The best of currently retired drivers

[zako85]

Deffently not Petrov that's for sure!
Other then the Abu Dhabi race in 2010 he was extremely poor! He didn't deserve a seat in f1 in my opinion

I'd disagree with that. Petrov was pretty much at least as good as Hedfeld and Kovalainen the time when he was their teammate. It's not too bad to be able to reach that level in just three years. A solid and consistent midfield driver. The problem with this is that in Formula 1, a driver that's about as good as the guy next to him is pretty much expendable, and this is what happened with Petrov after 2011 and then after 2012. I certainly don't think we have seen a proof Petrov's potential for a greatness yet. After all, the guy had spent three years in GP2 before getting into F1.

But speaking of which, I kind of wonder why Petrov didn't get a full time job in some other motorsport for 2013. Granted, Caterham took too long to make a decision for 2013. I remember that Petrov's manager said in 2012 that Petrov is kind of interested in rallying as an alternative once his F1 career is over.

[Garry Walker]

Given the lack of a heated debate, it looks like the departed F1 drivers are missed, but not much. My personal favorite:

Bourdais: He may have looked bleak racing the same car with Vettel, but the guy is still a great talent, having competed successfully in open wheels (3 time Champ Car champion) and sports cars (3 time 2nd place finish in LMP1 class in 24 hours of Le Mans). Unfortunately, he was stuck driving with not so great cars/teams in IndyCar the last couple of years. Still, it was kind of funny to see this guy go take a part in a couple races as a "guest" in V8SC and Grand Am prototypes last year, and teach them a lesson by winning both.
.

Bourdais is very overrated, he was actually a 4 time champ in champ car, but this was against weak fields. Look at who were his biggest rivals -Junquiera, Servia, Tracy, Wilson - all ok drivers, but not worthy of being declared as great drivers. In f1 he never amounted to anything.

I personally would like to see Heidfeld back and also Glock. Both still would deserve a seat in F1. Kobayashi was a racer, I'd also like to see him back. He was quick enough and was always entertaining.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I don't see how Perez ended up in McLaren and Kareful Kobayashi ended up without a drive. They seemed evenly matched over 2 seasons as teammates. Maybe McLaren just need a pay driver these days.

Speaking of pay drivers, that's what Petrov was. Apart from keeping Alonso behind him on a track that's impossible to overtake on and a lucky podium at Malaysia, what did he actually do?

[zako85]

I don't see how Perez ended up in McLaren and Kareful Kobayashi ended up without a drive. They seemed evenly matched over 2 seasons as teammates. Maybe McLaren just need a pay driver these days.

Speaking of pay drivers, that's what Petrov was. Apart from keeping Alonso behind him on a track that's impossible to overtake on and a lucky podium at Malaysia, what did he actually do?

Almost everyone is a pay driver. That's how things work IMHO. I viewed Petrov as a classic pay driver before the end of 2010, but he seemed to have improved since 2010. Having said that, what did Heidfeld do in 2011 or Kovalainen in 2012? They were about even with Petrov. The cars they drove were relatively mediocre.

[Sage-sg]

David Coulthard was not bad driver of Formula One.

[Coulthard Fan]

Agreed! Petrov didn't do anything worthy of an F1 Drive!
A lot like Bruno Senna extremely fortunate to get a drive!

[steveaki13]

I personally would like to see Heidfeld back and also Glock. Both still would deserve a seat in F1. Kobayashi was a racer, I'd also like to see him back. He was quick enough and was always entertaining.

Agree.

These 3 drivers are way better than some in and around F1 lately.

[tfp]

I don't see how Perez ended up in McLaren and Kareful Kobayashi ended up without a drive. They seemed evenly matched over 2 seasons as teammates. Maybe McLaren just need a pay driver these days.

Speaking of pay drivers, that's what Petrov was. Apart from keeping Alonso behind him on a track that's impossible to overtake on and a lucky podium at Malaysia, what did he actually do?

Pits pretty difficult to prove yourself in a back marker car though....

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Pits pretty difficult to prove yourself in a back marker car though....

If you consistently beat your team-mate you can. I don't remember Petrov regularly outpacing Heideld or Kovalainen or Senna. More often than not he was a few tenths off his team-mates pace but people said 'he's doing alright considering he has come from Lada racing'

Petrov was better than we expected him to be but he did nothing to convince me he was anything more than a pay driver.

[RedBullian1]

Bruno Senna???????