Theo Pourchaire has become the third driver in succession miss out on a graduation to Formula 1 in the year after winning the Formula 2 title. As with Oscar Piastri (2021) and Felipe Drugovich (2022) before him, the Sauber junior will watch from the sidelines this year, though he will keep himself race sharp in Japan’s Super Formula championship as he seeks to further his case for a promotion to the team that will become Audi from 2026.
Numerous champions of European F2, Formula 3000 and GP2 have suffered the same fate as the aforementioned trio in failing to reach F1 the season after their coronation. While some had to wait their turn before getting onto the grid either later in the year or the following season, an unlucky few never got the chance to drive a grand prix car in anger. But who were the best of those overlooked champions of F1’s feeder series, and therefore most hard done by?
