At this weekend’s Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, the FIA Formula 2 Championship roars back into life with its first races of 2018, not only marking the start of a new campaign in F1’s direct feeder series, but also acting as the precursor to t🌳he beginning of the🔜 motorsport season across the majority of junior single-seater categories.

Drivers with aspirations of be🐻coming the next Lewis Hamilton’s a🦩nd Fernando Alonso’s of the motorsport world begin their respective championship bids as they look to move up the single-seater ladder and ultimately claim a spot on the F1 grid.

With F1 seats at a premium, and with an abundance of junior stars vying to impress in top tier single-seater championships such as F2, GP3 and FIA ꦐEuropean Formula 3, 2018 will arguably present the following drivers with the biggest challenge of their lives as they aim to carve out a route to the top.

Here are just a handful of naꦉmes tipped for bright futures and seemingly on the cusp of elevation to F1, starting with one who might already be very familiar...