It is Kiwi double trouble this year in FIA Formula 2, with the first round of the season kicking off this weekend in Bahrain.
For the first time since 2015, two New Zealanders will be on the F2/GP2 grid.
Marcus Armstrong has switched from ART GP to DAMS for his second season, while Liam Lawson will debut with Hitech GP.
Armstrong had a year of three parts in 2020. He started his rookie campaign with a flourish scoring two podiums in the first four races.
However, the Cantabrian then slipped into a tumultuous period of races where he struggled to break into the top-ten.
The 20-year-old did manage to re-find his early season form again in the final few races with a fourth-place finish in the penultimate round at Bahrain.
Lawson, meanwhile, is graduating to the second-tier category following a strong sophomore season in FIA Formula 3.
Both looked impressive in pre-season testing, with the final day seeing Armstrong front Lawson in a Kiwi 1-2.
For 2021, Formula 2 has adopted a new race weekend format.
Three races will be held each weekend over the usual two. A pair of sprint races, each roughly 45 minutes in length, will be held on Saturday.
A one-hour feature race, which carries the most amount of points, will then be on Sunday.
Last year, F2 drivers were guinea pigs for the new 18-inch Pirelli tyres set to be introduced in F1 in 2022.
The larger rim size proved to be a headache for several drivers and teams, with degradation rates much higher than in previous seasons.
These larger tyres return for this year’s F2 season, though Pirelli has updated their compounds to stabilise the rate the tyres wear.
Bahrain has been the traditional opener for F2, with each race bringing some degree of unpredictability.
The polesitter has won just one feature race and one sprint race since 2017. The fast-flowing nature of the circuit and trio of DRS zones provide ample overtaking opportunities.
Practice gets underway tonight from 11.05 pm NZT on Spark Sport, followed by qualifying at 2.30 am.
Formula 2 Bahrain TV guide (all times NZT)
| Session | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| FP1 | Fri | 11.05 pm |
| Q | Sat | 2.30 am |
| R1 | Sat | 11.25 pm |
| R2 | Sun | 5.40 am |
| R3 | Sun | 11.50 pm |