This comes after the comments from Jenson Button who stated that "There is so much that a driver doesn't understand before they drive in F1". What sort of things would drivers not understand in your view? Jenson mentioned the "engineering side, the press, the media, fitness, nutrition". Is this why securing a reserve role is so vital nowadays in order to get a seat in Formula 1? As shown by four of the five drivers who joined Formula 1 in 2013.
Do the categories before Formula 1 prepare a driver enough for the mental and physical strains they would face in F1?
#1
Posted 16 March 2014 - 09:04
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#2
Posted 16 March 2014 - 09:11
As the father of a karter, I would say yes, it does help prepare you for F1.
The main thing you don't know about before F1 is media pressure and sponsor pressure.
Sponsors in lower formulas don't push so much because they are rarely a 'title sponsor'.
The spend on a driver for one F1 race is similar to the amount spent in their whole career getting there - pressure to perform is just that much more intense.
#3
Posted 16 March 2014 - 09:15
If the drivers just had to drive I doubt they would have any real problems, it's the out of car stuff that puts the pressure on. Just look at it now, they have just got out of the cars and are straight into endless rounds of interviews when I have no doubt they would really like to slope off and chill for a while.
#4
Posted 16 March 2014 - 10:08
You could get the media and sponsor experience driving NASCAR or for someone like Penske in Indycar. Probably wouldn't get to F1 on that route though.
Engineering side could come from endurance racing, probably nutrition and fitness too from an LMP1 drive.
But no doubt a Formula Renault -> GP3 -> Formula Renault 3.5/GP2 progression would leave significant areas undeveloped. But equally a personable driver with good technical aptitude may never get to F1 unless they can also wring the neck of a spec car, whereas someone who can jump into a GP3 car and go fast instantly can presumably get all the way to F1 before being found out.
Feeder series isn't everything though. Alonso had only raced in spec cars before arriving at Minardi (no F3, not even a test) but he's long been one of the best car developers on the grid.
Edited by Risil, 16 March 2014 - 10:11.
#5
Posted 16 March 2014 - 10:15
#6
Posted 16 March 2014 - 10:17
Is that why button was beaten by a rookie today? Doesn't seen to have done Kevin any harm, if you're good enough, your good enough
indeed and Dani Kvyat too, both seem particularly well prepared thus far
#7
Posted 16 March 2014 - 10:17
Feeder series isn't everything though. Alonso had only raced in spec cars before arriving at Minardi (no F3, not even a test) but he's long been one of the best car developers on the grid.
Alonso wasn't even destined for motor-sport. His father originally built his first kart for Alonso's sister.
In the end, it's all about individual personality. My son is different in and out of the car. Confident and controlled in front of the other drivers and in the car, but a basket-case full of self-doubt at home.
Edited by Aeomer, 16 March 2014 - 10:18.
#8
Posted 16 March 2014 - 10:26
Confident and controlled in front of the other drivers and in the car, but a basket-case full of self-doubt at home.
Sounds like he has all the makings of a top-level athlete.
#9
Posted 19 March 2014 - 03:13
I don't think they prepare them as much as being heavily assisted by an established team does. The most promising new drivers since 2007 have been:
Kubica - (td for BMW in 2006)
Hamilton - (td for McLaren as early as 2004 and had a sugar daddy relationship with the team)
Vettel - (td for BMW in 2006 and 2007, sugar daddy relationship with RBR)
Hulkenberg - (td for Williams as early as 2007 through to 2009)
Bottas - (td for Williams as early as 2010 through to 2012)
Magnussen - (young drivers test for McLaren in 2012 and 2013, sugar daddy relationship with McLaren)
Grosjean - (also had something going with Renault for many years)
Only Maldonado and Perez have emerged without a specific team backing them, and they have huge sponsors. In fact, Pastor looked like he would go to HRT in 2010 until the deal fell over. Dodged a bullet there.
