The 24 car Formula Two grid is full now, but the question is, who the hell’s on it? Or, since this is as much an analysis of what they are as who they are: what the hell’s on it?

There are six drivers with some degree of GP2 experience – some just a few races though. The most notable of them by far is Spain’s Andy Soucek, because he’s the only driver on the grid with any podium success in either the GP2 Series or GP2 Asia Series – and he’s had podiums in both. Having also competed in Superleague Formula last year and been a test driver for the Toyota Formula 1 team, he’s the most experienced driver on the grid, and therefore one of the favourites.

He’s not my favourite for the title though: that meaningless accolade goes to Canadian Robert Wickens. He took five podiums – including one win – from 14 starts in the 2008-9 A1GP season, for a team which scored no points when he wasn’t in the car. He also won a race in 2008 in each of World Series by Renault and Formula 3 Euro Series. Plus he’s a Red Bull Junior Team driver, and they know their onions.

So let’s summarise driver experience levels:

• 8 drivers – what I’ll call ‘international’ experience, meaning GP2, A1GP or World Series by Renault
• 5 drivers – Formula 3 of one form or another
• 7 drivers – either Formula Renault or Formula BMW somewhere in the world
• 4 drivers – moving straight up from Formula Palmer Audi

It’s a varied field, then. But also – crucially – a field of equals, since all cars are run by MotorSport Vision. So we could well get a relatively unknown name surprising us. To that end, I’m going to pick out Italian Mirko Bortolotti. In 2008 he won the Italian Formula 3 championship, and was a test driver for the Ferrari Formula 1 team. He’s in the Red Bull Junior Team too. What more do you want?

To tie up a couple of loose ends: there are 3 Red Bull Junior Team entrants; and 3 drivers who’ve held positions as Formula 1 test drivers. Both encouraging signs for the standard of driving we’ll see.

How old are these 23 men and one woman? Six will be as young as 18 when the first race starts at the end of May; one will be as old as 26; the average age will be 20 at the start of the season.

And where do these folk come from? It’s heavily European, unsurprisingly. Britain is comfortably best represented, with 6 drivers taking up a quarter of the grid. Next is Italy, with 3 drivers; then 2 from Spain and 2 from Germany. Finally 1 from each of Austria, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, India, Lithuania, Russia, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland.

There’s overlap in some of these extremes. For example: all four drivers who are moving up from Formula Palmer Audi are British; and four of the six 18 year olds are British.

Formula Two is an uncommon championship in that it’s at quite a high level, but completely down to driver skill (and luck). For that reason, those with some pedigree – like Soucek and Wickens – have a lot to lose, should they be outclassed by – say – an 18 year old Brit coming from Formula Palmer Audi.

I only hope it turns out to be as fascinating on track as it is on paper.