Ranking the top 10 Formula 1 support acts of 2024

With 18 different race winners in Formula 2 and 12 in Formula 3, selecting the top 10 performers of the year across the two series is a far from simple task. Positions in the actual points standings were skewed massively by reliability problems or getting caught up in the incidents of others.

Neither Oliver Bearman nor Franco Colapinto feature on this ranking, despite their impressive appearances when making the step up to F1 showcasing that they are certainly ready for the top tier. Both took to the top of the podium in F2 this term, but it would be a stretch to claim they were among the best in class when judging the year as a whole; something that only serves to underline the quality of the respective fields.

With that disclaimer out of the way, here are the 10 drivers who stood out from the pack.

10. Dino Beganovic

6th in F3

Beganovic made a strong adaption to F2 with DAMS at the final two rounds after falling out of the F3 title fight

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images

The final position was a toss-up between Beganovic and Luke Browning, who finished third in F3. But this was ultimately decided by how the pair performed when they made the step up to Formula 2 for the closing events.

Over two weekends in F2, Ferrari protege Beganovic scored 22 points compared to the seven Williams junior Browning scored in three. Looking at how the pair fared versus their team-mates, Beganovic came out on top at DAMS against Jak Crawford in three races, while Browning achieved this twice at ART against Victor Martins.

Beganovic’s F3 campaign with Prema Racing was blighted with problems, with a collision in the sprint and a technical issue from pole in the feature setting the tone in Bahrain. But he recovered to score a feature win in Australia and added a sprint victory at Spa. Next year we really will get an accurate reading on the pair as Beganovic teams up with Browning at Hitech in F2.

9. Arvid Lindblad

4th in F3

A sensational double win at Silverstone was the high point of Lindblad's strong rookie season in F3

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Had this list been compiled following the Silverstone weekend and Lindblad’s sensational double victory on his home soil, the Prema driver could well have featured in one of the top three positions. He had taken four wins from the opening 14 races and scored points in all but three. Lindblad was the man in form and had moved himself to second in the standings behind only Gabriele Mini.

But what followed was a complete collapse. The Red Bull junior failed to score a single point over the final three rounds, eventually dropping to fourth in the standings. It was a position that could have been worse had Christian Mansell not endured his own three-race scoreless streak as the season came to a close.

But Lindblad remains on this list due to those early peaks. His victory tally was unsurpassed in F3, and only equalled in F2 by that series’ runner-up Isack Hadjar. He is still only 17 but will be all too aware that he must make a quick start to his rookie F2 season with Campos Racing in 2025 in order to restore some of the belief in him.

8. Richard Verschoor

8th in F2

Verschoor was twice denied wins he'd earned on the road with Trident, but he wasn't to be denied in the Baku feature race

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Verschoor seems to have been competing in F2 for an eternity. In what was his fourth year at this level, the Dutchman improved just one place on his 2023 finishing position and ended 2024 with just a single win.

If that doesn’t sound worthy of a top 10 ranking, consider that he actually took the chequered flag to stand on the top step of the podium on a further two occasions with Trident, but both times he was disqualified due to technical infringements. In Jeddah, an incorrect throttle map had been applied; in Hungary, the rear of his plank had suffered excess wear.

Both of these instances came in sprint races and, while it is likely that he would have gained a minor advantage through the errors, it should not diminish the job he did behind the wheel.

In the final 11 races, directly following his Hungaroring disqualification, he finished on the podium six times – compared to five for champion Gabriel Bortoleto in the same period. That was despite jumping ship back to his old home at MP Motorsport immediately after the sole win that counted, in the Baku feature race.

This is the kind of form that could provide the foundation for an overdue title push with MP in 2025.

7. Andrea Kimi Antonelli

6th in F2

Antonelli improved during his rookie season after stepping up from FRECA, as scrutiny over Hamilton's Mercedes successor mounted

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Antonelli arrived in F2 with hype at a level rarely seen and, with Lewis Hamilton having already confirmed his Mercedes exit, the rookie was already being written into an F1 seat before turning a wheel.

After making the leap directly from winning the Formula Regional European title, the Italian was racing at Prema alongside expected championship challenger Ollie Bearman. He showed his class even as Prema struggled to get to grips with the new Dallara machinery, more often than not finishing ahead of Bearman with a series of solid if not eye-catching performances.

The breakthrough came in the Silverstone sprint, where Antonelli mastered treacherous conditions to score his first win in F2, sparking a media frenzy as the blackout that had surrounded him was suddenly lifted given his availability in the post-race press conference.

Undeterred by this attention, he backed up the win with victory in the Hungarian feature. Had it not been for an unspecified illness in Abu Dhabi, he could well have cracked the top five in the points standings.

He proved capable of managing the pressure, but things will ramp up exponentially next year as he steps into the Mercedes F1 cockpit vacated by a driver many consider the greatest of all time.

6. Zane Maloney

4th in F2

Maloney was unstoppable in Bahrain, but was falling adrift of the title fight before he accepted a Formula E drive with Abt

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

For his second F2 season at the team now known as Rodin Motorsport, Maloney thrust himself immediately into title contention with a double victory in the Bahrain opener. He adapted to the new car quicker than most and dominated the weekend.

Although he would not win again before moving to Formula E with Abt ahead of the Abu Dhabi finale, Maloney kept himself in the championship mix until his exit, with five further podiums. Had he been able to reach those initial heights more often, the Barbadian may have placed slightly higher in this list but, in what could be considered a good way, he was largely anonymous for more races than not, calmly bagging points without getting involved in shenanigans.

