Formula Two

Did You Know?

• The 1948 Stockholm Grand Prix was among the races held in the first year of Formula Two.
• Jacky Ickx won the inaugural European Formula Two Championship in 1967 by 11 points, driving a Matra MS5.
• Jim Clark was killed in a Formula Two race early in 1968 at the Hockenheimring.
• The Cosworth FVA engine used in the 1.6-litre era gave 220 bhp at 9000 rpm.

History

Formula Two was created as a smaller and cheaper complement to the Grand Prix cars of the era, filling the gap left when the old voiturette formula was elevated to Formula One. The FIA formally codified it as Formula B, effective from 1 January 1948. The rules limited engines to two-litre naturally aspirated or 500 cc supercharged, making cars lighter and less expensive than Formula One machinery. This encouraged new marques such as Cooper to enter Formula Two before competing against larger manufacturers like Alfa Romeo and Maserati.

In the early years of Formula One, so few entrants appeared that all World Championship Grand Prix races except the Indianapolis 500 were run under Formula Two regulations in 1952 and 1953. Scuderia Ferrari built the Ferrari 166 F2, which debuted at the Florence Grand Prix on September 26, 1948. Prior to the war, voiturette racing had permitted 1.5 L supercharged engines, while Grand Prix cars used 3.0 L supercharged or 4.5 L naturally aspirated engines.

After the war, the 3.0 L supercharged rules were abandoned, and Formulas A and B were introduced from 1 January 1947, with the old 1.5 L voiturette formula replacing the 3.0 L supercharged cars to equalise performance.

Other Formula Two series

The Central Automotoclub of the USSR joined the FIA in October 1956, aiming to develop Soviet motorsport. F2 cars were not part of the 1960 Soviet championship due to a lack of suitable stock engines and specialized racing engines. The F2 category debuted in Soviet championships in 1962, with updated regulations introduced two years later. F2 cars began appearing regularly on Soviet tracks from 1971, and F2 series were included until 1977.

In Japan, a Formula 2 championship existed during the 1.6 L era from 1967 to 1971, with teams building their own cars and engines; the best-known make was the Mitsubishi Colt. Japan ran a Japanese Formula 2000 championship to two-litre F2 rules from 1973 to 1977, allowing production-based single-cam engines at 2.4 L before aligning with FIA rules. The Japanese Formula 2 championship ran from 1978 to 1986, then adopted F3000 rules as Japanese Formula 3000 from 1987; the series is now Super Formula.

Japan also ran the Fuji Grand Champion Series for full-bodied F2 cars. Australia has had its own Australian Formula 2 category since 1964, specifying production-based single-cam engines between 1100 cc and 1600 cc, naturally aspirated with carburettors and an 8500 rpm rev limit. An Australian Formula 2 Championship was sanctioned from 1964 to 1965, 1969 to 1977, and 1979 to 1988. Mexico ran its own Formula Two series for 12 years in the early 1990s, using cars similar to Formula Atlantic with 2.2 L Chrysler engines.