Drivers we'd have liked to see in F1

dragonsteincole · Post by **dragonsteincole** » 21 Jan 2010, 12:32

watka wrote:I've mentioned it somewhere before, but touring car door-banger Anthony Reid was very close to getting into F1.

Just read that tiny snippet it has about that, and it's still enough to make me feel gutted for him. It's not like most other cases where the test didn't go well or there was only the illusion of the drive. This was actually "We want you to drive for us."

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 21 Jan 2010, 14:49

dragonsteincole wrote:
watka wrote:I've mentioned it somewhere before, but touring car door-banger Anthony Reid was very close to getting into F1.

Just read that tiny snippet it has about that, and it's still enough to make me feel gutted for him. It's not like most other cases where the test didn't go well or there was only the illusion of the drive. This was actually "We want you to drive for us."

He might have done OK. Those early Jordans weren't too bad in the right hands.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 21 Jan 2010, 15:00

eagleash wrote:
dragonsteincole wrote:
watka wrote:I've mentioned it somewhere before, but touring car door-banger Anthony Reid was very close to getting into F1.

Just read that tiny snippet it has about that, and it's still enough to make me feel gutted for him. It's not like most other cases where the test didn't go well or there was only the illusion of the drive. This was actually "We want you to drive for us."

He might have done OK. Those early Jordans weren't too bad in the right hands.

The 1992 and 1993 cars were absolute shockers...

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 21 Jan 2010, 20:49

coops wrote:Good one. Nannini was a real wasted opportunity. Hows about Fabrizio Barbazza; I could never work out what happened to him. Or his hair. It was huge.

I'm here! Thanks for the vote of support. My hair needs no support as it has plenty already.

PS Not really.

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 21 Jan 2010, 20:57

Phoenix wrote:The 1992 and 1993 cars were absolute shockers...

92 was terrible
93 only looked kind of wierd, Capelli did not do a good job, neither did Boutsen, but Barichello and Irvine got the team pointing in the right direction after the total disaster the previous year.

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 21 Jan 2010, 21:06

Barbazza wrote:
coops wrote:Good one. Nannini was a real wasted opportunity. Hows about Fabrizio Barbazza; I could never work out what happened to him. Or his hair. It was huge.

I'm here! Thanks for the vote of support. My hair needs no support as it has plenty already.

PS Not really.

Here's an avatar for you.

mrtsbrother · Post by **mrtsbrother** » 21 Jan 2010, 21:37

Awesome driver pairing at their current age/ability - Mr B Eccleston and Mr F Briatore

coops · Post by **coops** » 22 Jan 2010, 15:13

Greg Moore.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 22 Jan 2010, 15:27

Of the American drivers I would have liked to see Al & Bobby Unser (the 60s ones) given more of a go. I think Bobby tested for f1 but nothing came of it.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 22 Jan 2010, 15:45

How funny, just earlier today I was thinking it would be interetsting to see Dario Franchitti in F1 and now I see this thread.

This site is getting an awful lot of "Internal Server Error"s, btw.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 22 Jan 2010, 18:09

Waris wrote:How funny, just earlier today I was thinking it would be interetsting to see Dario Franchitti in F1 and now I see this thread.

This site is getting an awful lot of "Internal Server Error"s, btw.

Trouble is F1 history is littered with drivers who are successful in America but not in F1, only Villeneuve & Mario have done well both really for only one year & under achieved thereafter. Montoya turned out to be a bit of a liability despite the spectacle he occasionally provided.

America's best F1 drivers don't seem to have the Indy/champ/cart background.

coops · Post by **coops** » 22 Jan 2010, 18:12

Don't forget the likes of Da Matta, Zanardi, and of course, Bourdais. Its almost unbelievable how far of the pace they generally were considering their Indy/Champ car successes.

elho · Post by **elho** » 22 Jan 2010, 18:46

Can Artam
Chanoch Nissany
Gil de Ferran
Ryan Briscoe

Debaser · Post by **Debaser** » 22 Jan 2010, 19:59

watka wrote:I've mentioned it somewhere before, but touring car door-banger Anthony Reid was very close to getting into F1.

His brother made Terrorhurtz for Robot Wars???!!! Most of my childhood memories are of F1 and Robot Wars, I was a fanatic. I'm now a massive fan of his, f**k you Eddie for not giving him that drive!

