Driver who never got the break

[FIA]

These are who I think were Underrtaed.:-
Pierluigi Martini: Superb at Minardi, deserved a Ferrari seat.
Jos Verstappen: Could have been a contender for the championship.
Stefano Modena: Realiable midfield driver.
Pedro De La Rosa: Seen Some great drives for Arrows and McLaren.

[Garry Walker]

Jos Verstappen: Could have been a contender for the championship.
.

please tell me you are joking. He wouldnt have won the championship even if he was driving the current McLaren and everyone else had Toyotas.

[jens]

Verstappen's "problem" was that he was inconsistent (and several current drivers are also described with the same word), but he definetely had the raw speed and was one of the best drivers in wet conditions. I have always thought he deserved another chance in a top team after Benetton '94, where a mix of inexperience, unluck and favouring of MS resulted in disappointing performances.

[SteveMcQueen]

There is nothing that indicates Bellof could have gone on to be as successful as Senna or Prost. Going by the same piece of logic, I could say "Yoong could have gone on to be as successful as Schumi, had you given him a Ferrari seat", but there is nothing at all to indicate that would have been the case.

You may be looking purely at his short F1 career.

Bellof dominated Sportscar Racing in the Porsche 956, regularly beat one of the best drivers ever in Jackie Ickx and became Worldchampion. Plus he is the one who nailed the fastest time ever recorded at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. These are some indications of pure speed that can not be ignored.

[futuretiger9]

Bellof seemed to possess the necessary raw material, but rarely got the opportunity to display it in F1. His displays in sportscars and F2 only hinted at what he may have achieved.

[ArrowsFA1]

Yoong never could realize his potential either...

It seems the mere fact that they both reached F1 is your argument after all.

[Garry Walker]

You may be looking purely at his short F1 career.

Bellof dominated Sportscar Racing in the Porsche 956, regularly beat one of the best drivers ever in Jackie Ickx and became Worldchampion. Plus he is the one who nailed the fastest time ever recorded at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. These are some indications of pure speed that can not be ignored.

Bellof was mighty in sportscars, but I would say that the level of driving in sportscars is quite much weaker than the one displayed in F1. Added to that, some drivers naturally suit sportscars much more than open-wheelers. I reckon that is the case with Bellof too. When he beat Jacky Ickx, Ickx was already nearing 40, so naturally his abilities were decreasing whilst Bellof was in his prime. Dont derive from his achievements in sportscars, that he would have gone on to do big things in F1. You simply cant compare those 2 like that.

How many F1 drivers have tried the Nordschleife with serious cars? So his record, whilst impressive, doesnt show it all.

It seems the mere fact that they both reached F1 is your argument after all.

No. I dont see the relevance your statement in the context.

[ArrowsFA1]

The point is that Yoong never showed anything like the level of potential we saw in Bellof. The level of each of their ability is as far apart as their names in a phone book.

Now that's not to say Bellof would have been a multiple GP winner or champion, but he was highly regarded by many. Then again, so was Stefano Modena and where did he go wrong?

[Garry Walker]

The point is that Yoong never showed anything like the level of potential we saw in Bellof. The level of each of their ability is as far apart as their names in a phone book.

He never had the chance to show it. Its taking drivers like Kimi 10K KM to start liking the car, Yoong pretty much never got to test at all.
Maybe he was like Mansell, who needed time? Remember, Mansell was the guy who didnt really ever outperform his teammates for much of his career. Especially at the beginning of it.

Now that's not to say Bellof would have been a multiple GP winner or champion, but he was highly regarded by many.

He was. But there is no need to make such statements that he could have equalled Senna or Prost, without their being any hint of proof of that.

I suspect that is the reason why the teambosses of Big teams hired Senna and werent interested in Bellof.

Actually, Ferrari were interested in signing Bellof, but had Alboreto and Arnoux under contract for the 85 season. When Ferrari sacked Rene after Rio, Tyrell wouldn't let Bellof go (partly because his impending Renault engine deal depended on Bellof being one of the drivers) so Johansson got the seat.