front row, while de Vries followed the BWT Arden through to claim second. The rest of the opening lap saw the order settle, until Nobuharu Matsushita was forced to abandon his car after it caught fire at turn ten.

The burning Carlin resulted in the Safety Car being called upon, staying out for a couple of laps. The restart saw de Vries try a half-hearted lunge at Hubert for the lead into turn one, which was swatted aside, before opting to settle in behind the Frenchman. Indeed, the Dutchman would plot his next move, and duly pounced a few laps later to claim the lead, this time fully committing to a dramatic dive into the first corner.

With that de Vries was away, leaving Hubert to fend off Ilott, who was himself having to keep an eye on Ghiotto, who had scythed his way through the field. Ultimately the F2 veteran would emerge ahead of both rookies to secure second before the end of the race, but could not muster a response to de Vries up front. The Dutchman hence claimed his first win of the campaign ahead of Ghiotto, while Ilott nipped ahead of Hubert to complete the podium, his first in F2.

Round IV: 2019 Monaco Formula 2 Round
The Circuit de Monaco in the city of Monte Carlo, Monaco, would host the fourth round of the 2019 F2 Championship, hosting two races on the 24 and 25 May 2019.

Race Seven: 2019 Monaco Feature Race
Nyck de Vries secured pole position for the Monaco Feature Race, and duly aced his start at the second attempt, for the original start had to be aborted when Callum Ilott suffered a clutch failure. Indeed, Ilott's demise would leave de Vries on his own at the head of the field, and allow Luca Ghiotto to sweep into second. Behind, Anthoine Hubert and Mick Schumacher exchanged a series of blows for third in the opening stages, while Championship leader Nicholas Latifi broke his front wing trying to get involved.

Those on the supersoft Pirelli compound would make early stops, with Schumacher the first to stop, only to collide with Tatiana Caldéron when trying to force his way through for eighth. Their cars ended up blocking the circuit at La Rascasse, causing the red flag to be thrown, and hence allow the top seven to gain a lap on the rest of the field. A controversial decision by the officials then barred the lapped drivers from un-lapping themselves when the race restarted, citing time constraints.

The restart left de Vries and Ghiotto duelling for the lead, with both having yet to make their compulsory stop. The Italian was first to stop but his bid for victory was ended when he got caught behind Nobuharu Matsushita, and hence allowed de Vries to rejoin in the lead. He duly swept across the line after a one-lap sprint following a late Safety Car to claim the win, ahead of Matsushita and Sérgio Sette Câmara.

Race Eight: 2019 Monaco Sprint Race
Hubert started the Sprint Race from pole position, and duly bested Louis Delétraz in a duel for the lead into Sainte Devote. Behind, Guanyu Zhou danced past Artem Markelov to secure third, although it was not long before the race came under the Safety Car's jurisdiction, as Ghiotto put Caldéron into the barriers. The Italian's race would come to an end at the restart, as he collided with another back marker in Mahaveer Raghunathan at Lowes and brought out the SC once again.

After that delay the race resumed with twenty laps to go, while Hubert just edging away from Delétraz at the head of the field. The order would remain stable as the race developed into a typical Monte Carlo procession, until Sean Gelael smashed Giuliano Alesi out at the Nouvelle Chicane. Fortunately their accident would be cleared without the need of the SC or VSC, and hence allowed there to be a last-minute duel for victory.

Indeed, Hubert's tyres were fading badly in the closing stages, and the Frenchman came close to smacking the barriers several times. Delétraz hence had the chance to challenge for the win, but ultimately fell shy of Hubert at the line by 0.059s, having edged alongside out of Anthony Noghes. Behind, Zhou secured third having caught the lead fight on the final lap, while Markelov scored fourth on his F2 return in place of Jordan King.

Round V: 2019 French Formula 2 Round
The Le Castellet circuit in southern France would host a pair of F2 races on 22 and 23 June 2019, with F2 supporting the French Grand Prix for the second season in succession.