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 22 Jan 2010, 20:22

Paul Warwick

It would have been interesting to see how he fared in one of the F1 seasons his brother was in, which would mean 1993 would have been the only time, unfortunately due to the fates, Paul never got the oppertunity.

RIP.

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 23 Jan 2010, 19:50

Thanks very much for the avatar Shinji - it's perfect! I'd been looking for one for ages with no success...

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 23 Jan 2010, 20:40

Barbazza wrote:Thanks very much for the avatar Shinji - it's perfect! I'd been looking for one for ages with no success...

Berry welcome

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 23 Jan 2010, 21:15

Geoff Brabham, just to see if he could fare better than his brothers. David wasn't too bad in my opinion and Gary can't really be judged as he was driving a Life.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 23 Jan 2010, 21:43

Randy Mamola......just to see if he can run alongside a speeding F1 car holding on to the wheel & hopping in & out like he did with a bike................

Jeroen Krautmeir · Post by **Jeroen Krautmeir** » 15 May 2011, 08:08

Greg Moore
Paul Tracy
Al Unser Jr
Will Power

WeirdKerr · Post by **WeirdKerr** » 15 May 2011, 09:45

Bernd Maylander
Kelvin Burt
Oliver Gavin

DOSBoot · Post by **DOSBoot** » 15 May 2011, 15:41

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Sebastien Loeb. He did test a Torro Rosso once, but from what I heard, he doesn't qualify for a superlicence. (Despite being a seven time going on eight WRC champion.)

golic_2004 · Post by **golic_2004** » 16 May 2011, 19:28

Nuppiz wrote:
eagleash wrote:
dragonsteincole wrote:Speaking of characters, it would have been interesting to see Paul Tracy mixing with the long faces in the paddock.

I think Paul Tracy tested for Williams sometime in the 90s......if I remember rightly before the test he "all but had the drive", but it didn't go as well as planned & afterward it was as if it hadn't taken place?

Well, at least he tested for Benetton in 1994:

Wow. I say one gets better/tougher looking with age.

golic_2004 · Post by **golic_2004** » 16 May 2011, 19:31

Marc Hynes
Will Power
Klaus Graf
Marc Goossens
Greg Moore
Elton Julian

Post by **mario** » 16 May 2011, 21:12

DOSBoot wrote:I'm surprised no one has mentioned Sebastien Loeb. He did test a Torro Rosso once, but from what I heard, he doesn't qualify for a superlicence. (Despite being a seven time going on eight WRC champion.)

That is correct - the idea of having him test one of the Toro Rosso cars during the post season test sessions was that he'd complete over 300km in an F1 car, which in theory should have proved he was capable of handling one of those cars. However, there were a few issues with Loeb's application - for a start, essentially no experience with open wheeled cars (which seemed to be the main sticking point with the WMSC).
And even though Loeb has driven at the Le Mans 24 Hours in a LMP1 car (and his team finished 2nd overall, just behind one of the Audi R10's), he did say that, when asked about the idea recently, that his physical fitness was probably not quite high enough to drive at full speed for an entire race weekend. After all, if he was on the grid now, at 37 he'd be the third oldest driver there (only Schumacher and Barrichello, at 42 and 38 respectively, would be older, and Trulli almost the same age (about 4 months younger)) - it might not be impossible to match the fitness of the current drivers, but it'd have been harder, and clashed too much with his duties in rallying.

Anyway, speaking of the licences, here are the licence requirements for a super licence, according to Appendix L of the FIA's regulations on International Drivers licences:

5. Qualifi cation and conditions of issue for the Super Licence
The FIA Formula One Driver Super Licence is issued by the FIA.
5.1 Qualifi cations
5.1.1 The driver must be the holder of a current FIA International Grade A licence.
5.1.2 The driver must also satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
a) have made at least 5 starts in races counting for the FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers the previous year, or at least 15 starts within the previous 3 years.
b) have previously held the Super Licence and have been the regular test driver with an F1 World Championship team for the previous year.
c) have been classified, within the previous 2 years, in the first 3 of the final classification of: the F2 Championship, or the International F3 Trophy, or the GP2 Series, or the GP2 Asia Series or the Japanese F/Nippon Championship,
d) have been classified in the first 4 of the final classification of the Indycar IRL series within the previous 2 years,
e) be the current champion of one of the following:
- Formula 3 Euro Series
- The principal national F3 championships of: Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain
- World Series F/Renault V6
N.B.: the title of Champion is considered valid for 12 months from the last race of the relevant series or championship season.
f) be judged by the FIA to have consistently demonstrated outstanding ability in single-seater formula cars, but with no opportunity to qualify under any of c) to e) above. In this case the F1 team concerned must show that the applicant has driven at least 300 km in a current Formula One car consistently at racing speeds, over a maximum period of 2 days, completed not more than 90 days prior to the application and certifi ed by the ASN of the country in which the test took place.
By exception, if supported by the FIA Safety Commission, the FIA World Motor Sport Council may approve the issue of the Super Licence to persons judged by the Council to have met the intent of the qualification process.

