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How are all 52 Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars shipped around the world?
by Samarth Kanal
7min read
The 2025 FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships will comprise 48 races involving 52 cars around the globe - but who takes care of the shipping and logistics?
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The FIA feeder series have already undergone pre-season testing in Spain before the opening races of the season in Australia. After that, F3 will hold nine more rounds in countries such as Bahrain, Belgium and Italy, while F2 will also hold flyaway races in Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Qatar.
For the FIA, which governs the championships, and Formula Motorsport Limited (FML), which organises F2 and F3, it’s quite the undertaking to ensure 52 cars can be shipped around the world in time for their races. And there’s plenty at stake given how competitive these championships are.
As the championships’ director of operations, Marco Codello is the person who oversees the logistics of F2 and F3.
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The 2025 Formula 2 and Formula 3 seasons began in Australia in March
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From Australia to Abu Dhabi
F2 and F3 play undercard to Formula 1 throughout the year but, while each F1 team takes care of its own shipping and logistics, the feeder series rely on a centralised system - using F1’s own cargo partners to ship the cars and tools around the world.
Centralisation is key to keeping costs down for F2 and F3 teams; hospitality and media are also taken care of by the organisation.
In late February 2025, both championships conducted pre-season testing in Barcelona, Spain - bringing their own cars and equipment to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya using their own race trucks.
“After that, they pack everything up and we fly their cars and tools to Melbourne in one [Boeing] 777-8. That fits the entire F2 grid [of cars], and there’s another identical cargo plane for F3,” says Codello.
An example of a Boeing 777 plane used by F2 and F3 to transport cars and tools around the world
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These planes are chartered and organised by F1 with logistics partner DHL taking care of the handling - but the amount of freight shipped for F2 and F3 is much less than for F1 as teams are given space for their cars (two F2 cars or three F3 cars) plus an extra box for tools and other necessities.
Teams receive their gear on a set day that can shift depending on the destination, but FML generally aims to give F2 and F3 their freight by 8am on the Tuesday before the race.
“We try to reduce and optimise the process as much as possible in order not to extend the days for the teams. So, the cutoff date is generally Tuesday… The teams arrive, they find everything packed up in their garages.”
F2 and F3 teams will spend Wednesday preparing their cars for the upcoming practice and qualifying sessions and then the race weekend begins. As with F1 teams, there’s little time after the race to rest; teams have to pack their freight by 10pm on Sunday to have it ready as soon as possible to fly out to the next round.
Given the strict limit on operational staff members for F2 teams - who are allowed 12 operational staff members to set-up, modify, and repair two cars - and F3 teams, who are allowed 11 operational staff members, they have a long weekend and a tough job on Tuesday and Sunday.
“Keep in mind that F2 teams operate with 12 operational staff, who do everything. They might fly one or two people just to have them packing and unpacking, but from Thursday until Sunday, they operate with 12 staff,” says Codello.
Codello does point out that F2 and F3 generally finish their feature races before F1 teams begin Sunday’s grand prix, “and they have not even close to the amount of freight as F1 teams”.
F2 teams have just 12 nominated trackside staff per round
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Boxed in
F2 implemented a new car in 2024 and, in 2025, F3 has a brand-new machine as well.
Generally, technical demands shape the size and shape of a new car. For example, the 2024 F2 car was based around a greater focus around ground-effect aerodynamics, with Venturi tunnels underneath the floor - which increased the length of the car.
Furthermore, safety features such as strengthened body panels and onboard fire extinguishers can affect the weight of a new car.
However, freight demands are also considered when designing a new car for a spec championship such as F2 and F3.
“We also rethink the car based on the freight allowance in order for them to keep using exactly the same [freight equipment],” says Codello of the new-for-2025 F3 car.
Logistics is a small - but crucial - consideration when designing cars for a spec series like F3
“So, the car did not get any wider so it fit in the freight containers. It didn’t get too much longer for the same reason.
“Of course, the chassis itself has to meet FIA safety standards, so now that it’s slightly larger, we need new freight boxes - but that’s only one piece of equipment that needs to be rethought.”
The championships have also made changes in recent years to reduce the freight impact of their cars and tools.
Since 2023, F2 and F3 teams have been using electric wheelguns rather than hydraulic ones, doing away with large overhead pit gantries that F1 teams sport.
“If you have a look at the pitlane during an F2 or F3 race you'll see that they’re clean, flat - just the essential equipment. And this has a massive advantage, because everything's growing, growing, growing in terms of weight, in terms of volume. But we were able to reduce that.
“Of course, the teams are using the extra space to bring more stuff and to bring more spares, but it's part of the job, it's part of the game,” says Codello.
F3 cars raced in the wet in the opening feature race of the season at Melbourne
Sharing F1 equipment
Not only do F2 and F3 share F1 logistics, but they also share some F1 equipment during races.
During the race weekend, the junior championship teams migrate from their space in the support paddock to the main F1 paddock for races.
Their engineers sit at the very same pitwalls used by F1 teams, bringing their own laptops, but nothing else.
Not every F1 pitwall set-up is the same as they all differ in size. Last year, Haas had a three-person pitwall - which they implemented in 2023 to save money - and that meant one F2 or F3 team had to use that smaller pit set-up during a race. From 2025, Haas has expanded to a six-person pitwall.
The three-person Haas pitwall that was used in 2023 and 2024 before being doubled in size for 2025
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That might not seem fair, but there is some parity when it comes to which F1 pitwalls F2 and F3 teams use.
“Because we rotate the allocation of the teams every race event, it's not always the same team sitting on one F1 pitwall. The reason why we do that is for fairness, first of all,” says Codello.
“Since the cars can only exit the pitlane when the light goes green, if we always leave one team at the end of the pitlane and one team always at the top, of course the team at the start of the pitlane is going to have an advantage for the entire season.
“So, for this reason, the teams swap positions every race of the season.”
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Monaco introduces a challenge with a lack of space - and longer travel times between the F2/F3 paddock and the Formula 1 paddock
Not every pitlane is the same, either. At a purpose-built circuit such as Silverstone, the pit garages are large and teams have more space to build and set-up their cars. At temporary street circuits such as Monaco, there’s far less space.
“Monaco is a challenge, yes,” says Codello. “But in Monaco, teams all appreciate that being in Monaco is rewarding in itself - and we try to make it as nice as possible and neat as possible.”
Being in the Principality also means that F2 and F3 teams have a longer distance to lug their gear to the F1 pitlane than if they were at another venue.
“In Monaco we have two paddocks completely far apart for F2 and F3. It's the only place, otherwise F2 and F3 they are all together. So, going from place to place, you probably have to budget more time to go from one paddock to the other.
He concludes: “If you don't have a scooter there, you're done.”