Race Nine: 2019 Le Castellet Feature Race
It was Sérgio Sette Câmara who claimed pole for the Le Castellet F2 Feature Race, although both he and Guanyu Zhou would be beaten off the line by Nyck de Vries. Behind, Sean Gelael tangled with teammate Mick Schumacher to cause chaos at the back of the field, resulting in Nikita Mazepin and Ralph Boschung colliding, before Dorian Boccolacci stopped on track. The five stranded cars would require a red flag to be removed, with the field remaining in the order as it had at the end of the opening lap.

de Vries would ace the restart from behind the Safety Car to secure an early lead, escaping from Jack Aitken who had moved through to second. They would dominate the early proceedings before making their stops for fresh tyres, leaving Luca Ghiotto at the head of the field on the alternate strategy. However, Ghiotto's hopes of building a race winning advantage before making a late stop were curtailed by a series of Virtual Safety Cars which meant he rejoined behind Juan Manuel Correa at the back of the top ten.

A few moments later and Ghiotto was the source of another VSC, having collided with Correa to leave his UNI-Virtuosi shattered at the side of the circuit. Out front, meanwhile, Jordan King would briefly lead before making his stop, leaving de Vries at the head of the field. The Dutchman duly powered clear to claim the race victory, while Aitken was mugged by Câmara late on after making a mistake trying to get back on terms with the Dutchman.

Race Ten: 2019 Le Castellet Sprint Race
For the second Sprint race in succession Hubert would start from pole position, and duly managed to keep a charging Aitken at bay. Indeed, Aitken had made a stunning start from sixth to catapult into third, before mugging King through the first corner as the MP Motorsport tried to lunge at Hubert's BWT Arden. However, King would slowly tumble down the order as the race progressed, while Aitken waited for DRS to become active before he attacked Hubert.

Yet, Aitken proved unable to get ahead of the Frenchman, with his first attack swatted aside with ease. Behind, Nicholas Latifi took third from Correa, with Zhou following him through, before both moved ahead of Latifi when the Canadian locked-up and damaged his tyres. Zhou and Correa then managed to catch Aitken, who had used the best of his tyres in the early stages after trying to make a move on Hubert.

They both managed to squeeze past the Anglo-Korean racer to move into second and third, but found themselves a long way behind racer leader Hubert. The Frenchman hence won at a canter as Correa began attacking Zhou for second, and duly secured the position late on. Behind, Aitken managed to hold fourth from Câmara, while Latifi slipped to sixth as de Vries claimed the Championship lead.

Round VI: 2019 Austrian Formula 2 Round
The Championship's annual trip to the Red Bull Ring in the Styrian Mountains would be staged on the 29 and 30 June 2019, forming the sixth round of the season.

Race Eleven: 2019 Red Bull Ring Feature Race
Championship leader Nyck de Vries claimed pole position for the Feature Race, and duly aced his start to claim an early lead. Anthoine Hubert gave chase in second ahead of Guanyu Zhou, although the Chinese racer would find himself having to try and defend from Nobuharu Matsushita, who duly secured third early on. Indeed, Matsushita was the man to watch in the early stages as he eased past Hubert to secure second and challenged de Vries for the lead, while Sérgio Sette Câmara earned himself a penalty by punting teammate Nicholas Latifi.

de Vries would hang onto the lead through to the pit stops, and duly scrambled out of the pits ahead of Matsushita. Those two would subsequently dice for the de facto lead as they climbed back up the order through those who had yet to stop on the alternate strategy. Indeed, de Vries would burn through the best of his tyres during that scrapping, and was hence powerless to prevent Matsushita from passing for the lead with five laps to go as his pace took a nose-dive.

With that Matsushita was away, securing the race victory as Luca Ghiotto caught and passed de Vries for second. Câmara would also manage to get himself ahead of de Vries, although the Brazilian's five second time penalty dumped him back down to fifth behind the Dutchman and Hubert. Elsewhere, a returning Arjun Maini was excluded for using the wrong tyres, while debutantes Ryan Tveter and Patricio O'Ward finished at the back of the field.

Race Twelve: 2019 Red Bull Ring Sprint Race
Jordan King started the Sprint race from pole position, and subsequently eased ahead of Louis Delétraz to secure the lead. Behind, Championship leader de Vries stormed up to third after a strong getaway, and would duly carve his way past both Delétraz and King. However, after dominating the early stages the Dutchman suddenly slowed, as an electronic glitched caused his pitlane speed limiter to activate on the start/finish straight.