So, looking at the regulations, Loeb will hold licence Grade R (which is used for FIA rallying and hill climbing events), and given that he briefly drove in the French GT championship, at some point he must have held a Grade B licence (which covers GT racing).

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 16 May 2011, 22:20

Me, although i'm young, and have plenty of time. :lol:

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 16 May 2011, 22:39

Talking about rally drivers: François Duval, would probably crash out of 90% of the races and win the other 10% in a dominating way.

ibsey · Post by **ibsey** » 17 May 2011, 06:41

Whislt on the subject of Rally drivers, I've always had a soft spot for Tommi Makkien, so it would have been great to see him in F1. He seemed to be an honest guy, who would have told it like it was & not told the usual corporate bull. I recall he tested the Williams in 1998 & clearly loved the experience.

Would have also liked to have seen Marcus Grönholm, purely to see what funny lines he might come up with after a race. Immediately after one rally SS, he said to a reporter the classic line of... "a stone when up Timo's (his Co Driver) ass".

Finally gotta wish Will Power was in F1 purely for the comical value of his name...here's just one example "Will Power gets rewarded by Virgin" :lol:

Faustus · Post by **Faustus** » 17 May 2011, 07:37

golic_2004 wrote:Marc Hynes

Superb driver and it's such a shame his career fizzled after winning the British F3 championship. He's the test driver for FV10 now.

GroupLotusRenault · Post by **GroupLotusRenault** » 17 May 2011, 08:27

mario wrote:
DOSBoot wrote:Anyway, speaking of the licences, here are the licence requirements for a super licence, according to Appendix L of the FIA's regulations on International Drivers licences:
5. Qualifi cation and conditions of issue for the Super Licence
The FIA Formula One Driver Super Licence is issued by the FIA.
5.1 Qualifi cations
5.1.1 The driver must be the holder of a current FIA International Grade A licence.
5.1.2 The driver must also satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
a) have made at least 5 starts in races counting for the FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers the previous year, or at least 15 starts within the previous 3 years.
b) have previously held the Super Licence and have been the regular test driver with an F1 World Championship team for the previous year.
c) have been classified, within the previous 2 years, in the first 3 of the final classification of: the F2 Championship, or the International F3 Trophy, or the GP2 Series, or the GP2 Asia Series or the Japanese F/Nippon Championship,
d) have been classified in the first 4 of the final classification of the Indycar IRL series within the previous 2 years,
e) be the current champion of one of the following:
- Formula 3 Euro Series
- The principal national F3 championships of: Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain
- World Series F/Renault V6
N.B.: the title of Champion is considered valid for 12 months from the last race of the relevant series or championship season.
f) be judged by the FIA to have consistently demonstrated outstanding ability in single-seater formula cars, but with no opportunity to qualify under any of c) to e) above. In this case the F1 team concerned must show that the applicant has driven at least 300 km in a current Formula One car consistently at racing speeds, over a maximum period of 2 days, completed not more than 90 days prior to the application and certifi ed by the ASN of the country in which the test took place.
By exception, if supported by the FIA Safety Commission, the FIA World Motor Sport Council may approve the issue of the Super Licence to persons judged by the Council to have met the intent of the qualification process.

So, looking at the regulations, Loeb will hold licence Grade R (which is used for FIA rallying and hill climbing events), and given that he briefly drove in the French GT championship, at some point he must have held a Grade B licence (which covers GT racing).

So its seem much harder to enter F1 now, Kimi Raikkien wouldnt be able to get a superlicence then

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 17 May 2011, 10:24

GroupLotusRenault wrote:
mario wrote:
DOSBoot wrote:Anyway, speaking of the licences, here are the licence requirements for a super licence, according to Appendix L of the FIA's regulations on International Drivers licences:

5. Qualifi cation and conditions of issue for the Super Licence
The FIA Formula One Driver Super Licence is issued by the FIA.
5.1 Qualifi cations
5.1.1 The driver must be the holder of a current FIA International Grade A licence.
5.1.2 The driver must also satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
a) have made at least 5 starts in races counting for the FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers the previous year, or at least 15 starts within the previous 3 years.
b) have previously held the Super Licence and have been the regular test driver with an F1 World Championship team for the previous year.
c) have been classified, within the previous 2 years, in the first 3 of the final classification of: the F2 Championship, or the International F3 Trophy, or the GP2 Series, or the GP2 Asia Series or the Japanese F/Nippon Championship,
d) have been classified in the first 4 of the final classification of the Indycar IRL series within the previous 2 years,
e) be the current champion of one of the following:
- Formula 3 Euro Series
- The principal national F3 championships of: Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain
- World Series F/Renault V6
N.B.: the title of Champion is considered valid for 12 months from the last race of the relevant series or championship season.
f) be judged by the FIA to have consistently demonstrated outstanding ability in single-seater formula cars, but with no opportunity to qualify under any of c) to e) above. In this case the F1 team concerned must show that the applicant has driven at least 300 km in a current Formula One car consistently at racing speeds, over a maximum period of 2 days, completed not more than 90 days prior to the application and certifi ed by the ASN of the country in which the test took place.
By exception, if supported by the FIA Safety Commission, the FIA World Motor Sport Council may approve the issue of the Super Licence to persons judged by the Council to have met the intent of the qualification process.

So, looking at the regulations, Loeb will hold licence Grade R (which is used for FIA rallying and hill climbing events), and given that he briefly drove in the French GT championship, at some point he must have held a Grade B licence (which covers GT racing).

So its seem much harder to enter F1 now, Kimi Raikkien wouldnt be able to get a superlicence then

Specially because you cannot do f) at any time you want as it was possible back then. You can only do this when the rookies test come by at the end of the season. Or hope that one team might be generous enough to concede them time during pre-season testing... You might though be hired as a driver for a team and do this process during pre-season. One must be hired first though, which, given the current lack of money, a big briefcase full of it might suffice. Hell, I was a billionaire I would buy myself a seat!

MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx · Post by **MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx** » 17 May 2011, 23:10

Perry McCarthy. He was at least as good as Blundell,Brundle or Herbert in the Brat Pack and tested for Benetton,putting in some good times,but they'd got Schumacher. If he'd been given a team that was capable of putting all four wheels on the car in the right spot and pointing it in the right direction,he'd have done well.

GroupLotusRenault · Post by **GroupLotusRenault** » 18 May 2011, 03:24

Richard Hammond, he tested a Renault F1 car from 2005. Ok didnt do the best, but would of done much better then a certain man in 2008-2009 who I wont say his name :evil:

dnhrudi · Post by **dnhrudi** » 18 May 2011, 04:36

Desire Wilson

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 18 May 2011, 05:58

Robby Gordon, his abilities at passing made Mansell and Kobayashi look insignificant.

David AGS · Post by **David AGS** » 18 May 2011, 09:45

Valentino Rossi???

From an Aussie side,
Peter 'Perfect' Brock,

and just for the name, Will Power

MansellsEyebrows · Post by **MansellsEyebrows** » 18 May 2011, 10:36

David AGS wrote:Valentino Rossi???

and just for the name, Will Power

two brilliant ideas there.

also, Adrian Fernandez and Jimmy Vasser. I can see a theme developing here.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 18 May 2011, 16:05

I don't know if it has been mentioned here, but Paul Tracy.

Bleu · Post by **Bleu** » 19 May 2011, 08:10

I watched some International F3000 races and one name which stood out sometimes was Rob Nguyen. Australian driver with Vietnamese descent he started his racing career quite late but quickly went rised to F3000. Had money problems and quickly disappeared.

Pointrox · Post by **Pointrox** » 19 May 2011, 14:07

I think that Tomáš Enge is the guy who should have had his second chance. When he debuted in Italy '01, he had very little experience in driving the AP04.
Unfortunately it doesn't look like he's ever going to be back in single-seaters.