Missed Opportunities

[52Paddy]

I was reading an ITV annual from the pre-2000 season build up. In it, was the team and driver profiles from 1999 and projected ideas for the coming season (2000.) Mentioned as possible drivers for that season were Juan Pablo Montoya (who would make his break the following year), Dario Franchitti (who went to Indycars), Bruno Junqueira (who did likewise) and Jorg Muller (who went down the touring car road.) Now, those 3 latter drivers are unlikely ever going to appear in an official F1 race. Over the years, there have surely been other drivers in the pipeline for a drive, which never materialised and now, its looks unlikely that they ever will get a chance. Drivers who were a team's test driver and never actually raced, count in this instance.

I have to say that I'd be surprised if Gary Paffett makes an F1 drive having spent so much time now in touring cars.

[wedge]

JPM was loaned out to Ganassi by Williams

Dario was at his peak in Champcars, was offered the Jaguar ride but turned it down because he viewed them as a second rate team.

Junqueira lost out to Button in the very close testing shoot out and went off to America and completely ignored.

The strange one I remember well is Gil De Ferran was ignored by the F1 fraternity even though he was doing good things at Walker Racing in Champcars despite being F3000 champion.

[Saint Devote]

JPM was loaned out to Ganassi by Williams

Dario was at his peak in Champcars, was offered the Jaguar ride but turned it down because he viewed them as a second rate team.

Junqueira lost out to Button in the very close testing shoot out and went off to America and completely ignored.

The strange one I remember well is Gil De Ferran was ignored by the F1 fraternity even though he was doing good things at Walker Racing in Champcars despite being F3000 champion.

Eh?
Franchitti was offered nothing. He tested for Jaguar in the wet alongside Tomas Scheckter and he was SLOW.

There were "excuses" muttered but in reality Franchitti has never been f1 material and never considered by anyone. He remained in the United States - nowhere near as difficult a racing environment.

And discovered that he was no better in NASCAR - hence a "return to daddy" - IndyCars.

Gil de Ferran - He did everything at the time required as far as performance - problem was his class of drivers in f3000 were never highly rated and decided against a 3rd year and he never did the financial work many drivers have to do to reach f1. This means striving for sponsorship to get an f1 contract.

He preferred to race in the US being paid.

Andy Wallace. British F3 champion in 1986. Won Le Mans for Jaguar. Never got near an F1 car.

Marc Hynes. British F3 champion in 1999. Beat Jenson Button. Never got near an F1 car....didn't even get a drive the following year in any category.

Alain Ferte. F2 & F3000 race winner...during the 'boom' time for French motorsport...ended up racing trucks.

Gary Brabham. F3 British championship runner up & British F3000 champion. Did two GP meetings with the infamous Life....completing less than 3 laps. Hardly what his talent deserved.

[ArrowsFA1]

Franchitti was offered nothing. He tested for Jaguar in the wet alongside Tomas Scheckter and he was SLOW.

According to Dario:

"In many ways I wish I hadn't done the Jaguar test. They were having a difficult time in the Formula One world championship and couldn't do the job properly. They have apologised to me for that."

[Sonic]

So many good drivers; just not enough seats to go around.

Jan Magnussen comes to mind but for different reasons. SOooooo quick in every other series. Got that one of ride at the Pacific GP in '95 as was anonymous in the mid-field. He was driving a bucket of a mac though so I expected him to show more in his full time seat at Stewart - but sadly he just proved not up to the challenge.

We could also have an equally long thread of pants drivers who did make it to F1 - Michael Andretti anyone

[wedge]

And discovered that he was no better in NASCAR - hence a "return to daddy" - IndyCars.

Good enough to partner Bernd Schneider for AMG in DTM, jumped straight to Kool Green after impressing in the minnow Hogan team in CART.

Dario jumped to NASCAR at the wrong time. Last year Ganassi was struggling to run 2 cars let alone 3.

[52Paddy]

Andy Wallace.

Marc Hynes.

Alain Ferte.

There have been countless amounts of talented drivers who never made if to F1. This thread was more aimed at drivers who were actually strongly in contention for a seat, maybe even had testing behind them for a team (e.g. Jorg Muller), but never actually got the race opportunity for whatever reason. Drivers (like Gary Brabham) who never managed to qualify because of their car's or their own lack of ability, at least had the opportunity to give it a shot to get onto the grid. Some people didn't even get to do that.

But thanks for the info anyway.

[BDunnell]

Jan Magnussen comes to mind but for different reasons. SOooooo quick in every other series. Got that one of ride at the Pacific GP in '95 as was anonymous in the mid-field. He was driving a bucket of a mac though so I expected him to show more in his full time seat at Stewart - but sadly he just proved not up to the challenge.

Would he have gone further in a different team, the boss of which didn't attempt to teach him to drive? I'm not sure. Everything one reads about that time, including Magnussen's own words, suggest that he maybe wasn't particularly well-prepared mentally for F1.

[BeansBeansBeans]

Would he have gone further in a different team, the boss of which didn't attempt to teach him to drive? I'm not sure. Everything one reads about that time, including Magnussen's own words, suggest that he maybe wasn't particularly well-prepared mentally for F1.

There's the famous story of the McLaren team walking through an airport en route to a race when Magnussen's suitcase burst open to reveal all his possesions stuffed in haphazardly and all his clothes scrunched-up. On spying this, the notoriously fastidious Ron Dennis decided he didn't have the right mental make-up for F1 success.

There's also the fact that he was a chain-smoker and had a child very young, which didn't really fit into the modern F1 driver lifestyle.