What Are They Doing In F1?

F1 is for the young then? Cobblers, they are there because they've earned the right.

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Originally Posted by Erki

F1 is just a means to sports and touringcars as that's where most of the ex F1 pilots go. Or NASCAR. Kinda lika a feeder series.

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you're a funny guy :laugh:

back on topic maybe it's that all "old" F1 drivers of this season are considered to be not WDC material so everyone is expecting to retire soon.
I don't think experienced drivers are no longer required in F1, just remember that M.Schumacher could have get any drive on any team this season if he wanted to and he's 38!, drivers with no future is what F1 no longer requires ;) (sorry Rubens!)

To be honest I'm getting sick of this experienced driver bashing and the obsession with young drivers too, maybe it's because I'm approaching my mid 20s and I'll admit to being a little jealous of all these drivers as much as 5 years younger than me popping up all over the spot (a mid mid life crisis? lol), but I've grown up watching the likes of Rubens, DC, Ralf, Trulli and Fisi entering the sport. Are any of them truly outstanding drivers? No, but you only get maybe 4 or 5 of those every generation, they've been around F1 a while and have had some success, developed their personalities, and fans have developed a familiarity with them.

Of course you need new blood every season but we have that, and while the aforementioned drivers don't raise the same emotions as some of the more charismatic drivers of the past, I can still connect with them more than the latest robot-like teenager to be spat off one of the manufacturers' driver development production lines - no matter how talented they are.

Age wouldn't be a factor if the driver was at or near the top of the grid. However if they are just mid-pack and have been in F1 for 10 years or more, that's when the questions are asked.

Yuji Ide was 31 when he got his F1 drive, yet nobody was saying how he should retire (we were just saying how he was crap).

I can't seem to remember everyone wanting Schumacher or Barrichello to retire in say, 2004, for example.

Marcus Gronholm in the WRC is a title contender and winning rounds at age 39. Paul Tracy is still regularly on the podium in ChampCar at the age of 38. Troy Bayliss won the World Superbike Championship and a MotoGP race last year aged 37.

Now if these drivers were regularly mid-grid and often out of the points then I'm sure they would be out of their sports as well.

I honestly don't think this is a problem in F1. If they beat their team-mates and do fairly well then they keep their drives. If not, they're replaced. Same for any driver of any age.

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Originally Posted by BeansBeansBeans

They do a job they love and are paid hondsomely. If teams are still prepared to employ them, why on earth would they leave? Many teams see benefits in employing experienced drivers. Signing David Coulthard was, in my opinion, a very shrewd move by Red Bull.

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I have to agree! I'd take one of their paychecks for driving an F1 car around all day (I'd even do it for half price!) Actually, I think the older drivers know how to develop a car better than many of the upcoming young drivers. A team ideally would probably want an experienced driver to develop the car and a young hotshot with blinding speed to race it. Most of the teams have to make a compromise since there aren't that many sure bets like Lewis Hamilton out there.

Well I think DC made is case today quite nicely ;)

I think DC showed us today why he is in F1. Shame his car/engine wasnt up to the job

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Originally Posted by DimitraF1

Barichello, coulthard,ralf,trulli, they race so many years,whats left to prove? waiting for the best team to catch them?no way and they know that...
they like publicity? they like money?they like driving?i see absolutely nothing to gain so many years ,ok they won some races but thats it! now what?

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What's with this attitude of thinking people should quit if they are no longer at the front of races. In your 30s you shouldn't be thinking about quitting your job. Red Bull, Honda or Toyota could all quite conceivably build a race winning car in the next year or two and they could end up champions. None of them have one a world championship so they still have personal targets to meet. Of course they love the driving and the money, who wouldn't? If all the old drivers quit it would just mean the new drivers wouldn't be able to prove themselves against the established stars.

Lets just think about it. You get paid millions of £'s to race the fastest, most hi-tech cars in the world. Why would you consider quitting? I think that DC and Reubens still think they can be WDC :\

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Originally Posted by Ian McC

Well I think DC made is case today quite nicely ;)

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Abso...****in'....lutely...!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D