The Red Bull junior aiming to emulate Piastri in F2

Last year, Oscar Piastri stepped up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Prema Racing as the reigning FIA F3 title holder, and swept to the crown. This weekend in Bahrain, 2021 F3 champion Dennis Hauger embarks on his rookie F2 season after stepping up with Prema, and… No pressure then.

The Norwegian Red Bull Junior does indeed have big shoes to fill. But with four wins – including three from the seven feature races – under his belt from his victorious F3 campaign, he has proven his confident racecraft. His pace was rapid too, with three out of seven poles.

Now the 19-year-old faces a bigger challenge, entering a strong F2 field full of returning drivers hoping to have their taste of the title this year, including 2021’s highest-placed returnee Theo Pourchaire. Some of Hauger’s fellow F3 graduates will fancy their chances too, with Mercedes F1 junior Frederik Vesti and 2021 F3 runner-up Jack Doohan moving up with ART Grand Prix and Virtuosi respectively.

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And he faces strong competition from his fellow Red Bull juniors. Hauger is one of no fewer than five on the F2 grid, including his new Prema team-mate Jehan Daruvala, plus Hitech pair Juri Vips and Liam Lawson and DAMS rookie Ayumu Iwasa. But Hauger is confident.

“It’s good, it feels nice and I’m confident after last season,” he states. “I think I learned quite a few things about myself, and also just the confidence in driving itself. So it’s good to be with Prema as well to keep that up together, something that is already strong.

“It’s a big learning curve with not so many test days, but I think we have done a good job on the test, just doing step by step and just keeping on developing ourselves. So yeah, I think we just have to get started now and keep learning.”

Hauger steps up to F2 with Prema as the reigning F3 champion

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Pre-season testing in Bahrain boosted his confidence, despite the differences between F3 and F2 machinery, with carbon brakes and heavier cars the two biggest changes he has had to tackle. Although there were just two and a half days on track, with a sandstorm curtailing the final session, Hauger says that “in a general sense on that test, I think I found myself pretty comfortable in the car. I just got more and more confidence every day”.

“Obviously, it’s quite different with the carbon brakes and the car is heavier, and the downforce is more in general,” he continues. “So there were quite a few differences in terms of just driving style, how to maximise that downforce, which was sort of the biggest improvement for me, especially on the soft tyres, which we only got two sets from the test. I didn’t really get like a super feeling of it yet, so I think that’s something to build upon. I just have to keep working on that.”

Before Piastri’s runaway victory in 2021, the last rookie to take the F2 title was George Russell in 2018. Like Hauger, he had claimed the crown in the F2 feeder series (then known as GP3) the previous year. Charles Leclerc had completed the same feat in 2017, claiming F2 honours as the reigning GP3 champion. Hauger acknowledges the challenges he faces as a rookie, but he is determined to emulate Leclerc and Russell – and Piastri – by continuing his winning streak.

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“In the end, I go in as a rookie, so I think I just have to build everything up,” he reflects. “And maybe there’s a bit of extra pressure that people, you know, look at me a bit extra, but that’s a good thing that they think I have the abilities to do it. So I just have to see it for the positive things and focus on myself and my own driving. It’s just about keeping calm.”

"I don’t think what Oscar did has happened a lot of times, obviously. But it sets me up for a good position to start the season" Dennis Hauger

Things haven’t always been so rosy for Hauger. After a torrid 2020, when he graduated to F3 with Hitech Grand Prix as reigning Italian Formula 4 champion and finished a lowly 17th in the points, the move to Prema for 2021 improved his driving and confidence. Spurred on by that adversity, he took the title while settling in well at the Italian squad.

He says Prema is a “great team and the teamwork we’ve had has been good”, adding: “I don’t think what Oscar did has happened a lot of times, obviously. But it sets me up for a good position to start the season, so I just have to keep working with them.”

Hauger adds that he learned “quite a few things from last season, in terms of just how to be in the championship and fight for that win. And I think that set me off mentally, in a good way. So definitely some things to bring from that season, and also some things to learn and just keep moving forward and keep working on it. It’s going to be a long season – 14 countries – so you know, we have to keep building and keep pushing and not settling for anything. The main thing is to just always aim for goals.”

Hauger got into a winning groove last year, and is eager to keep his momentum rolling

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The winning track record of Prema will likely boost Hauger’s confidence. Since its step up to GP2/F2 level in 2016, it has run four of the six drivers’ champions – Pierre Gasly, Leclerc, Mick Schumacher and Piastri – and claimed three teams’ crowns. Other Prema alumni include Esteban Ocon, Guanyu Zhou, Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi. So Hauger is in good company.

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As a bonus, he will benefit not only from the experience of the team, but also of Daruvala, who enters his third season in the series after two years at Carlin.

“There’s definitely things to take from him,” Hauger says. “I mean, he’s a nice guy in general, as well. So it’s good to work with an experienced driver who has been through it and going into the third season. He’s gonna be a hard team-mate, but also a good guy to learn from, especially in the beginning. So I think it’s a good thing.”

Though he is reluctant to set goals, Hauger is clear of his intentions for this year: “Obviously, I’m a racing driver, and I’m here to win, so that’s always my goal. But I think, for my mindset now, it’s just about taking one step at a time and not worry too much about anything, just taking it race by race and just trying to learn as much as possible, especially in the beginning. Then keep developing and I hope it will combine itself in the end.”

Hauger is trying to keep the pressure off, but is clear that winning the title is his target

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool