Jon Lancaster made his F2 debut at the Magny-Cours event this weekend, joining the series for its second round, and clocking a pair of top-ten finishes – and he says his goal is to win the championship.
The Leeds-born 22-year-old comes to F2 on the back of two seasons in Formula Renault 3.5, where he notched up a race win and several podiums.
Lancaster got his first taste of the JPH1B F2 single-seater during an official test session held at the Magny-Cours circuit, a track well-known to him, before the weekend’s competition. He joins fellow Brits Alex Brundle, Will Bratt, Jack Clarke, James Cole and Tom Gladdis in competing this year.
In race one, Lancaster managed a seventh-place finish behind third-placed Brundle, the highest-placed British driver of the weekend after scoring two podiums. In race two, he finished sixth, again behind Brundle in second place.
Bratt managed an eighth and a seventh place in the series’ second round while Clarke came 13th and 10th. Cole was 15th and 13th while Gladdis did not race at Magny-Cours.
Lancaster said of his decision to join the formula: “I’d been considering a move to F2 for a while… I’m just trying to get up to speed. So far I really like the car and am getting used to the specific driving style.
“I only have one goal for this season and that’s simply to win and pick up the Williams F1 test.”
Jonathan Palmer, Formula Two Series Director, added: “We’re delighted that Jon has chosen to race in F2 this year. He is already a very accomplished driver with plenty of experience behind him and despite being unfamiliar with the car, I have no doubt he’ll be a front-runner right from the start.”
• The series-opener at Silverstone in April saw mixed fortunes for Will Bratt who scored a second place in the first race, and was disqualified from the second. Jack Clarke had a solid weekend by topping first practice then scoring two top-ten finishes.
Gladdis and Cole finished towards the back of the midfield in both races, while Brundle had a weekend to forget with a 19th place and a DNF.
Following round two, they feature as follows in the standings:
- Alex Brundle: 33 points – 5th in standings
- Will Bratt: 28 points – 7th in standings
- Jon Lancaster: 14 points – 9th in standings
- Jack Clarke: 13 points – 10th in standings
- Tom Gladdis: 1 point – 17th in standings
- James Cole – yet to score
Full standings and race reports can be found on the Formula Two website here.