Results 1 to 10 of 12
Thread: Young drivers in F1
-
11th May 2007, 21:42 #1
- Join Date
- Jan 2001
- Location
- Sunny south coast
- Posts
- 16,345
- Like
- 0
- Liked 26 Times in 26 Posts
Young drivers in F1
Mario Theissen's comment, supported by Christian Horner, in today's press conference caught my eye:
"...with this year's test restrictions, you can hardly bring a young driver up to Formula One any more. There is just not enough opportunity."
Instead of complaining about testing restrictions, Theissen should be looking at McLaren's approach to Lewis Hamilton's career. He wasn't lifted out of Formula Renault and "locked away" in Woking, he was allowed to develop as a driver in a variety of series, racing around the world, gaining experience, which he is now putting to good use.
Horner says"I think it's going to be very tough for youngsters under the current regulations and testing agreement to actually break into running in the car because track time is at an absolute premium and I can't see us putting youngsters in the car before the end of the season."
This seems more about teams wanting to put pressure on the FIA for more testing, and they're using the youngsters as a smokescreen.Riccardo Patrese - 256GPs 1977-1993
-
11th May 2007, 23:18 #2
- Join Date
- Mar 2002
- Posts
- 6,410
- Like
- 0
- Liked 32 Times in 32 Posts
I agree that testing should be restricted but I also agree with the team principle's case in point.
It seems almost next to useless having test drivers now because the current regulations are so restrictive.
What if you in a similar predicament to Gary Paffet or Piquet Jr and you desperately want to be getting consistant track time? From their perspective it doesn't seem right that you have 3 drivers sharing a car at a test session, and only during the latter stages of the season where you're expecting more track time.
Yes, its all very well gaining race experience, but you also need to understand driving an F1 car, especially if you're someone like Massa - IMHO - jumped to F1 race seat too early.The world according to Taki Inoue: https://mobile.twitter.com/takiinoue/st ... 7249326080
-
12th May 2007, 10:45 #3
- Join Date
- Jan 2001
- Location
- Sunny south coast
- Posts
- 16,345
- Like
- 0
- Liked 26 Times in 26 Posts
Originally Posted by wedge
Perhaps there should be a series between F1 and GP2 for these rookies/testers who could run year old F1 chassis and get all the experience they need.Riccardo Patrese - 256GPs 1977-1993
-
12th May 2007, 11:34 #4
- Join Date
- Nov 2001
- Posts
- 4,077
- Like
- 0
- Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Young racing drivers need Seat Time... seat time.... seat time !!!
There is no substitute for the experience gained under actual race conditions.
Ron Dennis & McLaren handled Lewis's schooling very well. He's young, yes... but with year's of experience by being groomed for driving in Formula 1. Not every 10 or 12 year old gets this opportunity.
Prehaps teams are signing up the youngsters too early in their careers... thereby having too many butts for too few seats.
Example: see Red Bull & NA$CAR testing and signing drivers to long-term contracts... when these kids are 15/16 years old. Helping them out by funding teams in the lower series would be much better than the... indentured serve-a-tude contracts some of these kids are signing.
There is a changing of the guard happening now @ all racing levels. Young drivers (very early 20's)... are pushing the older drivers out to pasture and there's another generation right behind them.
-
12th May 2007, 11:35 #5
- Join Date
- Aug 2004
- Posts
- 5,394
- Like
- 0
- Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1
-
12th May 2007, 11:42 #6
- Join Date
- Feb 2001
- Posts
- 18,921
- Like
- 0
- Liked 8 Times in 6 Posts
Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1When in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout
-
12th May 2007, 14:17 #7
- Join Date
- May 2002
- Location
- Leeds, England
- Posts
- 2,972
- Like
- 0
- Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I haven't bothered working this out, but I would hazard a guess that the average age of the grid is lower than it used to be, so proportionally speaking, there is more opportunity for "younger drivers".
The difference being, a couple of decades ago a younger driver could hone his skills in a Dallara, Minardi, AGS or Rial, whereas the insistence of limiting F1 to a "closed shop" to 12 teams (despite there being a surplus of entries for 2008) has the knock on effect of limiting opportunities for talented up and coming drivers
-
12th May 2007, 15:54 #8
- Join Date
- Sep 2001
- Location
- Here
- Posts
- 25,044
- Like
- 0
- Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
If we still had rep on these forums I'd be handing out a bucketload of greens for Arrows' posts on this thread
Useful F1 Twitter thingy: http://goo.gl/6PO1u
-
12th May 2007, 16:00 #9
- Join Date
- Sep 2002
- Location
- Filming episode 18 of Bob called 'Richard, I am your father!' Bob's long lost son!
- Posts
- 9,646
- Like
- 0
- Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I expect a lot of the teams will now be out looking for the 'next Lewis Hamilton' though probably with mixed results, Lewis is going to be the exception rather than the rule.
The route to F1 is quite clear (varying on each countries domestic series) it's Formula BMW, Formula Renault, F3, GP2 and F1. Not all of those series need to be done, Kimi missed two of them.Jim Raynor will be returning soon!
-
12th May 2007, 16:23 #10
- Join Date
- Oct 2000
- Posts
- 19,975
- Like
- 0
- Liked 19 Times in 15 Posts
what they should do is combine gp2 and champ car with a Euro and Americas division. Then a 5 race shootout at the end of the year. let the youngsters RACE AT HIGH SPEED which is what they need !!!!!
Obama to Biden - "Let the Welfare checks rain upon the Earth - I am going to a barbecue"
generic cialis 20 mg canada
FIA and Formula 1 have released...