121 replies to this topic

[Singularity]

I am sure there is a similar thread hidden somewhere, but I have not seen it, so, as the thread title say:

Who is the next alien?

During the time I have followed F1, I have seen Alonso and Kimi entering F1 and immediately raising eyebrows, but I had not really heard about them before (feeder series was never really on TV in my country). Ricciardo also avoided my radar.

In GP2, Hamilton was an obvious star, but Vandoorne proved that being an "obvious star" in a lower formula doesn't mean much in F1. Other drivers in which I thought I spotted greatness was Hulkenberg and Kovalainen, but none of them surpassed "very good". Nico Rosberg... I guess I always saw him as "son of Keke" and never really admitted how good he was. But Lewis was better.

F3 < 2019
I had my eyes on Sebastian Vettel because Schumacher talked him up, but of the (Euro) F3 races I saw him in, he did not impress me much and I was surprised how well he did in F1. Verstappen impressed a lot in 2014, but so did Ocon who won the Championship, also a rookie. Leclerc was impressive at the start of his rookie season, 2015, but faded away. Russel did not really impress either, but neither he or Leclerc drove a Prema. 

F3 => 2019
I've seen nothing remarkable, but Piastri might be.

F2 => 2017
Here Leclerc and Russel showed star qualities and they have, so far, kept those intact in F1.

My post Schumacher alien list:
(in order of appearence)
Alonso
Kimi

Vettel (he was at least part alien)
Lewis
Verstappen

Possible aliens that has yet to prove themselves
Leclerc (with a question mark)
Norris
Russel

But where, outside F1, is the next candidate? It has been a while since someone has made the F1 team managers start drooling. 

By the way - Hamilton is 36, his neurons are not firing at the rate they did when he was 24. Max Verstappen is 24.

 

[MKSixer]

I am sure there is a similar thread hidden somewhere, but I have not seen it, so, as the thread title say:

Who is the next alien?

During the time I have followed F1, I have seen Alonso and Kimi entering F1 and immediately raising eyebrows, but I had not really heard about them before (feeder series was never really on TV in my country). Ricciardo also avoided my radar.

In GP2, Hamilton was an obvious star, but Vandoorne proved that being an "obvious star" in a lower formula doesn't mean much in F1. Other drivers in which I thought I spotted greatness was Hulkenberg and Kovalainen, but none of them surpassed "very good". Nico Rosberg... I guess I always saw him as "son of Keke" and never really admitted how good he was. But Lewis was better.

F3 < 2019
I had my eyes on Sebastian Vettel because Schumacher talked him up, but of the (Euro) F3 races I saw him in, he did not impress me much and I was surprised how well he did in F1. Verstappen impressed a lot in 2014, but so did Ocon who won the Championship, also a rookie. Leclerc was impressive at the start of his rookie season, 2015, but faded away. Russel did not really impress either, but neither he or Leclerc drove a Prema. 

F3 => 2019
I've seen nothing remarkable, but Piastri might be.

F2 => 2017
Here Leclerc and Russel showed star qualities and they have, so far, kept those intact in F1.

My post Schumacher alien list:
(in order of appearence)
Alonso
Kimi

Vettel (he was at least part alien)
Lewis
Verstappen

Possible aliens that has yet to prove themselves
Leclerc (with a question mark)
Norris
Russel

But where, outside F1, is the next candidate? It has been a while since someone has made the F1 team managers start drooling. 

By the way - Hamilton is 36, his neurons are not firing at the rate they did when he was 24. Max Verstappen is 24.

 

I'd take Kimi off the list.  Not an alien.  VET as well.

Edited by MKSixer, 09 November 2021 - 02:50.

[HeadFirst]

 I always associate the term "Alien", with Moto GP. Maybe it's the way their skills are so visible on a bike, that makes these special riders seem other-worldly. Maybe it's that they seem to materialize out of thin air. F1's young guns are undoubtedly a special group, they just don't seem alien to me. 

[Singularity]

 I always associate the term "Alien", with Moto GP. Maybe it's the way their skills are so visible on a bike, that makes these special riders seem other-worldly. Maybe it's that they seem to materialize out of thin air. F1's young guns are undoubtedly a special group, they just don't seem alien to me. 

I think the term might originate from simracing.

[HeadFirst]

I think the term might originate from simracing.

 

According to MotoGP News the term was coined by racer Marco Melandri back in the day, to describe the unworldly skills of Casey Stoner, Danny Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi and others. I first remember it used with regards to Stoner around 2007.

 

https://motogpnews.c...he-aliens-gone/

[Nobody]

I'd take Kimi off the list.  Not an alien.  VET as well.

 

Kimi circa 2001 to '07 definitely alien, Ferrari pushed the potential GOAT out of the door perhaps a tad early to get him at Maranello

[ARTGP]

I have no clue if Kimi deserves to be called an Alien (for the beginning of his career), but I don't think anybody could have beaten him in that second seat in those Mclaren years.

Edited by ARTGP, 09 November 2021 - 05:11.

[Singularity]

According to MotoGP News the term was coined by racer Marco Melandri back in the day, to describe the unworldly skills of Casey Stoner, Danny Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi and others. I first remember it used with regards to Stoner around 2007.

 

https://motogpnews.c...he-aliens-gone/

That was way after Greger Huttu was being referred to as an alien

[H0R]

Came here to make the Greger comment. I raced got spanked by him a couple of years thoughout the GPL years.

[Stephane]

Not sure the motogp use originated from simracing.

 

In F1 ? Well, it is not really a thing to call the bests "aliens"

[PlatenGlass]

Since the mid 80s, I'd say (in chronological order)

Senna
Schumacher
Alonso
Hamilton
Verstappen

Other drivers were really good but didn't seem to exhibit alien features (e.g. Prost) or had too limited range to be considered a proper alien (e.g. Raikkonen, Vettel).

[danmills]

It's a ridiculous term currently doing the rounds here on steroids.

When you spend your life training to become something and get better and better at it, why does that make you an alien?

If I suddenly decide to take up snooker, and in 20 years I surpass every world record of achievements am I an alien or a product of my own training success?

 

At any one time someone will be the best of that moment. Its why some goals hit the back of the net, others get saved. They could be the greatest goalkeeper or the greatest striker. 

As I say, ridiculous term. These are professional sportsmen trained to do a job of which some turn out better than others.

It's no different to a bathroom tiler that can tile a full bathroom faster than another.

Edited by danmills, 09 November 2021 - 08:55.

[PlatenGlass]

You get alien bathroom tilers. It's a recognised thing.

[taran]

Since the mid 80s, I'd say (in chronological order)

Senna
Schumacher
Alonso
Hamilton
Verstappen

Other drivers were really good but didn't seem to exhibit alien features (e.g. Prost) or had too limited range to be considered a proper alien (e.g. Raikkonen, Vettel).

 

Good list but I think Alain Prost and Jean Alesi should be added to that list.

Prost immediately showed up John Watson in 1980 in his rookie year and then got the coveted Renault drive to become an instant championship contender. When he came on the market in late 1983 after sleeping with his team manager's wife, McLaren ditched Watson for him and he instantly made Lauda look slow. He didn't look spectacular but everyone knew Prost was superfast and highly intelligent in reading races.

 

Alesi made a huge impact on F1 on his debut and cemented that with his subsequent Tyrrell drives. He was clearly going to be something special. That ultimately didn't happen due to his limitations as a driver but between 1989 and arguably 1992, he was considered the man most likely to win multiple championships.

 

In all the cases of aliens or very high potential drivers, teams were willing to fight over them or callously ditch an existing driver.

Senna had his shenanigans with Toleman vs. Lotus.

Schumacher had likewise between Jordan and Benetton with poor Roberto Moreno as the victim.

Button was ditched in favour of Alonso by Renault.

Alonso was ditched (or stitched up) in favour of Hamilton by McLaren.

Kvyat was demoted in favour of Verstappen.

 

And I'd also argue that Raikkonen and Vettel should be on that list. At their peak, they could do things with their cars that other drivers couldn't and that was duly noted at the time. Just because they are no longer capable of that shouldn't detract from their previous achievements.

[Collombin]

Definitely Ulrich Foss. He hasn't been born yet, but when he gets to F1 he will show up on the timing screens as UFO.

Other than that, I can't decide whether to be proud or ashamed that I have never heard the term being used in this way.

[PayasYouRace]

It's a ridiculous term currently doing the rounds here on steroids.

When you spend your life training to become something and get better and better at it, why does that make you an alien?

If I suddenly decide to take up snooker, and in 20 years I surpass every world record of achievements am I an alien or a product of my own training success?