As de Vries got back up to speed in sixth, Delétraz moved into the lead, although he was instantly passed by Câmara. The Swiss racer would hang on to second behind the Brazilian however, while behind de Vries moved back into the lead group but got caught behind Zhou. Indeed, the order remained static until Delétraz crashed out in the closing stages to bring out the Safety Car.

The race resumed with two laps to go, with Câmara bunching the field dramatically at the restart, before blasting clear to claim victory. Zhou would be the big loser of the concertina as de Vries managed to ease past him, with the Dutchman going on to challenge Ghiotto for second. Yet, Ghiotto would hang onto second ahead of de Vries, although de Vries still extended his Championship lead to 37 points over Latifi at the halfway point in the season.

Round VII: 2019 British Formula 2 Round
F2 headed to the home of modern Grand Prix racing, the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, on 13-14 July 2019, supporting the British Grand Prix.

Race Thirteen: 2019 Silverstone Feature Race
Guanyu Zhou secured his maiden pole position for the Silverstone Feature, resulting in a duel for the lead at the start between himself and teammate Luca Ghiotto. Behind, the two DAMS of Nicholas Latifi and Sérgio Sette Câmara engaged in an identical duel, both of which were resolved at turn three, with Ghiotto ahead of Zhou, while Câmara got Latifi. Any hopes of immediate retaliation by the ousted teammates would be curtailed however, as Dorian Boccolacci stopped on track to bring out a Virtual Safety Car.

After the restart Latifi would manage to elbow his way back ahead of Câmara, before charging past Zhou a lap later. The Canadian would subsequently lead the field into the pits for their compulsory tyre change, and would manage to partially undercut Ghiotto, with the Italian emerging alongside Latifi. However, the nature of pit-out at Silverstone meant that Ghiotto had the inside line for turn three, and hence meant he held on to the de facto lead.

Latifi attacked at Brooklands however, and a lock-up from Ghiotto while defending on cold tyres allowed the Canadian to sneak through. With that the pair chased down Nikita Mazepin and Tatiana Caldéron, the only drivers on the alternate strategy, with Ghiotto ultimately getting ahead of Latifi when the Canadian failed to make a move stick on the Colombian racer. Once Mazepin stopped the race was over, with Ghiotto scampering clear to claim the win ahead of Latifi, while Zhou claimed third ahead of Câmara.

Race Fourteen: 2019 Silverstone Sprint Race
Callum Ilott would start the Sprint from pole position, although he made a mess of his start and hence tumbled to fourth. Louis Delétraz hence sprinted past with Jack Aitken and Nyck de Vries, while Ilott scrambled away in fourth. The head trio then fought for the lead into turn three, with Delétraz emerging ahead of de Vries, while Aitken settled in behind the Championship leader.

Aitken soon managed to get ahead of de Vries, although their squabbling had allowed Delétraz to escape up the road. The Brit therefore set about demolishing the Swiss racer's lead with a series of fastest laps, and duly passed him with momentum on his side. Indeed, so rapid was Aitken's approach that Delétraz barely tried to defend, and so had to tuck in behind the Brit's fast disappearing Campos.

With the fight for the lead over attention focused on the limited amount of battling elsewhere, with the fight for third in the closing stages seeing de Vries fend off the attentions of Ilott. The only other fight was fought between Ghiotto and Latifi which was resolved when the Italian emerged ahead of the Canadian, only for a puncture to send the UNI-Virtuosi limping back to the pits. Out front, meanwhile, Aitken would cruise through to claim victory ahead of Delétraz, while de Vries' third place meant he extended his Championship lead.

Round VIII: 2019 Hungarian Formula 2 Round
The F2 Championship would use the Hungaroring near Budapest, Hungary, for its eighth round of the season and last before the summer break, with two races on 3 and 4 August 2019.

Race Fifteen: 2019 Hungaroring Feature Race
Nyck de Vries would claim pole position for the Feature race in Hungary, and duly fended off the attentions of Luca Ghiotto at the start. However, both would be caught out by a lunge around the outside of the first corner by Nicholas Latifi, who scrambled into the lead ahead of de Vries, with all three quickly pulling clear at the head of the field. Behind, Anthoine Hubert made early progress from the back of the field, while Louis Delétraz retired early with a clutch failure.

