Chassis

Named after both Jonathan Palmer

Jonathan Palmer

Dr. Jonathan Charles Palmer is an entrepreneur and former racing driver from England. Educated at Brighton College, he won the 1981 British Formula Three Championship and the 1983 European Formula Two Championship. He participated in 87 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 25, 1983...

 and Patrick Head

Patrick Head

Patrick Head , is co-founder and Engineering Director of the Williams Formula One team.For 25 years from Head was technical director at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, and responsible for many innovations within Formula One. Head oversaw the design and construction of Williams cars until May 2004...

, the Williams JPH1 chassis

Chassis

A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...

 and survival cell is of carbon fibre composite monocoque

Monocoque

Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...

 construction. The car was designed to comply with 2005 FIA F1 Safety Regulations. Head protection conforms to the latest 2009 F1 standards. Amongst many other detailed safety features, roadwheel

Wheel

A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...

 tethers are incorporated.

The aerodynamics have been evolved to produce a high level of downforce, yet without losing too much front downforce when following other cars, to facilitate overtaking. To achieve this, about 40% of the downforce is produced from the underside, with full length ground effect

Ground effect in cars

Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...

 tunnels, similar to a GP2 car. The aerodynamics have been developed using the Williams F1 computational fluid dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated as CFD, is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the interaction of liquids and gases with...

 (CFD) computer simulation which enables many different configurations to be tested without the need to actually build the parts and test in the wind tunnel. The car will have over 2000 pounds (907 kg) of downforce at 150 miles per hour (67 m/s) – compared with, for example, an F3 car which would generate 1750 pounds (794 kg).

Powertrain

The internal combustion engine

Internal combustion engine

The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...

 is a new turbocharged

Turbocharger

A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...

 petrol engine

Petrol engine

A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....

 based on the Audi 1.8-litre 20 valve block and head, as used in Formula Palmer Audi

Formula Palmer Audi

Formula Palmer Audi, officially abbreviated to FPA, and sometimes informally abbreviated to Palmer Audi, was a one-make class of open wheel Formula racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer. It was based in the United Kingdom , and was organised and operated by MotorSport...

. Whereas the engine in the FPA car primarily uses standard road car

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 components, the Audi F2 engine has been developed as a pure race engine. Prepared and built by Mountune Racing

Mountune Racing

Mountune Racing is a specialist automotive engineering company. It was formed in 1980 by Dave Mountain to provide Mini race engines.In the late 1980s, Mountune started preparing Cosworth YB engines for motorsport, producing numerous championships, and forging a long-term association with Ford...

, the crankshaft

Crankshaft

The crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation...

, connecting rod

Connecting rod

In a reciprocating piston engine, the connecting rod or conrod connects the piston to the crank or crankshaft. Together with the crank, they form a simple mechanism that converts linear motion into rotating motion....

s, piston

Piston

A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine, its purpose is to transfer force from...

s, valves

Poppet valve

A poppet valve is a valve consisting of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. The shaft guides the plug portion by sliding through a valve guide...

 and camshaft

Camshaft

A camshaft is a shaft to which a cam is fastened or of which a cam forms an integral part.-History:An early cam was built into Hellenistic water-driven automata from the 3rd century BC. The camshaft was later described in Iraq by Al-Jazari in 1206. He employed it as part of his automata,...

s are all-new components designed for high strength and light weight. The dry sump

Dry sump

A dry sump is a lubricating motor oil management method for four-stroke and large two-stroke piston internal combustion engines that uses external pumps and a secondary external reservoir for oil, as compared to a conventional wet sump system....

 system has been re-designed so the engine sits 35 millimetres (1.4 in) lower than in the FPA car.

The turbocharger is an all new Garrett

Garrett AiResearch

Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Company, or simply AiResearch...

 GT35 unit featuring roller bearings

Rolling-element bearing

A rolling-element bearing, also known as a rolling bearing, is a bearing which carries a load by placing round elements between the two pieces...

 for improved response, with an external wastegate with high speed closed loop pneumatic valve boost control for absolutely precise automatic boost control. The engine management system is a Pi Research Pectel electronic engine control unit

Engine control unit

An engine control unit is a type of electronic control unit that determines the amount of fuel, ignition timing and other parameters an internal combustion engine needs to keep running...

 (ECU), the MQ12, which has more capability than the unit in FPA.

For its initial 2009 season

2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season

The 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season was the first year of the relaunched FIA Formula Two Championship. The championship began on May 30 at the Circuit de Valencia and finished on November 1 at the Circuit de Catalunya, after eight double-header rounds...

, continuous maximum engine power was 400 bhp at 8,250 rpm

Revolutions per minute

Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...

. The F2 car features a "push to pass/defend" overboost, with 450 bhp being available for a maximum duration of 6 seconds, available ten times during each race. From 2010

2010 FIA Formula Two Championship season

The 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship season was the second year of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The championship began on April 18 at Silverstone and concluded on September 19 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, after nine double-header rounds....

