Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:13
Given the rise in popularity of the WEC does anyone think it may become a path towards F1?
I'm a bit bored of every driver coming from the same karting/GP2 background, it would be nice to see someone coming from an alternative route. JPM is the last successful driver I can think of who came to F1 after finding success in something other than just a junior formula.
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Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:21
Don't see why not if the talent is there.
Di Resta came via DTM and Max Verstappen came directly from preschool.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:22
Why would you want to go to F1 once you're in WEC? Especially given how F1 is inferior to WEC in many aspects.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:26
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:26
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:28
And you would presumably be asking drivers to give up factory seats and/or manufacturer loyalty. Unless the seat itself went from WEC to F1, which presupposes regulatory overhaul, it's not going to happen.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:32
Why would you want to go to F1 once you're in WEC? Especially given how F1 is inferior to WEC in many aspects.
$$$. I'm sure the factory guys in WEC are paid fairly well, and there are some pay-to-play F1 teams so I doubt they'd jump ship to one of those rides, but if RBR came knocking and offered a Toyota LMP driver a big contract, there's no chance Toyota would be able to match what they can pay their drivers. If a young gun cleans up in WEC and is clearly the fastest of his manufacturer's driver roster, I don't see why an F1 team wouldn't at least get in touch with their manager for a chat. Given the tire and hybrid system management requirements, LMP cars are more relevant to F1 now than they have been since maybe the 3.5L days in '91-93.
Administrator
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:36
A Montoya-style loan definitely sounds possible. But it wouldn't appeal to Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren-Honda for obvious corporate reasons, Red Bull have their own junior team (for now) and the others barely have the means to hire drivers on their merits, let alone queue them up at other teams.
But if a VW brand entered F1...
I could see Sebastien Buemi making it into a good F1 seat on the back of his body of work at Toyota. He's still remarkably young and has nothing to prove in the way that, say, Neel Jani or Brendon Hartley would.
Edited by Risil, 06 April 2015 - 16:40.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:37
Given the rise in popularity of the WEC does anyone think it may become a path towards F1?
I'm a bit bored of every driver coming from the same karting/GP2 background, it would be nice to see someone coming from an alternative route. JPM is the last successful driver I can think of who came to F1 after finding success in something other than just a junior formula.
The thing is that karting/GP2 isn't just a feeder series to Formula One, they are a feeder series to everywhere. If you haven't been considered super-talented by an F1 team and snapped up already at a younger age (Verstappen) or ran out of money to proceed your career in single-seaters, you may just as well consider other career options. So a paid seat in WEC, DTM, elsewhere is the solution to many.
It is true teams tend to hire less and less outside the "feeder series route". We haven't had F1 driver from IndyCars ever since Bourdais. Among different motorsport disciplines competition has become very 'specialized' and it is a big risk for a team to hire a driver and hope he adapts well. Because often they don't.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:41
$$$. I'm sure the factory guys in WEC are paid fairly well, and there are some pay-to-play F1 teams so I doubt they'd jump ship to one of those rides, but if RBR came knocking and offered a Toyota LMP driver a big contract, there's no chance Toyota would be able to match what they can pay their drivers. If a young gun cleans up in WEC and is clearly the fastest of his manufacturer's driver roster, I don't see why an F1 team wouldn't at least get in touch with their manager for a chat. Given the tire and hybrid system management requirements, LMP cars are more relevant to F1 now than they have been since maybe the 3.5L days in '91-93.
Usually those super-fast young guns end up in F1 at the first place.
Usually teams observe pretty closely already throughout minor feeder series, how talented each driver is. Even though it is possible to blossom later on. For example Will Power is stunningly good at road/street courses in IndyCar environment, even though his European minor single seater resume wasn't that impressive. But he was passed on by F1 teams, and they do not re-consider him any more, being confident in their previous talent judgement.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:46
I thought F1 was the feeder series for the WEC......
I rather show that F1 drivers can easily move to other series while the opposite way isn't a thing anymore.
RC Forum Host
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:49
The way things look to be developing, it looks to me more and more like neither is a path to the other, moving from F1 to WEC and the other way around is more and more of a sideways move instead of a move up from one to the other.
Administrator
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:51
The way things look to be developing, it looks to me more and more like neither is a path to the other, moving from F1 to WEC and the other way around is more and more of a sideways move instead of a move up from one to the other.
If you went from winning Le Mans to a seat in a Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull, I feel that would definitely be a significant step up. Anyone else, I'm not so sure. You couldn't have said that five years ago.
The Sauber team is giving us an interesting set of circumstances to ponder. They clearly sold those drives -- which are capable of regular points finishes -- too cheaply. Bit like Williams in 2012. Any of us on here could probably name about 20 drivers as qualified as Nasr and Ericsson who've never sat in an F1 car. I don't believe that tarnishes F1 in itself, but it makes it harder to swallow the 20-best-drivers-in-the-world line, if indeed that was meant for our consumption.
Edited by Risil, 06 April 2015 - 16:56.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:53
I thought F1 was the feeder series for the WEC......
more like WEC being a pensioner home for F1.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:54
Just for a little historical perspective, it is worth remembering that in the not-so-distant past WEC was used as a training ground for young F1 potentials. Webber/Schumacher - Mercedes anyone?
Neil
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:54
I said to a friend recently, F1 is still 'the pinnacle' or the place to be, the aim (depending on your aim)...but the degree by which that is true is considerably smaller than it has been.
I don't see any reason why someone quick can't jump from WEC to F1. Endurance racing these days is much more of a prolonged sprint so, who knows..
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:55
F1 and endurance racing are different things, that cannot happen.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 16:58
more like WEC being a pensioner home for F1.
It's good that young guys like Verstappen are finally pushing out 22-24 years old grandpas from F1.
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 17:53
Why would you want to go to F1 once you're in WEC? Especially given how F1 is inferior to WEC in many aspects.
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Posted 06 April 2015 - 17:56
F1 is still the biggest series around. I'm willing to believe every one of the drivers would leave WEC for a good F1 seat.
Good is the key word. I don't think any of the LMP1 factory drivers (well, maybe Nissan's...) would jump ship if Manor came knocking.
RC Forum Host
Posted 06 April 2015 - 17:57
F1 is still the biggest series around. I'm willing to believe every one of the drivers would leave WEC for a good F1 seat.
Good is the key word. I don't think any of the LMP1 factory drivers (well, maybe Nissan's...) would jump ship if Manor came knocking.
Very true. Let's not forget Lotterer's Caterham outing at Spa last year, he very explicitly said that it was just ticking a box in his career and wasn't interested in further outings (at least not at the back of the grid).
Administrator
Posted 06 April 2015 - 18:02
Good is the key word. I don't think any of the LMP1 factory drivers (well, maybe Nissan's...) would jump ship if Manor came knocking.
That's an interesting point for team management ghouls: who's more likely to be racing in June, Nissan or Manor?
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 18:03
Are there any drivers currently in WEC that you can imagine coming or returning to F1?
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 18:06
Yeah, unless Mercedes or Ferrari came calling I can't see any of the works LMP1 drivers uping sticks for an F1 drive, though maybe some of the younger guys in the privateer P1's and the P2's might go for Sauber if it didn't require the GDP of a third world country to get the drive (most of them have gone that way because they don't have the money to spend half a decade in GP2).
RC Forum Host
Posted 06 April 2015 - 18:06
Are there any drivers currently in WEC that you can imagine coming or returning to F1?
In LMP1? Apart from Max Chilton, who might take his money back to F1 if Nissan's effort turns out to be a lame duck, I don't see any others. LMP2 - there's a few guys that are doing GP2, GP3 and/or FR3.5 while also racing at least once in this class this year, best example being Mitch Evans (GP2 + LMP2 at Spa and Le Mans).
Member
Posted 06 April 2015 - 18:44
I thought the new super-license points thingy didn't include WEC or at least made it so it scored very lowly.
RC Forum Host
Posted 06 April 2015 - 18:55
I thought the new super-license points thingy didn't include WEC or at least made it so it scored very lowly.
One world title in LMP1 in the WEC in the last 3 years yields enough points for a superlicense all by itself. WEC LMP1 drivers' championship and Indycar are both graded at the same level, which is... at the same level as FIA F3 Euro Series, 10 points below GP2 and 20 points below the oft-mooted new FIA F2 championship.
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