Fifth placed Jack Aitken was the first driver to stop, and duly moved ahead of Mick Schumacher using the undercut. Up front, meanwhile, Latifi managed to establish a small lead over de Vries and Ghiotto before the stops, and hence held the de facto lead ahead of the Dutchman after their stops. Ghiotto, meanwhile, suffered a poor stop and hence dropped down the field, promoting Aitken into podium contention as Jordan King took over the lead as the first of those on the alternate strategy.

King's lead lasted until the closing stages when he made his stop, leaving Latifi in the lead ahead of de Vries and Aitken, while Ghiotto sat in fourth. However, the Italian was stuck in a four-way fight for the position with Nobuharu Matsushita, Sérgio Sette Câmara and King, although that was decided by a race ending Safety Car. That left Latifi as the race winner ahead of de Vries and Aitken, while Ghiotto ultimately retained fourth after having a penalty from earlier in the race rescinded.

Race Sixteen: 2019 Hungaroring Sprint Race
Schumacher would start the Sprint race from pole position having finished eighth in the Hungaroring Feature, and duly eased into the lead at the start. Matsushita tried to lunge around the outside of the German rookie at turn one but could not make the move stick, while Aitken and King exchanged blows for fourth behind Sérgio Sette Câmara. de Vries and Latifi, meanwhile, would fight for sixth with Ghiotto, until the Italian racer was mugged by Nikita Mazepin.

With the fighting going on behind them Matsushita entertained thoughts of attacking Schumacher for the lead, although his best attempt mid-race was ultimately repulsed by the German racer. With that Matsushita dropped back and into the sights of Câmara, who duly lunged inside the Japanese racer at turn three, although the Carlin got better traction on exit and powered back ahead. That fight hence allowed Schumacher to scamper away up front, building a lead that ultimately decided the race result.

Indeed, Schumacher would use the time gained wisely, nursing his tyres in preparation for a late assault from Matsushita. The Japanese racer duly threw everything he had at the #9 Prema but could not force a move, leaving Schumacher as the victor ahead of Matsushita. Câmara was third having dropped off the back of the Japanese racer, while King beat Aitken, de Vries, Latifi and Ghiotto to the line to claim fourth.

Round IX: 2019 Belgian Formula 2 Round
F2 was to return from its summer break with a pair of races at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium, on 31 August and 1 September.

Race Seventeen: 2019 Spa Feature Race
The race would start with pole sitter Nyck de Vries claiming an early lead, while Câmara fended off the attentions of Aitken into La Source. The rest of the field made it through without issue, with the order remaining fairly stable throughout the opening lap.

Unfortunately the clean running was not to last, as Giuliano Alesi suffered a puncture on the run through Eau Rouge, and subsequently spun at Raidillon. Ralph Boschung and Hubert dodged to avoid but made contact with each other, breaking Hubert's front wing and sending him skating into the barriers. Hubert's car then rebounded back onto the circuit, where it was struck by Juan Manuel Correa, who had hit some debris from Alesi's crash and had broken suspension.

Their T-Bone collision between the two at 135.5 mph caused fatal head injuries to Hubert, while Correa suffered multiple leg fractures. The race was immediately red flagged, and subsequently abandoned when the seriousness of Hubert's injuries were detailed en-route to hospital. After Hubert succumbed to his injuries F2 decided to cancel the Sprint Race, and would later immortalise Hubert by withdrawing #19 as a race number, and naming a trophy for best rookie after him.

Correra would survive the collision, under going several intensive operations and being placed in a medically induced coma.

Round X: 2019 Italian Formula 2 Round
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza would host the final pair of European races for the 2019 F2 Championship, with the Series hosting its two races on the 7 and 8 September.

Race Eighteen: 2019 Monza Feature Race
Callum Ilott opened the Monza weekend by claiming pole position, with a reduced field of seventeen drivers as a result of the tragic events in Spa. The Brit duly fended off Guanyu Zhou into the Rettifilo chicane at the start, while Nikita Mazepin slipped from third after sliding down the escape road. Zhou then fell foul of the Rettifilo at the start of the second lap, handing second to Nobuharu Matsushita, while Louis Delétraz spun at the back of the field.