To finish fourth while missing a round is nothing to be sniffed at, and the bravery to give up a potential championship-winning opportunity to move onto something new and very different shows his ambition.

5. Gabriele Mini

2nd in F3

Mini's peaks were higher than F3 champion Fornaroli, winning the Monaco feature, but he was less consistent

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Separating the top two F3 drivers this season was a near-impossible task given how close the battle was on track. In Mini’s favour was the fact that he claimed a race victory – he won the Monaco feature race, just as he did as an F3 rookie in 2023 – but ultimately, Leonardo Fornaroli’s championship win edged it.

Had the Prema driver not been disqualified from the season-ending race at Monza due to running illegal tyre pressures, the battle would have been settled at the last corner of the final lap of the season. But looking at the bigger picture, it’s the Hungarian weekend where the championship got away from Alpine junior Mini.

With Lindblad faltering, this was the moment for the Sicilian to grab the championship by the scruff of the neck. Instead, he registered a zero score, opening the door to Fornaroli.

Mini will race for Prema in F2 next year and, after scoring a podium on a one-off cameo in place of Bearman in Azerbaijan, he will be confident of racing towards the front of the pack from the word go in 2025.

4. Leonardo Fornaroli

1st in F3

Consistency was key for Fornaroli in his F3 title campaign, although lack of wins means he has a point to prove in F2

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

The winless champion. A title is something to be applauded, but the nickname that goes with this particular accolade is certainly a curious one.

Unlike drivers such as Lindblad, Fornaroli’s season with Trident had no real peaks and troughs. He won out through sheer consistency. He was one of just two drivers – Beganovic was the other – to complete every lap of every race, and he failed to score points just twice all year.

The fact that he only finished second twice and had an average finishing position of 6.45 suggests this was a title for the solid, not the spectacular.

But when something special was called for, Fornaroli demonstrated his fighting spirit with his dive on Christian Mansell at the final corner of the season-ending Monza feature race, risking all in a do-or-die lunge for championship glory. The fact that Mini was later disqualified, meaning Fornaroli hadn’t actually needed to make that move after all, certainly doesn’t detract from the bravery of the move.

Fornaroli joins Invicta in F2 for 2025, and he will certainly need to find a race-winning performance or two to emulate Gabriel Bortoleto in achieving back-to-back titles.

3. Paul Aron

3rd in F2

Aron had to wait until Qatar for a first F2 win, but the rookie impressed with Hitech having led the points early on

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Aron was possibly the quickest driver on the F2 grid this year – he topped qualifying four times, and finished on the podium in seven of the opening 13 races. Had it not been for a mid-season slump with reliability and individual errors that meant he lost ground to the leading pair, the Estonian could have been a candidate for the crown going into the decider in Abu Dhabi.

Like Fornaroli in F3, Aron clung on in the title race without scoring a race win. That was until a time penalty for Gabriel Bortoleto in the Qatar feature race promoted him to the top step of the podium. While his lingering title hopes were dashed at the Abu Dhabi finale, Aron’s exploits were enough to convince Alpine to take him on as its 2025 F1 reserve and development driver, a role served by Jack Doohan before his promotion into a race seat.

Any additional plans for 2025 are yet to be revealed. His 2024 team Hitech has confirmed its line-up already, and Aron didn’t take part in last week’s Abu Dhabi test, which is usually an accurate signpost to the following season’s F2 grid.

2. Isack Hadjar

2nd in F2

Hadjar won more feature races than anybody else in F2 this year, but his title bid was undone by disappointing non-scores

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

For Hadjar, this was a season strongly reminiscent of fellow Red Bull Junior Lindblad’s in F3.

His four race wins were more than any other F2 driver, and the Frenchman appeared to have more than one hand on the championship silverware when he left Hungary in July with an 18-point advantage. But the Sunday race at the Hungaroring had begun a streak of seven races with only one score – a win in the Spa feature race. Ultimately, this period cost Hadjar the title.

Looking at the positives, of which there are many, Hadjar proved that on his day he was unbeatable. All four of his wins with Campos Racing came in feature races, and he would have added a fifth but for an unfortunately timed virtual safety car in Monaco, which gifted Zak O’Sullivan victory via an opportunist pitstop and left second-placed Hadjar furious.

Hadjar also displayed admirable qualities after stalling at the start of the championship-deciding final race. He demanded constant updates on how Gabriel Bortoleto was faring and refused to give up, despite joining the race two laps down. This attitude alone can take a driver places.

1. Gabriel Bortoleto

1st in F2

Bortoleto secured his passage to F1 with Sauber after winning the F2 crown at the first attempt

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Winning the F3 and F2 titles back-to-back as a rookie in each is no mean feat. The Brazilian was unflappable across the F2 season with Invicta Racing and was methodical in his glide to the top of the table, picking up points in all but two of the last 22 races, a feat no other driver came close to matching.

This consistent grind was typical of his successful F3 campaign in 2023, where steady results beat the occasional spectacular performances of his rivals. But this is not to say that the McLaren junior was not capable of the spectacular, as his stunning last-to-first victory in the Monza feature race proved.

It was from Monza onwards that Bortoleto looked to have gained championship-winning confidence. After dead-heating(!) for eighth with Dennis Hauger in the sprint race, he finished all of the season’s remaining seven events. This included a win in the Sunday race in Italy to add to his feature race success at the Red Bull Ring.

This made Bortoleto the class of the F1 support field this season.

Bortoleto was a consistent threat around the podium places even if he didn't win as many races as Hadjar

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images