, continuous base power was increased to 425 bhp, with an even higher gain from overboost to 480 bhp.

The transmission

Transmission (mechanics)

A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...

 is a new unit designed by Hewland

Hewland

Founded by Mike Hewland in 1957, Hewland is a British engineering company specialising in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland was the first company to manufacture a bespoke racing-car gearbox....

 specifically for Formula Two, the TMT. It has six forward speeds, and is operated by steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.

The performance of the F2 car is behind a F1 car, but faster than a F3 car. Its closest rival in terms of lap time is a Formula Renault 3.5.

Race weekend

For each race meeting there is 90 minutes of free practice, one hour of official qualifying, with the race distance being approximately 175 kilometres (109 mi). This increased to 2 x 40 minute races in 2011.

All drivers have their cars prepared and entered centrally by MSV. Drivers work with a single mechanic throughout the season, and a rotating group of engineers. This means that a driver's finances have no effect on performance and no one can gain an unfair advantage as every car is operated by the same team.

Scoring system

For the 2009 season, the scoring system was 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the first eight race finisher. In 2010, Formula Two adopted the same scoring system change as in Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

, with points awarded for the top ten finishers. Points are awarded the same for both races in the weekend, as follows:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Points	25	18	15	12	10	8	6	4	2	1

Champions

Season	Champion	Second	Third
2009 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season The 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season was the first year of the relaunched FIA Formula Two Championship. The championship began on May 30 at the Circuit de Valencia and finished on November 1 at the Circuit de Catalunya, after eight double-header rounds...	Andy Soucek Andy Soucek Andy Christian Soucek, aka Souček is a professional racecar driver.-Career:Soucek's father is Austrian, and he has Austrian and Spanish nationality, although he was born in Spain and has spent his life there. He races under the Spanish flag because he "feels Spanish"...	Robert Wickens Robert Wickens Robert Tyler Wickens is a Canadian racing driver, currently driving in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. In 2009 he finished in second place in the FIA Formula Two Championship, and in 2010 he was runner-up in the GP3 Series...	Mikhail Aleshin Mikhail Aleshin -Career:Aleshin competed in karting from 1996 to 2000. Since 2001 he has taken part in various international open wheel series. On April 14, 2007 he became the first Russian driver to win a major international single-seater race when he won the opening round of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series season...
2010 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship season The 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship season was the second year of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The championship began on April 18 at Silverstone and concluded on September 19 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, after nine double-header rounds....	Dean Stoneman Dean Stoneman Dean Colin Stoneman is a British racing driver from England who is the reigning Formula Two champion.-Career:Like most drivers, Stoneman began his career in karting. He made his first steps in single-seaters in 2006 when he competed in selected rounds of the Formula Renault BARC. He raced in the...	Jolyon Palmer Jolyon Palmer Jolyon Carlyle Palmer is a British professional racing driver.-T Cars:Having spent 2004 racing in MiniMax karts, Palmer moved up to cars in 2005 and specifically the T Cars championship's Autumn Trophy – a racing series for drivers between the ages of fourteen and seventeen years old...	Sergey Afanasyev Sergey Afanasyev (racing driver) Sergey Andreyevich Afanasiev is a Russian racing driver, holder of honour "Master of sports of Russia".-Early career & Formula Renault:Afanasiev began his racing career in 2003 in the Formula RUS. That year saw him take three wins in this series and he took championship title...
2011 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship season The 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship season was the third year of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The championship began on 17 April at Silverstone and finished on 30 October at the Circuit de Catalunya, after eight double-header rounds and all in support of International GT Open racing...	Mirko Bortolotti Mirko Bortolotti Mirko Bortolotti is an Italian racing driver currently leading the FIA Formula Two Championship.-Italian series:...	Christopher Zanella Christopher Zanella Christopher Zanella is a Swiss racing driver.-Formula Renault 2.0 Switzerland:Zanella began competing in formula racing with Formula Renault 2.0 Switzerland in 2007. In 2008 he won the championship...	Ramón Piñeiro Ramón Piñeiro Ramón Piñeiro is a Spanish racing driver.-Formula BMW:Piñeiro began his formula racing career in 2008 in Formula BMW Europe with Fortec Motorsport. He finished twentieth in standings, taking five points-scoring positions in sixteen races. For 2009, Piñeiro remained in the series, but switched to...

Television

The races are broadcast by the sports broadcaster Motors TV

Motors TV

Motors TV is a television channel dedicated to news, documentaries and coverage of motorsport and automobiles, and to a lesser extent motorbikes, boats, aircraft and models. It is available in many countries via satellite and cable, with audio in English, French, German and Serbian...

. Every race is screened live at fixed times, with several repeat showings.

F2 will also have a one hour highlights program distributed worldwide, and will feature prominently in the global Motorsports Mundial program.

Live streaming of the races is available with free access on the official F2 website.

External links

• FormulaTwo.com official website of the FIA Formula Two Championship
• How Formula 2 can work, GrandPrix.com (18/07/2008)