The other RBR drivers probably deserve their own section since the RBR young driver program has produced the most failed careers. I think the real issue was a toxic environment in Toro Rosso from 2006 to well, we don't know if they solved it:
Klien underperformed against the aging Coulthard and Webber.
Doornbos wasn't really an RBR young driver, but he did have a td role for some of 2006. Wasted his opportunities with a few races a replacement driver.
Liuzzi never proved anything on his own at FI and lost to the mediocre Sutil and again to rookie Ricciardo.
Speed was even slower than Liuzzi.
Bourdais was unfortunate to meet the impressive Vettel on his debut, and didn't get the better of Buemi.
Buemi was soundly beaten by Alguersuari in their 2nd full year together so he'd be in the category with Liuzzi.
Alguersuari missed out on a seat to prove himself away from RBR in 2012 due to the underhanded tactics of the team management.
Ricciardo is looking like the 2nd real success after Vettel.
Vergne and Kvyat also appear to be holding their own early on.
#10
Posted 19 March 2014 - 03:34
its probably a big step up in media pressure, i guess in gp3 and gp2 you would go looking for the press. in f1 press probably look for you
they grow up on spec cars which arent too complex, these modern f1 cars are very complex
probably less politics pre f1
constantly judged in f1. who cares if u have a off day and finish p14 in gp3?
extra travel, extra pr duties, extra team stuff
#11
Posted 19 March 2014 - 04:07
indeed and Dani Kvyat too, both seem particularly well prepared thus far
Both those drivers have been specially prepared for life in F1 by F1 teams... not everyone on the ladder gets that kind of opportunity, and it's not just a case of saying 'well they were better than the rest that's why Red Bull/McLaren signed them up as juniors!' There are many who just plain have bad luck and don't get those opportunities afforded to them.
Add in the caveat that Magnussen has a world-class sportscar driver for a dad, who made mistakes in his own career that he could advise his son on, and it looks more and more just obvious that he was going to be quite good. Kvyat as a Red Bull Junior has been able to use all of Red Bull's facilities at their factory as well as get engineering advice from them, which must be a big advantage to take into lower formulae.
I'd take Jenson on his word though, as he is probably one of the most knowledgeable drivers in motorsport on fitness, health, PR etc.
#12
Posted 19 March 2014 - 11:45
JB mind games against his rookie team mate???
#13
Posted 19 March 2014 - 14:15
To an extent they don't give you experience of driving a rubbish car relative to some of your opponents. OK some teams tend to be better at race preparation than others, but that's it, machinery tends to be near-identical, even in open categories like F3/FFord where teams tend to gravitate towards one car.
#14
Posted 19 March 2014 - 15:56
Fitness & driving wise they're more than enough prepared. Remember GP2 cars don't have powersteering, for F1 they only need to lose weight.
They are not and can not be prepared for the gigantic size of the teams. Even Marussia is huge compared to any junior single-seater team.
#15
Posted 19 March 2014 - 17:11
The media attention and the whole circus.. is something I don't think anyone can train you for. They have so much on their plates during a weekend, that it's like driving itself takes a backseat. It's rare in sports that it's like that, usually your spend majority of time doing the thing you are there for.. with minor periods of time to deal with media or TV. F1 is the course of a weekend, and they even talk to you right before the race starts. Every mistake is amplified, over analysed and debated. It's a massive pressure just to survive in F1, let alone to succeed or dominate and that's not even factoring in the driving element. Which is the whole reason they are supposed to be there in the first place.
#16
Posted 19 March 2014 - 19:53
I'd take Jenson on his word though, as he is probably one of the most knowledgeable drivers in motorsport on fitness, health, PR etc.
and he is probably thinking of his own meteoric arrival in F1 - karts to a works Williams F1 drive in two years.
#17
Posted 19 March 2014 - 19:57
and he is probably thinking of his own meteoric arrival in F1 - karts to a works Williams F1 drive in two years.
Yep, he was famously incredibly unprepared for the technical side of the sport never mind the sudden fame.