Matsushita duly managed to wrestle the lead from Ilott at Curva Grande on lap five, just as those on the soft Pirelli tyres began to dive into the pits for their stops. When Matsushita and Ilott pitted the race lead was handed to Luca Ghiotto, with the Italian racer the first of those on the alternate strategy. In clear air Ghiotto set about establishing a lead before making his stop, knowing he needed around 27 seconds over the Japanese racer to secure victory.

Ghiotto's hopes were aided by the fact that Matsushita would be stuck in traffic, although once he was in clear air the Japanese racer had more than enough pace to demolish Ghiotto's advantage. Indeed, when Ghiotto did pit he would slip to fifth behind Nyck de Vries, before chasing the Dutchman up past Sérgio Sette Câmara and Ilott. In the closing stages the Italian would go on to take second from the Dutchman on the penultimate lap, although he ran out of time to deny Matsushita victory.

Race Nineteen: 2019 Monza Sprint Race
Jack Aitken would start the Sprint from pole position, and duly eased clear on a damp starting grid to claim an early lead. Giuliano Alesi, meanwhile, would make a miserable getaway from second and hence slipped behind Jordan King and Ilott, with those to going off the catch Aitken. King duly caught and passed his compatriot at the Parabolica to claim the lead, as behind Champion-elect de Vries tangled with rivals Câmara and Ghiotto, leaving the Brazilian with a puncture and Ghiotto with front wing damage.

That contact brought out a brief Virtual Safety Car, with the restart seeing de Vries pounce on a sleeping Alesi for fourth. Up front, meanwhile, Aitken would use the restart to attack King, and duly scythed back past the #16 MP Motorsport to reclaim the lead. King responded immediately but Aitken resisted by shoving him wide, a move that allowed Ilott to slip into second ahead of King.

Aitken would still have to defend from Ilott, however, and would weave around on the straights that he received a warning flag. Yet, once King attacked Ilott for second Aitken was clear and duly escaped to victory, leaving his compatriots to fight for second. However, so intense was their fight that Matsushita and de Vries would catch the fight, with King streaking past before Ilott made a mess of the Rettifilo on the final lap and shot down the escape road. Matsushita hence secured third ahead of de Vries, although the Japanese race was retroactively relegated to fifth behind Zhou for a VSC infringement.

Round XI: 2019 Russian Formula 2 Round
The Sochi Autodrom in the Sochi Olympic Park in Russia would host the penultimate round of the season, with two races on the 28 and 29 September.

Race Twenty: 2019 Sochi Feature Race
The field returned to its full strength for the Sochi race with the return of Ralph Boschung at Trident, the Sauber Junior Team hiring Matevos Isaakyan, and BWT Arden signing Artem Markelov. However, qualifying and the race would be all about Champion-elect de Vries, who stormed to pole position before sprinting away at the start to claim an early lead. Mick Schumacher, meanwhile, would make early progress up the order, with his early charge to fifth briefly interrupted by a Virtual Safety Car caused when Markelov crashed on the opening lap.

Out front, meanwhile, Luca Ghiotto would make a move stick on Nicholas Latifi for second, before hunting down de Vries to claim the lead. The Italian's move prompted de Vries and Latifi to pit for their compulsory stops, with Ghiotto running on the alternate hard-soft tyre strategy. As such the race became a tactical battle, with Ghiotto needing a 27s advantage to retain the lead.

de Vries and Latifi would dice through the traffic to move within 26s of Ghiotto with five laps to go, although the Italian stayed out until lap 25. He duly rejoined in fourth behind Louis Delétraz, with Latifi a few seconds further ahead, although it was not long before he had dealt with both and was hunting de Vries. Yet, there was nothing that the Italian racer could do to catch the Dutchman, who duly swept across the line to secure the race victory and the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship with three races to spare.

Race Twenty-one: 2019 Sochi Sprint Race
Nikita Mazepin would start the Sochi Sprint from pole position, although his bid for victory was over as early as the first chicane. Indeed, after an aggressive defence of the lead from Aitken the Russian racer would clip the front of the Brit and break his rear suspension, which sent his skating into the side of Nobuharu Matsushita. The force of that impact then sent both Mazepin and Matsushita straight into the barriers on the outside of turn three, shattering their cars and bringing out the red flag.