At any one time someone will be the best of that moment. Its why some goals hit the back of the net, others get saved. They could be the greatest goalkeeper or the greatest striker.

As I say, ridiculous term. These are professional sportsmen trained to do a job of which some turn out better than others.

It's no different to a bathroom tiler that can tile a full bathroom faster than another.

There’s some merit to it. Pretty much all the drivers/riders go through the exact same preparation and fitness routines. They all do similar amounts of testing. Natural talent must make a difference for those that stand out.

Though I must say the term, which I assumed was from sim racing and therefore does account for various different levels of preparation and practice at once, does seem a bit silly.

[jonpollak]

Thought is was a thread about UK BorderForce.
Bloody Johnny Foreigner.
Jp

[Gareth]

There’s some merit to it. Pretty much all the drivers/riders go through the exact same preparation and fitness routines. They all do similar amounts of testing. Natural talent must make a difference for those that stand out.

Though I must say the term, which I assumed was from sim racing and therefore does account for various different levels of preparation and practice at once, does seem a bit silly.

"Willingness to put in the hours of preparation and practice is a natural talent", discuss ...

[AnR]

"Willingness to put in the hours of preparation and practice is a natural talent", discuss ...

 

you can also add the ability to attend to all details, some of the drivers might have families, other obligations or perhaps an injury during off or on season, if you listen to Nico it all adds up and can reflect on results

[rf90]

I agree with a couple of posters, the term 'alien' is normally associated with MotoGP and Simracing. Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez (to me) are examples of aliens.

I wouldn't normally associate the term alien with F1 drivers because the car is so important in success, and that applies to their racing before entering F1, the car is the dominant factor in success.

I have used the term alien with regard to Verstappen because he enterd F1 as a teenager without the benefit of being in the best teams in F3 and F2 seasons like his competitors have. His talent is more 'raw' than developed over time with the best teams/cars.

Kimi too was an exceptional talent, coming into F1 from F Renault, that's quite a jump. He didn't immeditely join the best team though when he entered F1.

[Risil]

I suspect the term "alien" developed independently in sim racing and MotoGP, but it would be interesting to know whether Marco Melandri was a Grand Prix Legends fanatic. Or maybe it wouldn't!

 

In any case, for me it reminds me of a specific time in MotoGP when you had very tricky 800cc engines, strict limits on the amount of fuel you could carry, a control Bridgestone tyre that needed to be ridden a certain way to get up to operating temperature, and the proliferation of software maps designed to get the best out of bikes given the three restrictions mentioned above. This resulted in a highly technical (and to rock apes like me, frequently dull) racing formula that put all the cards into the hands of factory teams who could shape a bike's development. The number of factory teams also shrank as Suzuki and Kawasaki pulled back their commitments. And then there was Casey Stoner, who at least on Bridgestone tyres was a speed phenomenon on par with anything seen in motorbike racing.

 

The upshot was that for a good many years, a sort of caste system developed in MotoGP where three or four pre-eminent riders (Stoner, Lorenzo, Rossi, Pedrosa; later Marquez) won pretty much every Grand Prix, some riders who used to be successful (Melandri, Hayden) began to struggle, and some of the unpredictability went out of the top level. It's also important to bear in mind that between 2007 (when 800cc engines and stricter fuel limits came in) and 2015, works riders won every race. In 2016 they introduced a new control Michelin and spec electronics, and all of a sudden you had Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow winning with customer Hondas, and previously moribund brands Ducati and Suzuki suddenly getting on the top step of the podium. Marquez was still the best but the hold of the "aliens" was broken. Lorenzo and Pedrosa in particular never looked the same.

 

I say this every time and people still use the "aliens" term so it must still mean something. But frequently these things are based on drivers who find particular handling characteristics that they gel with. If they have the right psychological makeup to exploit the speed they find, they go very far. To use F1 examples, Kimi isn't the best F1 driver of the last 20 years. But if you put everyone on 2005-spec Michelin rubber, he might be the fastest. Vettel wasn't even the best F1 driver of 2010-13, but was anyone quicker than him when the blown diffuser was tuned correctly? I doubt it. Etc!

[Jovanotti]

I say this every time and people still use the "aliens" term so it must still mean something. But frequently these things are based on drivers who find particular handling characteristics that they gel with. If they have the right psychological makeup to exploit the speed they find, they go very far. To use F1 examples, Kimi isn't the best F1 driver of the last 20 years. But if you put everyone on 2005-spec Michelin rubber, he might be the fastest. Vettel wasn't even the best F1 driver of 2010-13, but was anyone quicker than him when the blown diffuser was tuned correctly? I doubt it. Etc!

Kimi was put into F1 after a handful of car races, was signed by a top team after a year for 20m and almost won a WDC in his third season against a GOAT candidate in pretty equal or inferior machinery long before Michelin 2005 happened. The alien attribute very much applies to the first 6 or 7 years of his career imo.

[maximilian]

Definitely Ulrich Foss. He hasn't been born yet, but when he gets to F1 he will show up on the timing screens as UFO.

Other than that, I can't decide whether to be proud or ashamed that I have never heard the term being used in this way.

 

Awesome, would love to see another super quick Austrian in F1! 

[PlatenGlass]

There’s some merit to it. Pretty much all the drivers/riders go through the exact same preparation and fitness routines. They all do similar amounts of testing. Natural talent must make a difference for those that stand out.

 

I'm not sure I agree with this. Their preparation might be similar once they reach F1, but how your talent is developed at an early age is very important, and this definitely won't have been the same for all drivers.

 

People start racing at different ages, some get more track time etc. It's not a case of either doing go-karting or not. There's a whole continuum of opportunity that people get to develop their talent.

 

And when it comes to dedication to maximise your talent, analysing everything that goes on etc., I doubt many pre-teen karters spontaneously do this to a great extent. And regarding that, I don't think it's purely a coincidence that the two drivers considered the best in F1 right now (Hamilton, Verstappen) also had the fathers that are best known for being very hands on with their development.

 

I remember Ayrton Senna saying that he did a karting race in the wet and was terrible, so next time it rained he went out and just practised for ages. Also I've heard it said that Jos would take Max to the karting track whenever it rained. Most drivers would not have the opportunity to do that.

 

Constrast all this with playing an instrument. Most people who play an instrument own that instrument so can put in as many hours they want - although obviously e.g. tuition has to be provided for them. But it's still a more level playing field.

 

I know a lot of people think that Max Verstappen is just some great natural talent. But another point of view is that he's just a good natural talent (say 1%) but he just happened to have pretty much the best opportunity of anyone to develop that talent.

[PlatenGlass]

Good list but I think Alain Prost and Jean Alesi should be added to that list.

Prost immediately showed up John Watson in 1980 in his rookie year and then got the coveted Renault drive to become an instant championship contender. When he came on the market in late 1983 after sleeping with his team manager's wife, McLaren ditched Watson for him and he instantly made Lauda look slow. He didn't look spectacular but everyone knew Prost was superfast and highly intelligent in reading races.

 

Alesi made a huge impact on F1 on his debut and cemented that with his subsequent Tyrrell drives. He was clearly going to be something special. That ultimately didn't happen due to his limitations as a driver but between 1989 and arguably 1992, he was considered the man most likely to win multiple championships.

 

 

 

Prost I understand is a controversial omission, but I don't see Alesi as an alien at all. He looked really good at Tyrrell, but never really lived up to expecation after that. Maybe the Tyrrell was better than people thought. He was slower than Prost, often quite far behind. And Prost was very good but if Alesi was an alien, I don't think this would have happened. In 1992 he dominated Capelli in that awful Ferrari yes, but Capelli was then weak at Jordan the next year too, and Alesi never looked great after that, and was generally around Berger's level. Whoever was quicker was just who got out of bed the right side that morning.

[MKSixer]

Kimi was put into F1 after a handful of car races, was signed by a top team after a year for 20m and almost won a WDC in his third season against a GOAT candidate in pretty equal or inferior machinery long before Michelin 2005 happened. The alien attribute very much applies to the first 6 or 7 years of his career imo.

I would imagine that if one were an alien one would stay an alien. The fact that his career has to be bifurcated would eliminate him from the list, IMHO.  

[Risil]

Naturalized?

[ANF]

With 10,000 hours of practice, anyone can become an alien.

[ANF]

/jk

[A.Fant]

Of the current crop coming up Pourchaire looks like the most likely to become a true WDC contender, but you never know until they become settled in F1.

[AustinF1]

I think the term might originate from simracing.

It originates from sport in general.

[BRG]

I have no clue if Kimi deserves to be called an Alien (for the beginning of his career), but I don't think anybody could have beaten him in that second seat in those Mclaren years.

Well, David Coulthard beat him in 2002.  Kimi is undoubtedly an alien as he clearly isn't from Planet Earth, but not an alien in the sense being used here.  And neither is Alesi which was a daft suggestion.

 

I prefer the footballing term 'galacticos' to describe the Special Ones (and that doesn't include any so self-styled football managers, Jose)

Edited by BRG, 09 November 2021 - 15:59.

[juicy sushi]

I definitely remember it from MotoGP, and not at all from sim racing.  I think that you can apply it to drivers.  Some drivers just have an ability to get something out of a car that no one else can seemingly find, in defiance of logic, and occasionally the laws of physics.  

 

I think Prost definitely deserves mention.  Everyone thinks of him as he was during the period he raced against Senna.  But as taran noted, prior to that, he showed unnatural speed, it was just undramatic as it was always within that smooth like butter style of his.  Kimi prior to his rallying exploits definitely deserves that label.  He was doing things that no one else seemed able to match, and frankly was only let down by McLaren unreliability.  It may be related to the particular character of the cars of an era as well, as some drivers seem to better suit certain driving requirements.  Montoya definitely looked like an Alien in the classic CART era with 1000hp and slicks.  The grooved tires of F1 never quite suited him the same.  Similarly, Zanardi never managed to figure out carbon brakes, it seemed.  I do wonder how the 2022 F1 cars will suit different drivers.  We might suddenly see a reshuffling of the pack as drivers find the new cars more or less to their liking.

[Jovanotti]

Well, David Coulthard beat him in 2002.

With 4 vs. 10 DNFs... Kimi qualified and finished higher in the races he did. Being new to the team and in his second year.

[noikeee]

Of the current crop coming up Pourchaire looks like the most likely to become a true WDC contender, but you never know until they become settled in F1.

 

Yeah and even then I do still have some doubts on Pourchaire.

 

I don't think we're seeing anyone on the ladder that makes us go "woah" like Max did when he showed up fighting for the F3 championship on his very first season on cars, or Lewis when he was smashing F3 winning almost every single race, and then looking like god walking on water in his GP2 rookie season. Those moments typically don't tend to last long as those super-outstanding drivers get quickly poached by F1!

 

Also it's sometimes hard to tell when someone goes up a level and starts smashing a series, if this is a sign of what's to come or just one guy doing well one season against a mediocre field. For all we know we just witnessed Dennis Hauger's route to fame opening up this year in F3. Or it was just some random guy winning F3, like idk, Kvyat on his day or Mitch Evans.

[BRG]

With 4 vs. 10 DNFs... Kimi qualified and finished higher in the races he did. Being new to the team and in his second year.

Ah,, it takes me back to the halcyon days of the Raikkonen v Montoya thread, where the Kimi fans managed to conclude each time that he had had the better race whatever the real outcome had been.  

[Leibowitz]

I won’t comment on Prost since I started following F1 when he was in the late stage of his career so my opinion may not be informed enough. There are a lot of folks over here who have followed him throughout his career who are in much better position to give assesment on his status as one of the F1 greats.

As for Kimi, I must say, my opinion about him started deteriorating during his first Ferrari stint. Even in his championship season Massa was not that far off (in fact leading him after Turkey by 1 point, all changed after Massa retired in Italy). Things got worse in 2008 and 2009 when Massa was clearly better. I do remember people saying it’s just the fact that Kimi has won title and was fed up with racing all together, but in hindsight it might have been that Massa was just not that far off pace wise.

He definitely looked mighty in McLaren so it may be the case that he peaked early. Or maybe the Newey designed McLarens were just that good (when they would finish the race).

[Ali623]

It's already been mentioned, but from F2, Pouchaire is the most likely (that's not in F1 currently). He's only just turned 18 and is currently 5th in his rookie F2 season, technically could still win the championship, coming off a P2 finish in F3 last year (3 points of Piastri who won) - he's also only been racing in single-seaters since 2018. There's surprisingly little hype around him but I definitely think he's the most obvious potential future F1 star from anyone in F2/3 currently.

Edited by Ali623, 09 November 2021 - 16:40.

[Singularity]

LOL, the thread title is not "what is the origins of the term 'alien'?"

Anyway, in my country it is commonly used for someone who is distinctively better than anyone els in a certain field, that have skills that seem to be "not of this world". I guess, there's not really any F1 driver, past or present, that reached that level. There has been nobody that was like Greger Huttu - unbeatable. 

Back to topic: So the next Lewis Hamilton is an unborn Austrian that will be named Ulrich Foss?

I guess we just have to wait and see.

[Risil]

You can't criticize people for trying to supply definitions for the terms you used in the OP!

[Jovanotti]

Ah,, it takes me back to the halcyon days of the Raikkonen v Montoya thread, where the Kimi fans managed to conclude each time that he had had the better race whatever the real outcome had been.

Care to counter my point with a bit more substance?

[William Hunt]

Andrea Kimi Antonelli 

Gabriele Mini

Arvid Lindblad

Ugo Ugochukwu

Rafael Camara

 

From F3 I would pick Victor Martins

Edited by William Hunt, 09 November 2021 - 19:40.

[Celloman]

LOL, the thread title is not "what is the origins of the term 'alien'?"

Anyway, in my country it is commonly used for someone who is distinctively better than anyone els in a certain field, that have skills that seem to be "not of this world". I guess, there's not really any F1 driver, past or present, that reached that level. There has been nobody that was like Greger Huttu - unbeatable. 

Back to topic: So the next Lewis Hamilton is an unborn Austrian that will be named Ulrich Foss?

I guess we just have to wait and see.

Hehe, yeah that Greger dude was pretty good. If esports had existed back then as now he would have been a lot more famous. Having said that, Greger has the advantage of racing in the same machinery as everyone else when most great F1 drivers had to deal with a car disadvantage at some point.

 

I believe Schumacher in the 90's was as close to alien as it gets. The field wasn't very strong after Senna died and I reckon Hakkinen was the only one who would have got anywhere close him.

 

After that there was Kimi/Alonso/Hamilton, but if the definition is a driver distinctively above anyone else, then I agree they would not qualify as they competed each other in the same era.

[Singularity]

You can't criticize people for trying to supply definitions for the terms you used in the OP!

Not at all, still only one of 38 answers (at the time) touched (and only touched) upon the actual topic

[Risil]

What can I say, we're a bunch of pedants

[juicy sushi]

I think predicting the next alien is an impossibility.  I think that the two best contenders are outside the F1 ladder system, and unless something really special happens at the young driver's test, it is unlikely they will get the chance to prove if they are as good as they might be.

[F1Johnny]

There seems to be consensus around who the top tier drivers are over the last 3.5 decades (leaving Alesi out of there of course).  I initially looked at the lower classes and assumed that the champion and frequent race winners would automatically do well in F1.  It's actually quite rare, if you consider that in the last 30 years, how many champions from lower formulas have won races in F1 or a WDC or even shown the potential to be a F1 star? The recent influx of Charles, Lando, George shows promise, but still not at the level of "Alien".

 

I recall Jan Magnussen in 1994 being talked up so much because of his F3 run, breaking Senna's record with 14 wins.  He ended up with 1 point in F1.  Clearly much better suited to sportscars and has done well.  Look at Schumacher - he won the German F3 championship, but the field was weak, with his closest challengers not making it to F1.  It's unpredictable.

 

Winning in F1 I believe needs so much more than just being fast before coming in to F1, everyone on the grid is fast.  But there has to be a singular over the top focus on winning that it basically takes over your life and you become selfish.  No point in complaining about drivers being upset when they don't win, cuz that's how they are wired, the Aliens that is. Sports greats have that sort of selfishness about them, that belief that they are the best.  I only get that from Max and Lewis now on the grid and Lewis ain't getting any younger. 

 

Finally, Prost is an Alien.

Edited by F1Johnny, 09 November 2021 - 17:38.

[pacificquay]

If an alien is ability beyond that of humans, then all F1 drivers are aliens.

[Singularity]

If an alien is ability beyond that of humans, then all F1 drivers are aliens.

But only Mazepin has the looks.

[messy]

The term ‘aliens’ was used to describe Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Rossi and Stoner more than a decade ago - I think the simracing thing has come much more recently. Pourchaire would be my pick too, but only at a stretch. I don’t currently see another Verstappen or Leclerc out there. Except Jos and Arthur, obviously.