F1's top 10 supporting acts of 2017
Formula 1's undercard titles went to a pair of F1 junior drivers. Fitting, really. But as ever, the champions were not the only stand-out performers on the support bill this season
The 2017 season ended with Formula 1's two support series crowning dominant winners. But a glance at the results sheets won't provide the full picture of a year of ups-and-downs, thrills and spills, and two entertaining Formula 2 and GP3 championships.
In F2, Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc ignited an astonishing run to a rookie title (the first in the Pirelli era) with a charge through the field in the Bahrain sprint race, which set the tone for his dramatic year. He capped it with a Sauber F1 seat and another sprint race surge in Abu Dhabi that left Lewis Hamilton wondering why F1 can't produce racing as good as the support categories.
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Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.
A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.
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