The seat that Dennis Hauger is jumping into for the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Season is one which may hold a bit of prestige in the minds of the young talents making their way up the single-seater ladder towards their goal of racing in the Formula 1 World Championship.
Consecutive double championship’s for PREMA Racing in 2020 and 2021 with Mick Schumacher and Oscar Piastri has seen the German move up to F1 with Haas F1 Team and the latter being extremely unlucky to not have a drive in for the 2022 season.
After putting on a brilliant drive throughout the 2021 FIA Formula 3 season which saw him win the championship by 26 points in the last round of the season at the Sochi Autodrom, the young Norwegian is one of the favourites to win the 2022 F2 championship just like his predecessor Piastri.
“It has always been to take one year at a time and concentrate on the next corner, the next lap etc.” Hauger told The Checkered Flag, giving us an insight to his mindset. “If I do well in all the corners and all the laps the final result should be good. I don’t think about pressure or F1, just try to do the best possible job that is in front of me now.”
Credit: Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
The PREMA driver took victories in Barcelona, Spielberg, Budapest and Zandvoort on his way to the F3 crown, with all four circuits being part of the upcoming F2 calendar after they were dropped last season as part of cost cutting measures for the F1 support races.
When asked about how he is currently preparing for the season as opposed to how he prepared for his championship winning year last season, Hauger stated, “Most of the work is similar. Preparing with the team in the simulator and looking at data to understand everything. More physically in F2 so working a bit extra on that side before the season but trying to keep my mental training and mindset the same.”
With a number of F3 drivers making the switch to F2 half way through the 2021 season, Hauger opted to stay in the series to continue his title charge. He got his first taste of Formula 2 machinery during the Abu Dhabi post-season test with PREMA where he gained some confidence for the task ahead.
While the goal in the back of his mind will be to win the championship in his rookie season just as Piastri did in 2021, the young Norwegian is completely focused on developing his skills throughout the season. He said, “I’m not setting myself any particular goal, taking one step at the time and maximizing what I can at the beginning of the season to build up something good. I’m there to win in the end but must build up that confidence with the team and the car during testing. Then we will keep developing as the season goes.”
As a member of the Red Bull junior programme since 2017, another strong performance in this year’s championship could see Hauger play a part in some testing with either Red Bull Racing or Scuderia AlphaTauri as he works his way towards the coveted FIA Super License to fulfil the dream of a full-time Formula 1 drive.