6. Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda's rise through the ranks has been astronomical. Just two years ago he was racing en route to the title in Japanese F4. He only moved to Europe 1 year ago. Despite this constant turmoil though, Tsunoda has proven race ready ever since touching down in the old continent. 9th in F3 followed by 4th in Euroformula championship showed his constant improvement to a tee. In F3 he didn't score more than 4 points at a race until round ten, but still finished P9 in the championship. And ahead of all his 5 teammates. A winter run in the Toyota Racing Series resulted in a P4 finish, which is where he stands in this year's F2 rankings. A very young man on a mission, if Tsunoda's improvement continues, he could be a real star in a midfield car for 2021.
7. Mick Schumacher
The biggest name on this list by far needs no introduction. The Schumacher family have dominated the headlines of F1 for over 2 decades now, and the third installment of their venture into F1 has finally reached the doorstep. Schumacher's career has been followed with constant interest by the media, yet somehow he has been able to keep up to those expectations. He won the 4th ever race he competed in in German F4 (competing against Lando Norris), and ever since then has been in or around the podium of the championship at the end of the year. His undoubtedly break-out moment came at F3 where he collected 5 race wins in a row en route to the title over the likes of Robert Schwartzman and Jüri Vips. His time in F2 has been inconsistent at times, but c'mon at the end of the day we all know his entrance into F1 is a matter of when rather than if. Schumacher really could become a consistent fixture in F1 for a couple of years. Just don't compare him to his father.
8. Christian Lundgaard
Now we get to the truly exciting talents. Lundgaard is a pacey newcomer to the sport for 2020. None of his junior placements were that impressive, with his best result coming with a win in Spanish F4. Since then he placed a dismal 23rd in GP3, but matured to a 6th place finish in Formula 3 the next season. He earned his first laps in an F2 car following those successes, and a permanent drive awaited him this season. So far he has lit up the F2 paddock. His current form sees him at 3rd in the driver's standings. A whopping 10 places above his teammate Marcus Armstrong. While bigger teammate gaps are more common in F2 due to greater skill gaps, his points total being above the likes of Schumacher and Delétraz has everyone surprised. It's possible his flame might burn out, but sometimes drivers find themselves in the larger cars. Let's see where he ends up.
9. Jack Aitken
Jack Aitken's stock has risen and fallen dramatically over the past few seasons. He's one of the more F1-ready drivers of F2, but his talents have dwindled somewhat in recent months. Following his contract expiring with Renault's junior team (which in itself is a joke), he found himself signed to Williams. To which you'd think, no big deal! While Williams do love promoting driver's from the sports' feeder series, Aiken has also found himself alongside much more highly rated Dan Ticktum. Following the latter's removal from Red Bull's academy for extraordinarily reckless driving. Williams will consider themselves having found a bargain in him, and as such are unlikely to prioritize Aiken's promotion over him. Bottas re-signing for Mercedes further hampers his chances, with only 1 seat available to him. Though, who knows, with competent sponsorship money he could in turn come before Ticktum when it's all said and done.
10. Nikita Mazepin
A bit of a wild card, Mazepin has taken the slow route up to F1. In 2017 he finished 10th in European F3 (now effectively F4), but made the step up to GP3 nonetheless. The move paid off. He finished P2 in the championship, only behind the late Anthoine Hubert in the standings. As you might imagine, he was signed for GP2 for the following season. A disappointing season for ART found him finishing in 18th, but this year with Hitech he's shown his class. Not a forerunner by any means (hence his placement at #10 on this list), but he's shown some skill coming up to 7th so far this season. His greatest asset has been his aggressive but controlled driving style. His unique approach could land him anywhere in the AlphaTauri or below category of the sport if he gets the chance. Unlikely, but who know!
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