F1

Who was the biggest unfulfilled talent?

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  • #301916
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Who do you think are the drivers we never saw the best of? Those who passed on before achieving the success we all know was coming their way?

    Stefan Bellof is one that regularly comes up for most people. And now sadly, Jules Biachi. I would also add Tom Pryce.

    So give a big shout out to those who we lost before seeing them win and drive great cars.

    #301918
    HUHHII
    Participant

    I’ve been following the sport since 1998 and during that time the biggest unfulfilled talent IMO has been Robert Kubica. I also feel Kamui Kobayashi and Jaime Alguersuari should’ve had more years in F1 (even though Jaime’s Formula E season was huge dissapointment).

    #301920
    safeeuropeanhome
    Participant

    I wasn’t aware of this guy until around 6 months ago when an article was published in Motorsport Magazine. Bertrand Fabi. I thought it was an interesting read.

    http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/race/racing-history/the-buzz-about-bertrand-fabi/

    Stefan Bellof of course. Francois Cevert. Ricardo Rodriguez. And in Indy Car, Greg Moore. Those are the first few that come to mind. Sadly there will be more.

    #301922

    There’s a lot of drivers you could put in this list. Leaving aside the grim toll of those who died too young, I’d have to pick Stefano Modena.

    An ace in karts, thrilling in Formula 3000, there were only glimpses of his ability in Formula One, and several stories about his woeful lack of application.

    #301924
    R.J. O’Connell
    Participant

    On the same vein of F3000 champions who never realized their potential, Luca Badoer.

    Outraced the likes of Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Zanardi in Italian F3. Won the F3000 title as a rookie, ahead of fellow rookies Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, and Olivier Panis. Regularly outdrove former GP winner Alboreto in a god-awful Lola BMS. Nearly had Minardi’s first podium finish in the ’99 European GP, just months after being denied a chance to race for Ferrari in his prime. Also lost out on a chance to race for Benetton in ’94, and had to race with aging Ford engines in ’95 after Mugen Honda ditched Minardi for Ligier. He had a 60% head-to-head qualifying success rate in the 1990s, which is higher than quite a few former GP winners. Logged thousands upon thousands of useful testing miles ensuring that the Ferraris that dominated the 2000s with Schumacher and Barrichello were bulletproof.

    Now, only remembered for two awful races for Ferrari in 2009, having not raced competitively in ten years and given next to zero time to prepare. Wasn’t going to be the next Alberto Ascari, but he could have easily stood on par with his old F3000 rivals and fellow Italian talents like Trulli and Fisichella if given the right opportunities.

    #301928
    safeeuropeanhome
    Participant

    Jan Magnussen is always mentioned in this type of thread, in terms of a huge wasted talent. He was talked of as the next big thing when he was Mclaren. Verstappen Snr as well.

    #301929
    PorscheF1
    Participant

    That Ukrainian one I can never remember…

    In my lifetime I’d also say Kubica.

    #301931
    KaIIe
    Participant

    A few names off the top of my head:
    – Olivier Panis. Just go watch the first half of the 1997 season; he did challenge for the championship. Then came Canada and the crash that definitely slowed him down.
    – Alexander Wurz. Shined on his debut while replacing Gerhard Berger, I feel like his career never quite took off.
    – Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Two horrible years at Williams, then challenged for the championship in 1999, but never lived up to the hype he received during the Mercedes junior years (“Faster than Schumacher”).
    – Nick Heidfeld. Had a solid career, but there seemed to always be just a bit more potential in him.
    – Allan McNish. While he has been extremely successful outside F1, his career with Toyota was way too short (the same with Mika Salo).

    #301933
    R.J. O’Connell
    Participant

    It’s possible too that sticking with a dreadful Prost team after 1997 hurt Panis more than the leg injuries.

    #301921

    Not that big unfulfilled-ness-wise, but Gilles Villeneuve. Yes he did achieve some success, but it’d have been nice for him to not have fewer titles than his rated-below-Gilles son would.

    As for recent times……Robin Frijns?

    (@junior-pilot anyway by “passed on” you mean no longer having a functioning brain and/or lung and/or conciousness? In so, the thread seems to see replies that ignore that part of the OP.

    And considering the thread’s title, I can see why)

    #301934
    Iestyn Davies
    Participant

    @xtwl Ukrainian? Sounds interesting. Haven’t heard of any Ukrainian drivers.

    In terms of actually being in F1 at all, JP Wimille would have duelled with Fangio in the 1950s.
    Other top 30s drivers like Fagioli were driving in their 40s, while Benoist, Varzi never made it.

    Gonzalez was 3rd and 2nd in his two proper F1 seasons, 1951 and 1954. 15 podiums from 26 races.
    Castellotti wasn’t far off Ascari at Lancia, and was faster than Hawthorn & Collins at Ferrari.

    Brooks retired just as BRM made the best car in 1962, hence being ‘unknown’ as G.Hill won instead.
    Surtees had poor cars, else he would have duelled Clark throughout the 60s. Ricardo Rodriguez too.

    Rindt, Cevert, Pace, Pryce, Depailler killed at their best. Kubica & Bianchi are modern versions.
    Mario Andretti only focussed fully on F1 in his mid-30s, while Amon unluckily only won NC races.

    Bellof would have done well at Ferrari and McLaren, but Johansson got there instead. de Angelis?
    Warwick would have done well alongside Senna at Lotus in 1985. Cheever was underrated at Renault.

    Martini and Modena, applied well would have been better than Alesi and Capelli at 1990s Ferrari.
    Herbert & Donnelly had huge accidents that could have been it, Herbert somehow got back and won.

    Salo showed what he could have done with a good car at Hockenheim ’99. Matched Hakkinen in F3.
    Davidson always developed good cars for Button, and has now won the WEC instead with Buemi.

    Piquet Jr won Formula E, while Alguersuari would have improved if kept in F1. di Grassi?
    Today, Hulk without a top car and Vergne without an RBR drive. Not in F1 at all is Frijns.

    #301953
    PorscheF1
    Participant

    How about Jim Clark? I feel he could have achieved so much more if he had stayed for another three or four years.

    #301956
    safeeuropeanhome
    Participant

    Sure Clark could have achieved more, and given Lotus won the title through Hill in ’68 (in all likelihood it would have been Clark’s year had he not been killed), Rindt in ’70 and Fittpaldi in ’72 he would have been driving some good cars.

    But it seems a bit weird to consider a genuine great of the sport who was one of the fastest men in the history of F1, with 2 titles, 25 wins, 33 poles and numerous wins in other classes (including the Indy 500 and a BTCC title) someone who didn’t fulfill his talent. We saw the best of him (well, those who were fortunate enough to watch him race did anyway), just not for long enough.

    #301959
    Asanator
    Participant

    Giorgio Pantano

    #301963

    You know, if the title-winning Villeneuve did never bother with team Brackley. . . .

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