Last week’s young driver test showed there is no shortage of talent waiting in the wings. Much as these future F1 drivers impressed, it is often the size of their wallet, not their right foot, that determines whether they reach F1.
Of all the teams on the grid, let us assume that among F1’s top tier (Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Renault if it survives), pay drivers are unnecessary. These teams are well-funded, recognizable brands and they choose talent without regard to budgets. That’s great news for Jules Bianchi, who has signed a deal with Ferrari. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo topped the time sheets, but the Red Bull seat that currently belongs to Mark Webber could go to Kimi Raikkonen at the end of the Australian’s deal in 2010 (Is Raikkonen’s Red Bull-sponsored rally drive a complete coincidence? We think not.). So we won’t see Ricciardo in a Red Bull any time soon unless Sebastien Vettel moves on (doubtful).
In the next tier (Williams, Toro Rosso, Force India, Sauber), funded drivers are always a possibility and usually a likelihood. Williams has chosen pay drivers in the past, for example, the presence of Nakajima was based more on Toyota’s influence than sheer ability. BMW tested young drivers, but the company is leaving F1 and the team is reverting to Sauber. Sauber is talking about Russian Vitaly Petrov and we think that involves a pay drive. Toro Rosso could use a funded driver, as that team cannot endlessly and exclusively rely on Dietrich Mateschitz’s money.
At the bottom tier (the four new teams), funding is essential. After his test with McLaren, Gary Paffet told Autosport that: “It seems like most of the new teams require you to have a fair few million pounds in the bank, or that much sponsorship to give the team, so it’s more difficult to get a race seat even though there’s more available.”
Take the case of Jose Maria Lopez, who will drive for USF1 next year. Lopez was required to bring $8 million to the team. This precluded the team from using a talented, known driver like Anthony Davidson. The same is true for Campos, which wanted a Spanish driver but may not be able to afford one without a budget. Andy Soucek admitted as much last week.
The truism here is that the fastest do not always get to F1. There are not enough seats to go around for talented young drivers unless money is involved. We hope the departure of the manufacturers will reduce the relentless pace of development that prevents smaller teams from competing on the same level, forcing them to bring on pay drivers to afford testing and development. Let us hope that reduced pressure to spend money will let talent again decide who drives an F1 car.
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