Lukoil-backed Sergey Afanasiev was a genuine frontrunner
throughout his maiden season in Formula Two, and the Russian
rounded out a superb year by clinching third overall in the very
final race of the season - becoming only the third ever Russian to
earn eligibility for an FIA Superlicence in the process.
Consistency proved to be they key for the 22-year-old, and
incredibly he managed to score points in 15 of the 18 races - a
record only matched by eventual champion Dean Stoneman.
He started strongly, finishing on the podium in the very first
race at Silverstone, before claiming the runner-up spot in the
second race at Monza - his best result of the season.
Sergey then mounted a fantastic run-in which saw him claim
top-five finishes in the final seven races of the season. That run
also included podiums at Brno, where he qualified third and held
position for the duration of the race, and Oschersleben, where he
also scored his maiden pole position of the year for the first
race. Such consistency and pace ensured he remained in contention
for third throughout the season, before two solid fifth-place
finishes at Valencia allowed him to finally secure the position,
edging out Kazim Vasiliauskas by just four points.
Sergey's F2 campaign followed a similarly successful season in
International Formula Master where he finished runner-up to Fabio
Leimer. He has also enjoyed success in a variety of Formula Renault
championships, most notably in 2006 when he finished runner-up in
the Swiss series with six wins, nine podiums and eight pole
positions.