GP2 didn’t disappear. In 2017, the series was officially rebranded as the FIA Formula 2 Championship, and it continues today as the primary feeder series to Formula 1. The racing, the teams, and even the management stayed largely the same. What changed was the name, the ownership structure, and over time, the cars themselves.
Why the Name Changed
On March 8, 2017, the FIA confirmed that the GP2 Series would become the FIA Formula 2 Championship. The rebrand followed Liberty Media’s acquisition of both the GP2 Series and the Formula One Group earlier that year. Bringing the series under the official “Formula 2” name tied it directly into the FIA’s structured single-seater pathway, a ladder system that runs from karting through Formula 4, Formula Regional, Formula 3, Formula 2, and ultimately Formula 1.
The series had originally been founded by Flavio Briatore and Bruno Michel. Michel stayed on as managing director through the transition and continues to run the championship today. Formula One Management now holds the television rights for Formula 2 alongside F1, Formula 3, and F1 Academy, though those rights are licensed out to regional broadcasters. In practical terms, the rebrand made the series feel less like an independent championship and more like an official rung on the F1 ladder, which was exactly the point.
What Changed About the Cars
The GP2 cars that raced in the series’ final seasons were Dallara-built chassis powered by naturally aspirated engines producing roughly 610 horsepower. When the transition to Formula 2 began, the technical direction shifted toward turbocharged, smaller-displacement engines with hybrid elements, mirroring the philosophy F1 had adopted in 2014. The goal was to better prepare drivers for the technology they’d encounter in a modern F1 car.
The latest generation of F2 car, introduced for the 2024 season, uses a Dallara chassis built from a carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb monocoque. Power comes from a Mecachrome 3.4-litre V6 single-turbo engine, mounted longitudinally in a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. It’s a significantly different machine from the GP2 cars of the early 2010s, but the core concept remains the same: a spec series where every team runs identical hardware, putting the emphasis on driver talent and team strategy.
The FIA’s Single-Seater Ladder
The rebrand wasn’t just cosmetic. It was part of a broader effort by the FIA to formalize the path from grassroots racing to F1. Today that pathway starts with FIA Karting, moves into Formula 4 (with 13 certified championships worldwide in 2025), then through Formula Regional, FIA Formula 3, and FIA Formula 2 before reaching Formula 1. Each step is designed to increase car performance, competition intensity, and media exposure incrementally.
Under the GP2 name, the series already functioned as F1’s most direct feeder. Drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell all won the championship before graduating to F1 seats. But the “GP2” branding existed somewhat independently of the FIA’s naming conventions. Folding it into the Formula 2 identity made the progression from F4 to F1 immediately obvious to fans, sponsors, and teams evaluating young talent.
The “GP2 Engine” Legacy
For many fans, the most memorable use of the term “GP2” has nothing to do with the series itself. During the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso vented over team radio while struggling with his underpowered McLaren-Honda: “GP2 engine! It feels like it’s GP2. Embarrassing. Very embarrassing.” The outburst carried particular sting because it came at Honda’s home race, with CEO Takahiro Hachigo and other senior executives present in the paddock.
McLaren team principal Ron Dennis publicly called the comments unprofessional, saying it “was not a particularly constructive way to communicate with everyone at Honda.” But the clip went viral and became one of the most quoted radio messages in F1 history. Ironically, it probably did more to embed the GP2 name in popular culture than any race the series ever held. When people search “what happened to GP2” today, many are tracing that quote back to its source rather than following the championship itself.
Where Formula 2 Stands Now
The championship races on the same weekends and at the same circuits as Formula 1, giving drivers direct exposure to F1 teams and media. It remains a spec series, meaning all teams use the same Dallara chassis and Mecachrome engine, keeping costs lower than open-development categories and ensuring results reflect driver and team ability rather than engineering budgets. The series typically fields around 22 drivers across 11 teams, with most competitors aged between 18 and 24.
GP2 as a brand is gone, but everything it built still exists under the Formula 2 name. The races are the same format, the competition level is arguably higher than ever, and the pathway to F1 is more clearly defined than it was during the GP2 era.