1970-1979 Formula 2 Point Scorers who did not make it to Formula 1

Formula 2 was conceived in the 40s as a steppingstone category to Grand Prix, replacing the 30’s voiturettes. In the 60’s, after some seasons in which only Formula 1 and Formula Junior existed as single seaters category in European racing, F2 came back in 1966 and an European Championship was created in 1967. This championship ran non-stop until 1984, when it was replaced by Formula 3000. Current Formula 2 only shares the name with the old 2.0 liter cars (the engine size from 1972 to 1984, before that, 1.6 liter), and have much larger engine capacities and power. Additionally, while a large number of Formula 2 participants, championship winners and point scorers, and even some non-point scorers, made it to Formula 1 in the above mentioned period, the same cannot be said of GP2 (which was recently renamed Formula 2) drivers. Making to Formula 2 at present is not really a guarantee you will ever drive a F-1 car in the world championship. In fact, generally two, tops three Formula 2 graduates find rides in Formula 1 every year, while many Formula 2 drivers got the chance to drive at least once in F1 (such as Jose Dolhem, Gerard Larrousse, Francois Mazet, etc).

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Jean-Pierre Jaussaud in 1971

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So much for trying

Ok, I myself have a little trouble saying that a guy was unlucky in racing, having raced for many years, winning dozens upon dozens of races, championships, and even earning the accolade of "brilliant". However, I felt very sorry for Bob Wollek's earliest forays in the DRM, in the 70's.

I for one thought that Wollek deserved a chance in F1. Many a lesser men (and a few women) drove in the category in the mid-seventies, when Wollek was one of the main Formula 2 drivers. Yet, I suppose team managers either unfairly did not think much of him, or thought there were too many Frenchmen in the category.

Be that as it may, Wollek ended up driving GTs, and eventually, sports cars of all descriptions, having already proven to be good in the category, while driving for Matra-Simca at Le Mans, and Chevrons elsewhere.

Bob found a nice home at the Kremer brothers team, which was already one of the top Porsche teams.

There stood a stone in Wollek's foot, the GELO Team. The team owned by Georg Loos won the European GT Championship in 1976, with Toine Hezemans, the first fully contested by Wollek. The Frenchman had, however, shown an upper hand in the World Championship of Makes.

In 1977, GELO hired Rolf Stommellen, and I followed with much interest the closely fought battle between  Rolf and Bob all season. The German ended up winning, so the score was Gelo 2 x Kremer 0.



Rolf ended up lured back into Formula 1 for 1978, and also into a questionable Toyota Group 5 project by Schnitzer, so the road was clear for Wollek. It was not to be. Toine Hezemans was rehired by Loos, and he won the big banger division of the championship, while Harald Ertl carried overall honors. Gelo 3 x Kremer 0.

For 1979, Wollek did what any human being with a brain would do. If you cannot beat them join them, and that is what he did - he jumped to the Gelo camp, while Klaus Ludwig was hired by Kremer.

The rest is history. Kremer came up with the K3 revised Porsche 935 that year, and Ludwig won all but one race in the championship, his only defeat coming from Gelo's Wollek! 

Eventually, after so much trying, Wollek did win the DRM, but the Kremer/Loos thing of his early tries must have unsettled him a bit.

Carlos de Paula is a translator, writer and auto racing historian based in Miami