1. Davide Valsecchi
Not every F2 champion deserves to be an F1 Driver, but Davide wasn't just any F2 champion. Davide had a ton of GP2 experience by the time he won in his title. But in all fairness he collected the GP2 Asia crown just the year prior. He was literally inches from an F1 drive, when in 2013 (the year following his title victory) his Lotus team had Kimi-Raikkonen related health issues for two upcoming races. As the test driver, it seemed only natural he'd be the one to step up to take the reins. Unfortunately, we know how this story ends. Instead, it was Heikki Kovalainen who drove the Lotus for two race in 2013. Heikki scored zero points, and Valsecchi never saw the paddock again. That is, until he returned as a tv presenter for Sky Sports. He's wildly entertaining, but not the kind of driver you'd want to see sidelined.
2. Stefano Coletti
Ah, the pre-Charles Leclerc, Charles Leclerc. This Monegasque driver had hype built up all around him. But like a house of cards, it suddenly all came crashing down. If you're not a decade-long fan of the sport is unlikely you've ever even heard of Coletti. And that's for good reason. Out of all the drivers on this list, his career post-F1 dreams has been by far the worst. (Apart from Valsecchi who all but retired following his GP2 title). Coletti's was a name thrown around a bunch during the 2013/14 season. After a few full season in the sport, he seemed destined to take it. After a few races he was in first, but much like Schwartzman's campaign from 2020, it all fell apart so quickly. He plummeted down the standings, falling all the way down to 6th by the end of the campaign. Despite two wins and five podiums, Coletti was driven circles around by future F1 talents like Stoffel Vandoorne, and Jolyon Palmer. The final indignity was finishing behind Johnny Cecotto Jr. Coletti is forever one of those examples of a driver who was almost good enough for F1, but was never quick at that level.
3. Nyck de Vries
Usually F2 champions get some run-ins with F1 teams. That's what made Nyck de Vries' sudden exit from the Formula system so surprising. The explosion of promoted F2 drivers the following year made the new sting even harder. De Vries raced successfully in a variety of European junior Formulas. He picked up two regional Formula Renault titles, but his real crowning achievement was of course, his F2 title. De Vries originally signed to the McLaren Young Driver Programme. Planning on following in Hamilton's footsteps, De Vries really did rocket up the ranks. He won titles in almost every category he competed in. In 2019 he hit a road block however. By the time De Vries reached his peak, McLaren already had Lando Norris signed on as their star of the future. Unwilling to budge on Sainz's place either, de Vries would have to look elsewhere for his shot in F1. Usual teams with high turnover like Williams and Alfa both had either young drivers for the future already (Russell and Giovinnazi), or older heads with huge sponsorship deals (Kubica and Raikkonen). Neither were in a place to accept a new driver. De Vries got somewhat of a lifeline when Mercedes signed him up to join their new FE team. If you don't follow, he's currently third in the championship. That bodes well for his post-F1 career, but the routes back in are slim. Overall.I think F1 lot more by not testing out de Vries than de Vries himself will lose, but it's still a shame to say he never got the chance to succeed in F1.
