2024 was a rollercoaster F2 season for Prema Racing, who faced challenging setbacks and impressive victories during the year.<\/p>\n
2024 in Formula 2 was a year full of surprises, both positive and negative. The teams and drivers who expected to fight for the title faced many difficulties since the beginning of the season.<\/p>\n
Among these teams was Prema Racing.<\/p>\n
In their eighth year in the category, Prema finished the season in fifth place in the 2024 F2 Teams’ championship. It is a concerning result as in 2023 they were fighting for both titles.<\/p>\n
While there is regret and sadness for a season in which they have not managed to exploit their full potential, there were also some moments of joy, such as the victories of their two drivers – both future members of the 2025 grid of Formula 1 – and the rise in the championship standings from the beginning of the year to Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
A 2024 with double faces for Prema Racing in Formula 2, whose fluctuating performance puzzled the series’ fans. Was the issue related to the new car that disrupted the Italian team’s performance, or was it something more?<\/p>\n
The curtain for the 2024 season of Formula 2 had already been raised before the first round in Bahrain. At Sakhir, during the first day of pre-season tests, Prema recorded more laps than all – 102 in total between the two drivers – between the morning and afternoon sessions.<\/p>\n
Under the burning sun of Bahrain, the teams went on track for the new Dallara F2 2024 with only one goal in mind: to start the year immediately competitively.<\/p>\n
While some succeeded, Prema was among the teams that had more difficulties.<\/p>\n
Historically, the Italian team has always had problems with the hot climates of Bahrain. Therefore, when both drivers struggled to gain points during the two races, it did not yet ring some alarms.<\/p>\n
Despite the difficulties, Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/a> managed to climb back up to 10th on Sunday, having started 17th. It was a points finish on his debut.<\/p>\n Although not with an ideal start, the season was long and things can change quickly.<\/p>\n Proof of that came in Jeddah the following weekend when Oliver Bearman took pole position on Friday. As seen last year, at the Saudi Arabian circuit the Englishman has always shown impressive speed since Free Practice.<\/p>\n However, Saturday brought an unexpected twist. Bearman was called up by Ferrari<\/a> to replace Carlos Sainz, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that forced him to miss the Formula 2 round.<\/p>\n While it meant sacrificing valuable points, the chance to step into a Formula 1 car couldn\u2019t be overlooked.<\/p>\n Antonelli, did his best to pick up the slack and managed to score more points for the team in the absence of his teammate.<\/p>\n