What is the best route in Formula 1?
- This topic has 13 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 4 months ago by Iestyn Davies.
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- 15th November 2013, 23:28 at 11:28 pm #133910Tyler FerreParticipant
I’m completing research into the different routes into F1 and how they have changed over time and was hoping you guys could help
15th November 2013, 23:34 at 11:34 pm #245319Magnificent GeoffreyParticipant15th November 2013, 23:48 at 11:48 pm #245320mnmracerParticipantThere hasn’t been a driver with truly questionable skills for 7 years.
@lhamilton0810
One can write an entire encyclopedia about this, so maybe it’s easier if you tell us what you already have, and we’ll build on that.16th November 2013, 1:31 at 1:31 am #245321KingsharkParticipantI would divide it up in 5 steps.
1. Go-karting
2. Formula 4, Formula BMW, or Formula Renault 1.6
3. Formula Renault 2.0 or Formula Ford
4. Formula Three or GP3
5. Formula Renault 3.5 or GP216th November 2013, 15:03 at 3:03 pm #245322matt90ParticipantAnd then include less orthodox routes, which include Indycar, and perhaps progressing to a certain level before stepping into sports/touring cars, which some drivers come back from.
16th November 2013, 15:09 at 3:09 pm #245323matt90ParticipantIt might also be worth noting that the sports car route seems to have diminished somewhat over time. Schumacher, Webber and McNish come to mind from the ’90s and early ’00s. Di Resta is probably the only ‘recent’ driver to do the same, whereas drivers were so diverse in the ’50s that while many drove sports cars on the side, lots of drivers like Moss proved themselves in sports cars before F1.
16th November 2013, 23:22 at 11:22 pm #245324mnmracerParticipantOf course the difference between sports cars and Formula One now and in the ’50s is massive.
17th November 2013, 3:41 at 3:41 am #245325KingsharkParticipantDoes Formula Two still exist by any chance? I remember how they tried to make another GP2 series in 2009, but it failed miserably. None of the F2 champions ever made it to Formula 1.
17th November 2013, 5:16 at 5:16 am #245326Prisoner MonkeysParticipantIt’s dead. The series was a joke, anyway. It was intended to be a feeder series to Formula 1, but wound up supplying drivers to GP3 and Formula 3 instead, making the numbering system more confusing than anything George Lucas could come up with.
The problem with picking the ideal route into Formula 1 is that it changes. I’m sure a lot of drivers wentinto GP2 this year because they knew Antonio Felix da Costa was racing in Formula Renault. This is a good thing because it means talented drivers aren’t queueing up behind pay drivers who have no business being in that series, like Johnny Cecotto Jnr. But it’s a bad thing because moving into the wrong series could seriously damage a driver’s career.
Ideally, the best feeder series would be a hybrid of Formula 3, Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2: a spec series with multiple engine suppliers racing on a variety of circuits that are familiar to the drivers (like Silverstone) and totally new territory (like Suzuka, but a cheaper alternative to keep costs down). It would have a three-race format with an open qualifying session where a driver’s three best times set his position for each race (to reward consistency). Points would be awarded based on overall placings for the round, rather than individual races (the races would have to use a non-championship points system to decide the round winner). There would be two mandatory pit stops to be used over the course of a round, and the teams would be free to use them whenever they liked (though there would be a pit window for each race). Finally, as a crackdown on low driving standards, any driver who committed an infraction that would result in a drive-through penalty or greater would also be stripped of any points gained in the race, affecting his overall position for the round.
17th November 2013, 5:49 at 5:49 am #245327wsrgoParticipant@prisoner-monkeys Formula Reanult 3.5 is not a part of Formula Renault. It is a part of the World Series by Renault, alongwith the Eurocup Megane Trophy, the Eurocup Formula Renault 20 and the Renault Clio Cup.
17th November 2013, 14:18 at 2:18 pm #245328HamilfanParticipant@magnificent-geoffrey LOL . Perfect analysis with complete audio-visual . True . Money dictates terms over talent as far as F1 is concerned.
17th November 2013, 23:16 at 11:16 pm #245329Iestyn DaviesParticipantConsidering GP2 costs £1.5-2m per season per car, no wonder people are now skipping it out altogether. The other top junior ladder series are all under £1m, actually nearer to £500k (something more affordable for the majority of drivers, and even top teams such as Red Bull and McLaren). FR 3.5 is like 3x cheaper, and is even more relevant to F1, with things like the DRS added in. British F3 could be revived next year with an estimated cost of £300k for the 7 round series, coming back in as one of the cheaper junior ladder series.
21st November 2013, 20:39 at 8:39 pm #245330Tyler FerreParticipant@mnmracer Well, I already know the lower categories before Formula 1 and understand how expensive they are also. I just wanted to gather the opinions of F1 fans like yourself to see if their really is a ‘best route’ into F1 or whether as long as a driver shows some talent combined with financial backing from sponsorship deals and even from family members that their really isn’t. I was thinking that a best route would give a driver enough experience with dealing with the intense ups and downs of motor racing and fierce rivalries on and off track, talent and dedication to obviously be fast, intelligence to be aware of the mechanical side of the cars, contact with the media and understanding what to say and what should stay behind closed doors or in the mind, learnt to adapt quickly to changes like this year to the next in Formula 1 with the major alteration in regulations and even tyre management as it is so vital in F1 nowadays, more than being quick sometimes it seems… sorry if that’s confusing but I’d very much appreciate any help or advice you have, thanks
21st November 2013, 23:56 at 11:56 pm #245331Iestyn DaviesParticipantWell, look at how Romain Grosjean came on strong with some mindful psychology. So I think there are two parts. He was always top level talented.
1. Junior ladder. Take Karts, definitely parts 3 & 4 of Kingshark’s list. If you have good backing you can manage 5, and 2 if you know you can do all 4 levels. Otherwise, you need an alternative for 5, including DTM. But 5 is skippable if you have enough talent and F1 team backing. The ladder is there purely for all the driving skills and car related learning (technical, set up, car feedback).
2. Making yourself successful. This includes the psychology, as outlined with Grosjean, and becoming the complete package. This is somewhere where the all time greats usually excel, in a match to part 1. Others who don’t will only score one win to match their considerable skill (Alesi, Trulli, Fisichella etc.). Vettel excels in this, as did Schumacher. Alonso and Hamilton clashed over getting the team behind them at McLaren in 2007. Button then ‘ousted’ Hamilton and he has now joined Rosberg, who he can have an amicable relationship with, completing his old junior team, Mercedes.
So, apart from the obvious ‘pay drivers’ (who are better than ever before, like the whole F1 field for the most part), everyone in F1 is in category 1, but category 2 determines really how successful a driver will be.
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