In recent years, the transition from F2 to Formula One has been a driver's best option in terms of breaking into the elite level of motorsport racing.
From Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to Mercedes' George Russell, a plethora of now famous F1 drivers have made the leap from F2 before. In fact since 2017, 12 drivers have graduated from F2 and have started races in the official Formula One world championship.
But which current F1 drivers have previously won the F2 world title and before that, which have even tasted championship victory in Formula 3?
Which F1 drivers have won Formula 2?
2017 - Charles Leclerc
The now famous Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the inaugural Formula 2 championship back in 2017 before he made the hop to join Alfa Romeo Sauber in F1 the following year. The famous Monégasque driver has so far recorded five victories in F1 and has finished on the podium 19 times.
2018 - George Russell
George Russell claimed the F2 title back in 2018 after winning seven races and claiming 287 points, the record amount in the competition's history. Now at Mercedes alongside fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton, Russell has so far entered 76 Grands Prix and has claimed seven podium finishes in the process.
2019 - Nyck de Vries
Winning the F2 title in 2019, it's been a steady rise for driver Nyck de Vries who only made his full F1 debut at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix when he raced for Williams in place of an ill Alex Albon. The Dutch national has also been the main test driver for Mercedes since 2020.
2020 - Mick Schumacher
Winning 12 points across his 39 starts in Formula One so far, Mick Schumacher - the son of famous seven-time champion Michael - has raced for American team Haas since the beginning of 2021.
2021 - Oscar Piastri
Yet to make the jump to F1 just yet, Australian driver Oscar Piastri won the F2 title in 2021 after a very convincing year of racing. Such is his current skill level and future potential, two F1 teams filed contracts for the 21-year-old in the summer of 2022 with McLaren winning his services, much to the annoyance of French constructors Alpine.
MORE: Which driver has the most wins in F1 history? Top 10 with most victories in Formula One
Which F1 drivers have won Formula 3?
The Formula 3 Championship is the third-tier of the international single-seater racing championships which launched in 2019. The newly formed competition was the result of a merger between two pre-existing championships; the GP3 Series and the FIA Formula 3 European championship.
As of right now, no current F1 drivers have previously won the newly-formed F3 championship, though Oscar Piastri did take the crown in 2020 before he went on to win the F2 championship the following year.
Plenty of current F1 drivers won the two prior competitions however before the merger took place.
In the old FIA F3 European championship, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Lando Norris and Mick Schumacher all took the title in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively before the new competition was founded.
In the other former championship, the GP3 Series, current F1 drivers Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and George Russel are amongst the previous title victors.
Full list of previous F2 champions
| Season | Driver | Team |
| 2017 | Charles Leclerc | Prima Racing |
| 2018 | George Russell | ART Grand Prix |
| 2019 | Nyck de Vries | ART Grand Prix |
| 2020 | Mick Schumacher | Prima Racing |
| 2021 | Oscar Piastri | Prima Racing |
| 2022 | Felipe Drugovich | MP Motorsport |
Full list of previous F3 champions
| Season | Driver | Team |
| GP3 Series | ||
| 2010 | Esteban Gutierrez | ART Grand Prix |
| 2011 | Valtteri Bottas | Lotus ART |
| 2012 | Mitch Evans | MW Arden |
| 2013 | Daniil Kvyat | MW Arden |
| 2014 | Alex Lynn | Carlin |
| 2015 | Esteban Ocon | ART Grand Prix |
| 2016 | Charles Leclerc | ART Grand Prix |
| 2017 | George Russell | ART Grand Prix |
| 2018 | Anthoine Hubert | ART Grand Prix |
| FIA Formula 3 European Championship | ||
| 2012 | Daniel Juncadella | Prema Powerteam |
| 2013 | Raffaele Marciello | Prema Powerteam |
| 2014 | Esteban Ocon | Prema Powerteam |
| 2015 | Felix Rosenqvist | Prema Powerteam |
| 2016 | Lance Stroll | Prema Powerteam |
| 2017 | Lando Norris | Carlin |
| 2018 | Mick Schumacher | Prema Powerteam |
| FIA Formula 3 Championship | ||
| 2019 | Robert Shwartzman | Prema Powerteam |
| 2020 | Oscar Piastri | Prema Powerteam |
| 2021 | Dennis Hauger | Prema Powerteam |
| 2022 | Victor Martins | ART Grand Prix |