Polesitter Brad Benavides, AIX Racing
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Timeframe: 2023
Top championship position: 22nd during 2023
Number of races: 18
Pole positions achieved: 0
Victories claimed: 0
Podium finishes: 0
Championship points accumulated: 0
Finest race outcome: 10th
During 2023, Brad Benavides demonstrated that advancing to F2 amidst struggles at subordinate tiers might not be the optimal course of action.
Benavides, aged 21, transitioned to F2 with the underdog PHM Racing by Charouz, following prior unsuccessful attempts to secure points in the Formula Renault Eurocup and the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. His 2022 F3 venture yielded a mere three points in a sprint race.
Consequently, it came as little surprise that Benavides never surpassed 18th position in nine qualifying sessions, failing to contend for points-scoring opportunities. He managed a total of four laps within the top 10.
The Florida-born driver, also possessing Spanish and Guatemalan citizenship, did not complete the season. He shifted to the Euroformula Open championship for 2024, securing the title with minimal rivalry, as only three drivers engaged in the entire season. He has since returned to F3, encountering limited triumph, although he remarkably clinched pole positions at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, alongside a fourth-place finish subsequent to steering for a majority of the concluding Italian race.
9. Jake Rosenzweig
Jake Rosenzweig
Photo by: GP2 Media Service
Duration: 2012-2013
Peak championship placement: 28th during 2013
Number of races: 26
Pole positions attained: 0
Victories secured: 0
Podium placements: 0
Championship points garnered: 0
Optimal race completion: 10th
Jake Rosenzweig possessed considerable expertise upon joining GP2 with the Barwa Addax team in the latter part of 2012. The then 23-year-old American had dedicated the preceding three years to Formula Renault 3.5, also an immediate precursor to F1 during that period, yet never achieved a podium position.
GP2 exhibited somewhat heightened competitiveness, and Rosenzweig never even registered a solitary point. His noteworthy feat involved qualifying eighth at Monza – otherwise, he never broke into the top 15 – but he withdrew from the feature race after four laps, while running sixth. At that juncture, feature race outcomes determined the sprint race grid, with the top eight positions inverted, thereby representing his sole opportunity for a respectable result.
The 2013 GP2 season marked his concluding involvement as a racing competitor, despite his aspiration for an additional year within the series; he opted to relinquish his social media presence, choosing to dwell in quiet obscurity.
Max Esterson, Jenzer Motorsport
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Years Active: 2024-2025
Finest championship position attained: 21st as of 2025 (tentative)
Total races contested: 25
Pole positions captured: 0
Victories clinched: 0
Podium finishes achieved: 0
Championship points amassed: 0
Career-best race result: 10th
Distinct from numerous counterparts, Max Esterson initiated karting at the age of 15, following notable performances on iRacing. He marked his single-seater debut two years subsequently, securing fifth place within the F1600 Championship Series, prior to relocating across the Atlantic while remaining in Formula Ford with Britain’s domestic series, where he achieved third position.
A two-year involvement in GB3 yielded several podium placements, encompassing one triumph, yet Esterson encountered challenges in F3 with Jenzer Motorsport, accumulating points on merely two instances throughout 2024.
Expectedly, the transition to F2 with Trident has proven arduous, in spite of Esterson’s participation in the concluding two rounds of 2024 as preparation. The New York City resident has achieved a highest qualifying position of 14th this season, accompanied by a top race result of 10th at the Red Bull Ring.
Esterson briefly held second position in the Jeddah feature race and third at the Red Bull Ring, attributable to delayed pitstops until the last feasible moment. Aside from such instances, he has never genuinely threatened the points-scoring positions.
Esterson and Trident mutually terminated their partnership after the Monza event.
7. Conor Daly
Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
Period of Activity: 2013-2014
Highest Championship Standing: 26th in both 2013 and 2014
Races Participated In: 20
Pole Positions Achieved: 0
Victories Recorded: 0
Podium Finishes Secured: 0
Points Earned: 4
Best Race Result: 7th
As the offspring of Irish Formula 1 driver Derek, Conor Daly transitioned to GP2 on a full-time basis in 2014, subsequent to dedicating the preceding two seasons as a frontrunner in GP3 with the esteemed ART Grand Prix squad, ultimately securing third place in the standings for 2013.
Daly experienced an initial foray into GP2 with Hilmer Motorsport during the opening round of that particular year, clinching seventh position in the Sepang sprint race. Subsequently, he committed to the series full-time in 2014 with the underdog Lazarus outfit. Correspondingly, his sole points-scoring finish materialized as a seventh-place result in the Hungaroring sprint. He never qualified beyond 15th position, and was generally outpaced by teammate Nathanael Berthon.
Since then, Daly has regularly competed in IndyCar, despite failing to secure a race victory across 126 attempts, notwithstanding coming close on several instances.
Santino Ferrucci, Trident
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Time Active: 2017-2018
Highest Championship Position: 19th in 2018
Races Participated In: 23
Pole Positions Attained: 0
Wins Recorded: 0
Podium Appearances: 0
Championship Points Accumulated: 11
Finest Race Result: 6th
Santino Ferrucci has demonstrated consistency as a midfield competitor in nearly every series he has entered, encompassing European F3, GP3, IndyCar, and F2, where he amassed a limited number of points across two truncated seasons with Trident.
Ferrucci’s enduring legacy, pertaining to F1’s developmental series, might be attributed to his extracurricular escapades rather than on-track achievements.
His F2 tenure concluded subsequent to a Silverstone round where he unsuccessfully sought to incorporate a pro-Donald Trump livery – political expressions are forbidden on the vehicles.
Ferrucci collided with teammate Arjun Maini in the feature race, subsequently forcing the Indian driver off the track during the sprint. He was summoned by the stewards, yet failed to appear at the hearing, resulting in his disqualification from that specific contest.
The Connecticut-based driver also intentionally impacted Maini’s vehicle during the cool-down lap, prompting his own Trident team to denounce his “unsportsmanlike and, above all, uncivilized conduct” both on the track and within the paddock.
Ferrucci incurred a ban from the following two rounds, along with a €60,000 fine – supplemented by an additional €6,000 penalty for utilizing his phone within his racing vehicle. Indeed, all of the aforementioned events transpired during the same race weekend.
Several months later, an Italian court mandated Ferrucci to remit €502,000 to the Trident team due to unmet financial obligations.