The red flag lasted long enough that the race distance had to be shortened to fifteen laps, with the restart conducted behind the safety car. Ghiotto was the man to lead the field away ahead of Callum Ilott as the field was released, with the Italian quickly scampering clear of the British rookie. Indeed, Ilott was left to ineffectively fend off the attentions of de Vries, who duly charged away once he had secured second to challenge Ghiotto.

Once de Vries caught him Ghiotto would put himself onto a very defensive footing, planting his car in the middle of the track at every overtaking spot to deny the Dutchman. Ultimately it proved to be a wise decision, with Ghiotto's defensive masterclass ensuring that he kept de Vries at bay through to the chequered flag to secure victory ahead of the new Champion. Behind, Ilott had a quiet run to third ahead of Latifi, with Guanyu Zhou picking up more points to ensure he would finish the season as the best placed rookie in the Championship.

Round XII: 2019 Abu Dhabi Formula 2 Round
The 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship would be concluded on the weekend of 31 November 2019 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, with two races in support of the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Race Twenty-two: 2019 Yas Marina Feature Race
Sérgio Sette Câmara grabbed pole position for the final Feature race of the season, although both he and Callum Ilott would struggle off the grid. Louis Delétraz hence screamed past the pair of them to secure the lead, while Ilott elbowed his way past Câmara for second. That allowed Delétraz to scamper away at the head of the field in the early stages, before the early signs of tyre wear for those on supersoft Pirelli tyres came into play.

That proved to be a huge benefit to Nobuharu Matsushita, the first of those on the alternate strategy, who made quick progress to second before those around him stopped. Indeed, it was only when the #2 Carlin dived past the sister car of Delétraz for the lead that the leaders began making their stops, with the Swiss racer leading Câmara into the pits. Those two duly began carving their way up the order with fresh rubber, and hence meaning that Matsushita had to build a lead.

Yet, Matsushita would find himself unable to escape, for he had Guanyu Zhou glued to his tail and even trying to challenge the Japanese racer for the lead. They subsequently dropped to fourth and fifth when they made their stops, while Câmara made a move stick on Delétraz to take the lead. The Brazilian duly eased clear to claim the race win, while Delétraz's pace tumbled in the closing stages and hence allowed Matsushita and Zhou to complete the podium.

Race Twenty-three: 2019 Yas Marina Sprint Race
Giuliano Alesi started the season finale from pole position, and would immediately ace his start to claim the lead. His start was, however, outclassed by that f Ghiotto, who stormed up to second from fifth on the grid, and duly went on to challenge Alesi. The #8 UNI-Virtuosi soon elbowed its way past the #20 Trident for the lead, before easing clear to secure an imperious lead.

With Ghiotto checking out at the head of the field attention focused on Alesi, who soon slipped into the sights of Nicholas Latifi. Indeed, the young Frenchman would be unable to match the pace of those around him, and in-spite of some attempts to defend, could not deny Latifi nor Ilott from passing within a lap of each other. Câmara would also find a way past the Frenchman to leave him in fifth, although that did leave Alesi in some clear air.

Câmara hence became the centre of attention in the closing stages, pouncing on Ilott after a Virtual Safety Car was required to remove Matevos Isaakyan from the track after the Russian racer had tangled with compatriot Nikita Mazepin. The Brazilian then went off to challenge teammate Latifi for second, although the Brazilian ran out of time to challenge the Canadian, who was himself a long way off of Ghiotto. The Italian hence claimed the victory ahead of Latifi and Câmara, while Champion de Vries would bow out of F2 in thirteenth.

Regulations
The technical and sport rulebooks for the FIA Formula 2 Championship remained stable for the 2019 season, with no major changes to either rule set.

Technical
The F2 Championship from 2019 would see all twenty drivers use identical Dallara F2 2018 chassis, all powered by identical Mecachrome V634 3.4l V6t engines.

Sporting
Outlined below is a full breakdown of the point scoring system for the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship:
 * * The fastest lap points were only awarded to the driver who set the fastest lap in the top ten of each race.

2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship for Drivers
The full standings for the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship for Drivers is outlined below:

2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship for Teams
The full standings for the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship for Teams is outlined below: