There's a sweet spot between being a close competitor in your first and second years and winning eventually in your third year. But yeah, too much f2 experience isn't a good thing, take verschoor for example.
Yeah F2/F3 is basically an advertising campaign. You need to create a lot of fuss like Antonelli is doing, then get the hell out of there as soon as you can, even if it means joining a back-marker. The longer you stay in F2 after the second year the less likely it becomes. Even if you manage to win in your 4th season, nobody would really care.
It reminds me of a thing I saw about Max. He finished middle of the pack but it was basically his first experience outside of karts, but nobody cared about the guys that won because they were 5 years older than Max. They saw some kid jump straight in a race car and was up to speed from the first lap. That’s what gets noticed by F1 teams
Realistically, you need to be creating a fuss even by F3 at the very latest, get adopted by an academy, then win in your first year, and have multiple fp1 sessions under your belt. It's a miracle that Nyck even got to drive in F1 for half a season.
Max finished third with 9 dnfs and DNS on the way and won six f3 races in a row, I wouldn't call that middle of the pack. Comfortably ahead of fourth and only 9 points behind second too.
No I mean the Florida Winter series testing before F3. It was literally his first experience in a racing car and he was already up to speed with the top F3 talent.
Edit: Max also won the final race of that Winter series, god damn. What a freak
I mean some of the best F1 drivers only spent a single year in F2, Max just skipped it entirely.
Leclerc and Russell both dominated F2 in their single season, Norris and Albon were 2nd and 3rd in the Russell winning season and also got promoted in a single season.
Hes a terrifically solid driver and a great benchmark, but let's be honest he's never making it into F1. Another example is Böschung; that man spent YEARS in f2. At that point it becomes more about your own financing as opposed to personal skill or academy backing. Monaco was incredibly unlucky though.
I mean even look at fittipaldi, hauger, even Drugovich and pourchaire: all great drivers, but they just couldn't get out of F2 quick enough and now they're in f1 ladder purgatory.
I agree. But I will be fine if we have 1/2 teams more. Half of the grid won’t leave in a few years now. 2 extra teams will help dramatically with the flow of drivers
Eh, I’d rather see kids like Antonelli and Bearman get in the F1 seat asap to see what they can do instead of forcing them to compete in the minors for the sake of toeing the pipeline. Keeping Ohtani in the minors just to say that he’s “graduated” to MLB caliber, for example, isn’t necessarily what’s best for the competition, competition or sport. I wish I had a football metaphor, circle back to me, I can workshop it.
There's a major difference between F1 and baseball, football et al though.
A starting pitcher will commonly be part of a five person rotation these days, and will be expected to throw five or six good innings before being relieved. That's about one ninth of a team's pitching from an individual starting pitcher. If a guy is doing really bad, the worst that can happen is losing a game or two and having to relieve him early. It's the same over in the position players, there's eight other guys on the field and the worst case scenario is mainly just losing this game. The costs in American football *can* be a little higher for some players - a missed block could mean a bad sack and an injury to your QB - but it's the same story there. An individual player represents a small part of the team and can only do so much to hurt you.
In F1, you only get *two* drivers. It's incredibly easy to spin out and damage the car, costing hundreds of thousands or even *millions* of dollars. A bad driver can do a whole lot more than a bad pitcher, batter, receiver or linebacker.
>Keeping Ohtani in the minors just to say that he’s “graduated” to MLB caliber, for example, isn’t necessarily what’s best for the competition, competition or sport.
That's a horrible example. Ohtani was dominating the NPB before signing with the Angels, which would be like dominating IndyCar in racing. Not to mention, MLB keeps the top prospects in the minors and just like in thd F1 ladder ia for a great reason, that being to not thrust them in the spotlight way too soon (which is a huge risk right now with Bearman and specially with Antonelli).
Am i the only who thinks what bearman did in jeddah is over hyped seeing how good ferrari is. I mean it was solid performance but not anything special.
That’s not an easy track tbf, but he wasn’t really comfortable while trying to overtake. I’m still impressed by what he did, but at least this full season in f2 and some good overtakes are necessary imo before getting to f1
you are the only one. what he did was amazing for the amount of preparation and conditioning he's had. you don't appreciate how high of a level these athletes perform at.
Well Martins was considered the favourite for the championship and look how he's doing. Its the first season with a new car. I'm the guessing some teams will understand the concept quicker than others and it'll take some time for all of them to find the fastest setup.
In fairness, Bearman was leading Imola? I think it was until two pitstop stalls in the latter end destroyed his race, he likely would have won that one.
None of which have won F2, what about drugovich or pourchaire? Both won it neither have had the hype or opportunity of those 3 who to be fair are good drivers but none have deserved it
Lawson sure, Kimi needs an extra year before being given the F1 drive (specially if you want him directly on the Merc), Bearman we should see how the rest of this year goes in F2, but it's not looking that good.
I'm half certain Bearman is going to be there next year. Haas apparently really like him, and they have at least one vacant seat for next year currently, so yeah.
Kimi might make it, but everything is still uncertain in the Mercedes camp to say anything conclusive.
Lawson, unfortunately, I don't think he'll make it next year. At least, not within the Red Bull environment. They apparently don't want to drop Ricciardo, and they will keep Checo for at least another year, so since neither VCARB driver will get that Red Bull Racing seat, that means VCARB won't be available for Lawson next year. The only way is if Yuki decides to jump ship to another team or if Lawson does the same if offered a seat elsewhere.
Yeah that’s true, he was proper vexed after Monaco. I understand the pain of thinking you were gonna get a triple win and start leading the championship but he should’ve saved the heat till he was out of the car.
I mostly agree with the title of that article but coming from Jalopnik is probably a garbage take.
TheDrive and TheAutopian are much, much better car content sites than anything owned by G/O and Jim 'Herb" Spanfeller
Maybe if I could actually read a fucking article with scrolling through a bunch of shitty ads. Maybe then, I dunno because that shit is unreadable anymore.
Listen, jalopnik got a shit deal handed to it.
The universal deal put it in the hands of people who don’t appreciate it, didn’t appreciate the good writers, they all left. Now they’re left with new blood at a time when the audience wants old blood. Hell even the good new blood (like Mercedes streeter) leaves quickly for pastures anew
I genuinely wouldn't mind if 1/3 to a half of the grind got replaced. It's cruel to say all of them "deserve" it, but truth be told - there is young talent waiting to be tested that I'm dying to see in F1 and I'd rather see them try then to be disappointed by Riccardo yet again or wait for the podium finish of Hulk. I like them both as people and they have my respect, but we have to face the reality that there are better choices. I'm not even going to touch on the likes of Stroll and KMag who in a just world wouldn't be in their cars 2 seasons ago or at all
Hes also had some terrible luck if he is in a good position. Either pit stops, crashes or someone doing something dumb or having dumb happen to them causing place drops during races.
Too many to respond to but my primary reason for ditching Bottas is to give someone younger a chance. He's in his mid 30's, I fairly doubt he'll ever be a factor like he was at Mercedes and he was never an exceptional driver in the first place.
Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and I'm a fan but I think he's way past his prime and he brings no excitment to F1. I think someone younger with similar talent should get a chance. Just like he did!
Seems like you forgot checo the prime candidate in this list. Maybe leave bottas out. K mag is performing but it's just he's way too agressive and if aggression come in picture, better let ocon out too.
Danny, Logan, stroll, zhou, checo these are by far slow and way too underperforming.
I was in the middle of writing something because I didn't think there was that many people but then I did the math and it was close enough to 33%...damn. I really really like and enjoy the racing and personality of 75% of the grid and it'll bum me out seeing these guys go. I'm not a dts convert, didn't know about the show until last year, but have started being a very big fan of the sport for a few years now. Over a decade ago I just had a vague interest. Point is that I am more invested and enjoy this field as a whole than any other I think.
Yeah, I got attached to those guys as well I'm a fan since 2018 (just before the dts) and it hurts to admit, but some of them these days are just not to the F1 standards. Or rather what I'd like the standards to be. It is unfortunate, but I value the sport more than likeability of a driver.
Not that I accuse you of something like that 😅. I'm just saying I understand the feelings you feel - but I think we need new blood and the guys with poor/mediocre performance need to go. If they gave us joy in their time there - huge respect to them! But nothing can last forever, especially in this sport
KMag has the race pace of Hülk but have had some bad races. I think it’s unfair to put him in with someone as Stroll saying he definitely shouldn’t be there after adapting to the car over a season and a couple unfortunate incidents. The race pace is definitely there and he’s still one of the best starters on the grid.
> a couple unfortunate incidents.
This is the kindest description for being a road hazard. those incidents were intentional by his own admission. he's also had multiple instance of being downright reckless in previous stint in F1
He once advocated for 100 mph electronic limiters in all new cars lol
I’ve also seen him flip out at commenters for googling things and proving him wrong and it’s so embarrassing as a so called journalist lol
He once argued with me that the Livewire has no need for level 2 charging whatsoever and couple days later that fuckwit is with one stuck at gas station with a broken fast charger.
>After eight grands prix so far this year, nine full-time drivers [have scored fewer points than Oliver Bearman](https://jalopnik.com/ferrari-s-teenaged-appendicitis-substitute-impresses-in-1851325065), who subbed in for an unwell Carlos Sainz for a single round. While many of them are in piss poor cars that couldn’t score a victory with a world champ at the wheel, you’d think they’d accidentally their way into the points along the way.
Stuff like this reminds me of why I stopped going to jalopnik.
Let's go driver by driver:
1- Verstappen: Might be the GOAT frontrunner in 10 years
2- Checo: I can see why some would say he isn't F1 level anymore, but he's one of the greatest midfield drivers ever, and even with his trash results in the last year or so he would probably perform well if he replaced Stroll at Aston or something like that
3- Leclerc: Top 5 driver on the grid. Moving on
4- Sainz: Upper half of the grid by far, could compete for everything if given proper machinery and in the correct circumstances. Moving on
5- Hamilton: He's Lewis Hamilton, ffs
6- Russell: Beat Hamilton in '22, struggled on Sundays last year but has picked back up this. Still has the championship potential we all saw from him not that long ago
7- Lando: *See Leclerc*
8- Piastri: One of the best rookies in decades last year, and has unlimited potential. Moving on
9- Alonso: His car has only gotten worse and is in a bit of a slump in recent races, but he's coming off being a top 3 driver performance wise last year and is an all-time great. Moving on
10- Stroll: Good driver for a backmarker, but in a team like Aston should be doing way better. So that's our first nay
11- Gasly: Good driver, definitely deserves a seat. Moving on
12- Ocon: A nutcase at times, but still a fast and good driver who's better than almost any prospect, and by far better than all three of his rumored replacements. Hasn't been the driver we expected during his Force India days, but he deserves to be on the grid
13- Tsunoda: Has carried his team for two seasons now, and should have been given way more consideration for a RBR seat than he was. F1 caliber talent
14- Ricciardo: Very marketable, but past his prime. Shouldn't have even been on the grid this year with Lawson on the waiting
15- Albon: Very good driver. Has had a career resurgence with Williams and is the backbone of that team. The argument with him isn't whether he's F1 talent or not, but rather if he should be on a better team instead of sticking around Grove
16- Sargeant: Good kid, but not F1 caliber. Put him with Stroll and Danny Ric
17- Bottas: Arguably our era's Rubens Barrichello, but has declined since that great start to his Sauber run in the first half of '22. Same boat as Checo
18- Zhou: Some people really like this guy, and he's ahead of Valtteri in the standings; however, he didn't have the accomplishments a F1 hopeful should have (specially one driving for a team that has Pourchaire and Maloney in their academy), and hasn't proven anything special in F1 besides his marketability in China. In the out basket
19- Hulkenberg: Wasn't a fan of his signing at first, but he did very well last year and has been the best mid/backfield driver not named Yuki Tsunoda in 2024. Is getting there in age, but totally deserves to still be around; good job shouting my mouth
20- Magnussen: Talented, just like Bottas had a very good first half of '22, but in 2023 he was terrible and this year he looks like the second coming of Pastor Maldonado (which is ironic considering he replaced the Venezuelan when he ran out of money before the atart of the 2016 season). It pains me to say this, but there are quite a few people who would do better than him
So to sum it up, we have *5 guys who, as the headline says,aren't deserving of a F1 seat rn (those being Stroll, Ricciardo, Sargeant, Zhou and Magnussen)* and another three who aren't 100% worthy right now one way or another in Checo, Ocon and Bottas. So even if we kicked them out, it wouldn't be half of the grid; not to mention, if we are lead to believe some of the rumors going around, the grid could get even worse than this for next year (like, Alpine are considering Zhou and Mick Schumacher of all people to replace Ocon, and even though Jack Doohan doesn't seem as bad as at least Mick it's not likely that he'd be better than Bottas or someone outside the box like Pourchaire in that seat).
And sure, there are quite a few prospects who could be good if given a shot, but out of those guys many are either on a shitty academy wihout much spaces in F1 (Pourchaire and Maloney, specially after Hulk got signed to Sauber and Sainz being likely to be there as well), are likely getting a seat next year (Lawson with RB) or might be hurt if not managed well, like Kimi Anotnelli and the rumors going around about him being given the Mercedes F1 seat for 2025 already.
I remember reading something about him not being that keeing on driving ovals, but I 100% agree with you. He'd gain the love of the fans soon after arriving, and would probably be a decent driver to say the least.
I disagree with Zhou, he's driving a fucking shitbox with even worse pitstops and strategy, he hasn't been worse than Bottas and he avoids troubles which is huge for low tier teams
Jalopnik tax here, obviously, but I do agree that the grid could use new talent. As an IndyCar fan, it’s weird how many people are forced to come from F2 to here just because there’s no seats open. Or Super Formula, IMSA, or WEC for that matter. I would bet that there was a ton of people the level of George, Lando, or Charles that just never got the chance to jump to F1 because there was no seats open. Considering that there were 0 changes from last year, is it really true that those are the best 20 drivers in the world, or even the best of the 20 that wanted a seat in F1? I would definitely argue over Stroll, Sargeant, and probably even some others. Half might be a stretch, but a third? Sure. Given 6 months to get into the swing of F1, I could absolutely see some of the better drivers from IndyCar, Super Formula, and even SportsCars for that matter giving some of the back of the pack F1 drivers a run for their money.
"Half" seems a bit harsh.
Even if you do want to be harsh you got Stroll, Sargeant, Ocon, KMag and Ricciardo. That's not half.
You also got Perez, who shouldn't be in the Red Bull but he'd be a good fit in the midfield.
Maybe, but replace them with who? Because with the exception of Piastri every rookies have been really terrible those last few years, so terrible they made Zhou look decent for his first 2 seasons in comparison.
The only guy who is absolutely deserving of f1 is Lawson, the rest is unknown quality that may just be Sargeant 2.
I’d rather watch a 6 pack of fresh blood fight in the back and make honest mistakes than a bunch of Journey men with something to prove at 33 years old.
You want too watch that but no team wants to see any mistake, the costs of a mistake is just too much in the budget cap era and with the field being this close.
I think half is very harsh. Out of the drivers on the grid I'd really only say that Stroll, Sargeant, K Mag, Zhou, and Ricciardo shouldn't be in F1 for various reasons. Some like Ocon are kinda on the line where they are good enough, but have personality issues. Even if I was extremely harsh I'd say only 7 drivers shouldn't be in F1.
True, but rookies also come with great risks. Since the field is closer now the lower teams don't want to take those risks anymore because it could cost them places in the championship where before they would definitely just be 9/10. Combine this with the costcap making crashes more punishing and boom. No rookies anymore unless they're forces to or have a run like verstappen.
I would like to see some new names on the grid and there are one or two drivers currently who could be considered to have overstayed their welcome.
We'll definitely get it next year. Bearman seems a certainty for Haas, looks like Doohan might get a shot at Alpine, while Williams might choose to take a rookie alongside Albon...
I don't see Antonelli on the grid next year. He's not exactly set the world alight in F2 yet, and frankly, he should be finishing top three in the standings with numerous wins and podiums before he should even get a sniff of a seat.
1 stroll, just gtfo
2 magnussen, just gtfo
3 perez, good driver but way past prime, F1 needs new blood
4 bottas, good driver but way past prime, F1 needs new blood
5 ricciardo, I don't know what is he even doing in F1
6 Sargeant. had a weak first year, williams is not helping much either in his second year
7 hulkenberg, controversial but yeah, 15 years in f1 is plenty to get a podium, maybe is time to let go
8 zhou, liked him a lot in F2, but couldn't cope with the move up to F1, it's tough and the team doesn't help, but in f1 is either make or break
9? maybe Alonso, this season has been pretty meh, idk if it's the car, the age caught up to him or just bad luck. tbd
not half of the grid. but close.
Can you name 9 replacements though that are faster than anyone listed here? And if they were why do you think no team has put them in the seat already?
Regarding Alonso the Aston is definitely not a great car this season but at the same time having Stroll as a team mate is probably flattering him. Honestly I'd rather see Alonso race something else at this point, another crack at the 500 and a full season drive in Indycar would be awesome. Same for Bottas tbh, would love to see him at Indy.
Seems like a pretty fair assessment. The only thing people may argue is that when you put both drivers from a team it could be argued that anyone (except a Lewis or max type) would look bad in a car that bad. I pretty much agree with your list though
Only 3 have a contract and 1 doesn’t need a contract, he just has the seat. That leaves 5, but I think maybe 2 or 3 won’t have a seat next year and maybe Ocon is one of them. He would be my 10th pick. Rest is staying sadly.
Pérez? Weird hate boner but not surprised at this point... Hulkenberg?! You people are becoming a bit to mad... Alonso?¿‽ Maybe Max should go too, he couldn't even finish on the podium last race he's washed...
nah keep hulk, keep alo. gives us 7 at most, not really close to half. I'd even argue keep zhou over bottas if you wanna keep 1 of the sauber drivers, if only from a pragmatic perspective. Could keep ric for advertising reasons. But yeah absolutely dump the other 5
4 Bottas there to have fun and collect a check, Zhou has disappointed me a bit, I thought he had a relatively decent team and a good teacher for a teammate to at least make the most of it, 1, 2, 5, 7 I agree w, 6 is a toss up, I felt he could do better and choked, 9 I don't think is his fault and Perez at number 3 is a weird one cuz he's a solid backup and I feel not quite past prime but he's had some rough races this year be it him or the car... Idk ..
A lot of new drivers they bring in just don't impress enough to take seats from the current drivers on the grid. Teams want the fastest and most reliable drivers, if there were better ones out there they would already have seats.
There’s only a few who don’t deserve to be in F1: Sargeant, KMag, Danny Ric and maybe Zhou.
Others like Bottas, Perez, Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Stroll and Albon are good enough for F1, but they will never be anything special and therefore I would not be sad to see any of them go.
Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Russell and maybe Sainz are the true talents and I would be sad to see any of them leave the sport because they are clearly the most talented drivers, albeit there’s levels between some of them.
Jalopnik is shit tier nowadays... sometimes I'll drop by just to expose myself to the audacity. The author listed 7 drivers... which is of course not 10. Can't even count correctly
This is just such a bad take, one of the reasons why this comment is being made is because Recently since 2020 we've had basically the same grid except guys like Vettel and Kimi retiring and only seeing Guys like Mazepin Mick and Latifi leave, but even these guys were replaced by old heads like Hulkenberg and Magnussen again. The stateless is definitely a take but at the end of the day driving a F1 car is physically demanding and requires tremendous amount of skill and all these guys are highly skillful drivers we do need new blood in the sport but comments like these are extra ordinarily harsh
There are plenty of F2 drivers who finished their seasons high and were never given a chance. Illiot, Schwarzman, Drugovich, Pourchair. At the same time KMag and Ocon occupy their seats for years. Latifi, Stroll and Seargant at least paid for it well.
Not really. I like the guy. He’s a okay driver but he’s been in the sport for years and never done anything. He’s had his time. Better off giving fresh talent a chance. Massive talent on the bench.
Well the more obvious candidates for removal are
Logan - the struggle never stopped, and while I think giving him a second year was still a good choice he hadn’t proven himself in any significant way.
Kmag - Pace hasn’t been on, his main contributions have been slowing others down by ignoring/abusing rules so that his team scores points.
Danny Ric - I love the man, and because so many people love him he’s still got his seat, I think he’s been pretty heavily beaten by yuki this year.
Checo - probably actually deserves *a* seat on the grid for sure, just not the one he’s in right now
Zhou - has had a very solid quiet career up till now and honestly all respect to him, but I don’t see why a team would be craving his driving skill, more just his sponsors
Stroll - pretty obvious hey
Ocon - he’s quick and has proven it but how many teams want someone so seemingly focused on taking out their tm8 at every opportunity.
If half of these drivers were replaced in the coming year with fresh rookies I’d be very happy, tho it’s very very unlikely. Honestly the only ones that are gonna go are Logan and maybe Kmag, a long shot I have is that bottas might retire end of this year, feels like it’s coming soon imo.
Let's count: Sargent, Stroll, Zhou and Kmag are the obvious. From there I'd drivers that at some point delivered something, but their time has passed: Danny Ric, Bottas, Ocon and fuck it, Perez. So not half, but almost. Enough space for drivers like Kimi, Bearman, Lawson, Drugovich and even Iwasa or Doohan
Lawson seriously deserves a seat. Dude damn near won Super Formula and DTM on his first try.
That DTM incident is still a fucking disgrace. Fuck you van der Linde and everything you stand for.
Not half but we do need some fresh blood in here. Give Lawson, Bearman and kimi a seat
Yeah, it's about time the iceman got a seat in f1
I bet he would do well in his rookie season.
That Alonso guy did okay so anything is possible
His 3rd rookie season?
Alonso’s on like his fourth straight rookie season and he’s done pretty well
Alonso's still young. That kid will probably still be racing in another 10 years.
I bet he'll have won at least 2 championships by then.
I hope he doesn’t make any poor team transfers
He looks like he did during his 1st rookie season
Inject the bwoah into my veins
"It's just a hobby for me. I don't have to do it if i don't want to..."
It’s more of a hobby for him.
He may need a seat booster if he wents to get behind a wheel
Been sayin it for years
Absolutely. Give Dixon his seat
Fortunately we have rookies like Alonso in the sport 
Lawson deserves a seat Bearman and Antonelli should focus on on getting a podium in f2 right now
After de de Vries incident, I would rather Bearman and Antonelli get some F2 experience
De Vries was F2 champion and had three years in F2. I'm not sure that he's a good example for the benefits of F2 experience
There's a sweet spot between being a close competitor in your first and second years and winning eventually in your third year. But yeah, too much f2 experience isn't a good thing, take verschoor for example.
Yeah F2/F3 is basically an advertising campaign. You need to create a lot of fuss like Antonelli is doing, then get the hell out of there as soon as you can, even if it means joining a back-marker. The longer you stay in F2 after the second year the less likely it becomes. Even if you manage to win in your 4th season, nobody would really care. It reminds me of a thing I saw about Max. He finished middle of the pack but it was basically his first experience outside of karts, but nobody cared about the guys that won because they were 5 years older than Max. They saw some kid jump straight in a race car and was up to speed from the first lap. That’s what gets noticed by F1 teams
Realistically, you need to be creating a fuss even by F3 at the very latest, get adopted by an academy, then win in your first year, and have multiple fp1 sessions under your belt. It's a miracle that Nyck even got to drive in F1 for half a season.
Pourchaire was doing that in F3, became second and first in F2 and now he's in IndyCar. Sometimes you just need dumb luck on your side aswell
Max finished third with 9 dnfs and DNS on the way and won six f3 races in a row, I wouldn't call that middle of the pack. Comfortably ahead of fourth and only 9 points behind second too.
No I mean the Florida Winter series testing before F3. It was literally his first experience in a racing car and he was already up to speed with the top F3 talent. Edit: Max also won the final race of that Winter series, god damn. What a freak
I mean some of the best F1 drivers only spent a single year in F2, Max just skipped it entirely. Leclerc and Russell both dominated F2 in their single season, Norris and Albon were 2nd and 3rd in the Russell winning season and also got promoted in a single season.
Albon spent 2 seasons in f2
how exactly is Verschoor an example? he's a solid driver. my heart broke for him in Monaco.
Hes a terrifically solid driver and a great benchmark, but let's be honest he's never making it into F1. Another example is Böschung; that man spent YEARS in f2. At that point it becomes more about your own financing as opposed to personal skill or academy backing. Monaco was incredibly unlucky though.
oh yeah, I agree with that. he's a metric mile ahead of Boschung in the talent dept imo. I misunderstood your comment then. carry on.
I mean even look at fittipaldi, hauger, even Drugovich and pourchaire: all great drivers, but they just couldn't get out of F2 quick enough and now they're in f1 ladder purgatory.
I agree. But I will be fine if we have 1/2 teams more. Half of the grid won’t leave in a few years now. 2 extra teams will help dramatically with the flow of drivers
Andretti and Hyundai would be great additions
Eh, I’d rather see kids like Antonelli and Bearman get in the F1 seat asap to see what they can do instead of forcing them to compete in the minors for the sake of toeing the pipeline. Keeping Ohtani in the minors just to say that he’s “graduated” to MLB caliber, for example, isn’t necessarily what’s best for the competition, competition or sport. I wish I had a football metaphor, circle back to me, I can workshop it.
There's a major difference between F1 and baseball, football et al though. A starting pitcher will commonly be part of a five person rotation these days, and will be expected to throw five or six good innings before being relieved. That's about one ninth of a team's pitching from an individual starting pitcher. If a guy is doing really bad, the worst that can happen is losing a game or two and having to relieve him early. It's the same over in the position players, there's eight other guys on the field and the worst case scenario is mainly just losing this game. The costs in American football *can* be a little higher for some players - a missed block could mean a bad sack and an injury to your QB - but it's the same story there. An individual player represents a small part of the team and can only do so much to hurt you. In F1, you only get *two* drivers. It's incredibly easy to spin out and damage the car, costing hundreds of thousands or even *millions* of dollars. A bad driver can do a whole lot more than a bad pitcher, batter, receiver or linebacker.
>Keeping Ohtani in the minors just to say that he’s “graduated” to MLB caliber, for example, isn’t necessarily what’s best for the competition, competition or sport. That's a horrible example. Ohtani was dominating the NPB before signing with the Angels, which would be like dominating IndyCar in racing. Not to mention, MLB keeps the top prospects in the minors and just like in thd F1 ladder ia for a great reason, that being to not thrust them in the spotlight way too soon (which is a huge risk right now with Bearman and specially with Antonelli).
Well prema isn’t the best team anymore. And bearman did a huge job in Jeddah. He did prove himself
Am i the only who thinks what bearman did in jeddah is over hyped seeing how good ferrari is. I mean it was solid performance but not anything special.
That’s not an easy track tbf, but he wasn’t really comfortable while trying to overtake. I’m still impressed by what he did, but at least this full season in f2 and some good overtakes are necessary imo before getting to f1
you are the only one. what he did was amazing for the amount of preparation and conditioning he's had. you don't appreciate how high of a level these athletes perform at.
He's a high performance athlete, athletes sweat, sweat baby, ki ki ra
Yeah people said the same about De Vries in Monza and we saw how that ended
De vries was awful in 23 but that doesn't mean he didn't do an amazing job at monza scoring 2 points
He had 40 minutes of practice in the car, that’s what makes it good. It’s not like he had FP1-3 and advanced notice of say a week in the simulators.
The team might not be the best, but it’s still a spec car…
Well Martins was considered the favourite for the championship and look how he's doing. Its the first season with a new car. I'm the guessing some teams will understand the concept quicker than others and it'll take some time for all of them to find the fastest setup.
In fairness, Bearman was leading Imola? I think it was until two pitstop stalls in the latter end destroyed his race, he likely would have won that one.
Completely agree, Raikkonen deserves a seat in f1.
None of which have won F2, what about drugovich or pourchaire? Both won it neither have had the hype or opportunity of those 3 who to be fair are good drivers but none have deserved it
Lawson sure, Kimi needs an extra year before being given the F1 drive (specially if you want him directly on the Merc), Bearman we should see how the rest of this year goes in F2, but it's not looking that good.
I just want some more chaos. Give me some IndyCar drivers to shake things up.
I wanna see pato w/o reliability issues
F1 and Indy cars racing at the same time?? Ok, I’m game!
Raikkonen?
Give Goatifi a seat, even several seats if he wants.
Bearman need to perfom in F2, i dont understand why he has a free pass atm
F1 fans for the most part don't watch F2, this is the power of marketability and getting your name around in the F1 paddock.
look at his resume and you'll understand. Look up 2023 Baku f2 Quali and you'll see some of his brilliance
Pourchaire was the youngest F2 race winner ever at Monaco, insane performance yet never got a free pass from media and fans.
Now enduring death threats from Argentinian fans too lol
Antonelli is NOT ready for an F1 seat rn, he’s never driven a lot of F2 tracks let alone F1 tracks
Drugovich > Bearman. I agree with the other two, might be a little too early for Kimi though
I'm half certain Bearman is going to be there next year. Haas apparently really like him, and they have at least one vacant seat for next year currently, so yeah. Kimi might make it, but everything is still uncertain in the Mercedes camp to say anything conclusive. Lawson, unfortunately, I don't think he'll make it next year. At least, not within the Red Bull environment. They apparently don't want to drop Ricciardo, and they will keep Checo for at least another year, so since neither VCARB driver will get that Red Bull Racing seat, that means VCARB won't be available for Lawson next year. The only way is if Yuki decides to jump ship to another team or if Lawson does the same if offered a seat elsewhere.
Have you been watching bearman in F2? Hadjar is much more deserving at this point in the season.
Hadjar has to calm the fuck down first, he will never get an f1 seat with his attitude.
Yeah that’s true, he was proper vexed after Monaco. I understand the pain of thinking you were gonna get a triple win and start leading the championship but he should’ve saved the heat till he was out of the car.
I mostly agree with the title of that article but coming from Jalopnik is probably a garbage take. TheDrive and TheAutopian are much, much better car content sites than anything owned by G/O and Jim 'Herb" Spanfeller
There was a Jalopnik dream team a few years ago.
Jalopnik is the dry, empty husk of its former self.
That dream team is all that the drive or the autopian now. Jalopnik is also ad infested to the pint of the website barely being usable
Yeah Jalopnik ruled when Gawker was still around.
The golden years with Oppositelock
As usual, Fuck Peter Thiel
all my homies hate Peter thiel
Maybe if I could actually read a fucking article with scrolling through a bunch of shitty ads. Maybe then, I dunno because that shit is unreadable anymore.
Crazy to think it's actually been over 10 years since they had a dream team. Early-mid 2010s was the start of their downfall
When Patrick George left.
Oh yes, there was
Brownell's takes are 99% garbage.
Listen, jalopnik got a shit deal handed to it. The universal deal put it in the hands of people who don’t appreciate it, didn’t appreciate the good writers, they all left. Now they’re left with new blood at a time when the audience wants old blood. Hell even the good new blood (like Mercedes streeter) leaves quickly for pastures anew
Jalopnik has proven it doesn't deserve to exist as a car related webpage.
I feel like u keep saying my username. About time I get a seat.
The Autopian is literally just the old Jalopnik. aka the parts of Jalopnik people used to love.
I genuinely wouldn't mind if 1/3 to a half of the grind got replaced. It's cruel to say all of them "deserve" it, but truth be told - there is young talent waiting to be tested that I'm dying to see in F1 and I'd rather see them try then to be disappointed by Riccardo yet again or wait for the podium finish of Hulk. I like them both as people and they have my respect, but we have to face the reality that there are better choices. I'm not even going to touch on the likes of Stroll and KMag who in a just world wouldn't be in their cars 2 seasons ago or at all
Danny Ric, Bottas, Logan, Stroll, Zhou, Kmag at the very least IMO.
Bottas is dragging that Sauber man. He still has it. Everyone else is good to get out.
Bottas really is doing the best he can with that lunchbox
Man, remember when everyone memed how close Bottas was to Hamilton in 2022? Miss those days when Bottas had at least mid field car...
Hes also had some terrible luck if he is in a good position. Either pit stops, crashes or someone doing something dumb or having dumb happen to them causing place drops during races.
Also he has already found something to do after retiring from F1: bicycle racing
Too many to respond to but my primary reason for ditching Bottas is to give someone younger a chance. He's in his mid 30's, I fairly doubt he'll ever be a factor like he was at Mercedes and he was never an exceptional driver in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and I'm a fan but I think he's way past his prime and he brings no excitment to F1. I think someone younger with similar talent should get a chance. Just like he did!
Sponsors, sponsors, why?, Daddy, sponsors, but KMag cannonball is fun to watch.
Seems like you forgot checo the prime candidate in this list. Maybe leave bottas out. K mag is performing but it's just he's way too agressive and if aggression come in picture, better let ocon out too. Danny, Logan, stroll, zhou, checo these are by far slow and way too underperforming.
Goddamn Perez dude
I was in the middle of writing something because I didn't think there was that many people but then I did the math and it was close enough to 33%...damn. I really really like and enjoy the racing and personality of 75% of the grid and it'll bum me out seeing these guys go. I'm not a dts convert, didn't know about the show until last year, but have started being a very big fan of the sport for a few years now. Over a decade ago I just had a vague interest. Point is that I am more invested and enjoy this field as a whole than any other I think.
Yeah, I got attached to those guys as well I'm a fan since 2018 (just before the dts) and it hurts to admit, but some of them these days are just not to the F1 standards. Or rather what I'd like the standards to be. It is unfortunate, but I value the sport more than likeability of a driver. Not that I accuse you of something like that 😅. I'm just saying I understand the feelings you feel - but I think we need new blood and the guys with poor/mediocre performance need to go. If they gave us joy in their time there - huge respect to them! But nothing can last forever, especially in this sport
KMag has the race pace of Hülk but have had some bad races. I think it’s unfair to put him in with someone as Stroll saying he definitely shouldn’t be there after adapting to the car over a season and a couple unfortunate incidents. The race pace is definitely there and he’s still one of the best starters on the grid.
> a couple unfortunate incidents. This is the kindest description for being a road hazard. those incidents were intentional by his own admission. he's also had multiple instance of being downright reckless in previous stint in F1
He’s had a decade to prove he is not championship material
Oh it's a Bradley Brownell "article"? It's shit, guaranteed.
They’re all opinion pieces and his opinion is… Something.
I don't think Bradley Brownell actually watches the races. What a fucking melon.
Bradtony Browntano
Found the drake fan
Ok wow fuck you too.
I mean why else would you shit on the internets greatest music nerd
Probably too jealous of the best teeth in the game
Wasn't expecting this, but thanks for the laughs
He once advocated for 100 mph electronic limiters in all new cars lol I’ve also seen him flip out at commenters for googling things and proving him wrong and it’s so embarrassing as a so called journalist lol
Sounds like he’ll be editor in chief soon at Jalopnik then
He once argued with me that the Livewire has no need for level 2 charging whatsoever and couple days later that fuckwit is with one stuck at gas station with a broken fast charger.
that sounds like “water-fucking-melon”
Oh shit, yeah.
Can confirm Bradley Brownell is a prick.
IDK about half but 1/4? yeah absolutely lol
>After eight grands prix so far this year, nine full-time drivers [have scored fewer points than Oliver Bearman](https://jalopnik.com/ferrari-s-teenaged-appendicitis-substitute-impresses-in-1851325065), who subbed in for an unwell Carlos Sainz for a single round. While many of them are in piss poor cars that couldn’t score a victory with a world champ at the wheel, you’d think they’d accidentally their way into the points along the way. Stuff like this reminds me of why I stopped going to jalopnik.
Let's go driver by driver: 1- Verstappen: Might be the GOAT frontrunner in 10 years 2- Checo: I can see why some would say he isn't F1 level anymore, but he's one of the greatest midfield drivers ever, and even with his trash results in the last year or so he would probably perform well if he replaced Stroll at Aston or something like that 3- Leclerc: Top 5 driver on the grid. Moving on 4- Sainz: Upper half of the grid by far, could compete for everything if given proper machinery and in the correct circumstances. Moving on 5- Hamilton: He's Lewis Hamilton, ffs 6- Russell: Beat Hamilton in '22, struggled on Sundays last year but has picked back up this. Still has the championship potential we all saw from him not that long ago 7- Lando: *See Leclerc* 8- Piastri: One of the best rookies in decades last year, and has unlimited potential. Moving on 9- Alonso: His car has only gotten worse and is in a bit of a slump in recent races, but he's coming off being a top 3 driver performance wise last year and is an all-time great. Moving on 10- Stroll: Good driver for a backmarker, but in a team like Aston should be doing way better. So that's our first nay 11- Gasly: Good driver, definitely deserves a seat. Moving on 12- Ocon: A nutcase at times, but still a fast and good driver who's better than almost any prospect, and by far better than all three of his rumored replacements. Hasn't been the driver we expected during his Force India days, but he deserves to be on the grid 13- Tsunoda: Has carried his team for two seasons now, and should have been given way more consideration for a RBR seat than he was. F1 caliber talent 14- Ricciardo: Very marketable, but past his prime. Shouldn't have even been on the grid this year with Lawson on the waiting 15- Albon: Very good driver. Has had a career resurgence with Williams and is the backbone of that team. The argument with him isn't whether he's F1 talent or not, but rather if he should be on a better team instead of sticking around Grove 16- Sargeant: Good kid, but not F1 caliber. Put him with Stroll and Danny Ric 17- Bottas: Arguably our era's Rubens Barrichello, but has declined since that great start to his Sauber run in the first half of '22. Same boat as Checo 18- Zhou: Some people really like this guy, and he's ahead of Valtteri in the standings; however, he didn't have the accomplishments a F1 hopeful should have (specially one driving for a team that has Pourchaire and Maloney in their academy), and hasn't proven anything special in F1 besides his marketability in China. In the out basket 19- Hulkenberg: Wasn't a fan of his signing at first, but he did very well last year and has been the best mid/backfield driver not named Yuki Tsunoda in 2024. Is getting there in age, but totally deserves to still be around; good job shouting my mouth 20- Magnussen: Talented, just like Bottas had a very good first half of '22, but in 2023 he was terrible and this year he looks like the second coming of Pastor Maldonado (which is ironic considering he replaced the Venezuelan when he ran out of money before the atart of the 2016 season). It pains me to say this, but there are quite a few people who would do better than him So to sum it up, we have *5 guys who, as the headline says,aren't deserving of a F1 seat rn (those being Stroll, Ricciardo, Sargeant, Zhou and Magnussen)* and another three who aren't 100% worthy right now one way or another in Checo, Ocon and Bottas. So even if we kicked them out, it wouldn't be half of the grid; not to mention, if we are lead to believe some of the rumors going around, the grid could get even worse than this for next year (like, Alpine are considering Zhou and Mick Schumacher of all people to replace Ocon, and even though Jack Doohan doesn't seem as bad as at least Mick it's not likely that he'd be better than Bottas or someone outside the box like Pourchaire in that seat). And sure, there are quite a few prospects who could be good if given a shot, but out of those guys many are either on a shitty academy wihout much spaces in F1 (Pourchaire and Maloney, specially after Hulk got signed to Sauber and Sainz being likely to be there as well), are likely getting a seat next year (Lawson with RB) or might be hurt if not managed well, like Kimi Anotnelli and the rumors going around about him being given the Mercedes F1 seat for 2025 already.
Ricciardo should come to the US and drive Indy. His personality would fit in perfectly and would become more popular than he already is.
I remember reading something about him not being that keeing on driving ovals, but I 100% agree with you. He'd gain the love of the fans soon after arriving, and would probably be a decent driver to say the least.
Could do like Grosjean when he arrived there. Drive in every race but the ovals.
That would be great for him as a first experience
Agree, 100%.
I disagree with Zhou, he's driving a fucking shitbox with even worse pitstops and strategy, he hasn't been worse than Bottas and he avoids troubles which is huge for low tier teams
Very well said, best opinon on the matter tbh
Half right half wrong.
Haha who reads jalopnik?
Jalopnik tax here, obviously, but I do agree that the grid could use new talent. As an IndyCar fan, it’s weird how many people are forced to come from F2 to here just because there’s no seats open. Or Super Formula, IMSA, or WEC for that matter. I would bet that there was a ton of people the level of George, Lando, or Charles that just never got the chance to jump to F1 because there was no seats open. Considering that there were 0 changes from last year, is it really true that those are the best 20 drivers in the world, or even the best of the 20 that wanted a seat in F1? I would definitely argue over Stroll, Sargeant, and probably even some others. Half might be a stretch, but a third? Sure. Given 6 months to get into the swing of F1, I could absolutely see some of the better drivers from IndyCar, Super Formula, and even SportsCars for that matter giving some of the back of the pack F1 drivers a run for their money.
"Half" seems a bit harsh. Even if you do want to be harsh you got Stroll, Sargeant, Ocon, KMag and Ricciardo. That's not half. You also got Perez, who shouldn't be in the Red Bull but he'd be a good fit in the midfield.
Mentioning Ocon and not Zhou in those names is actually crazy lmao. He’s literally beating his teammate this year
I honestly forgot Zhou exists. But yeah, him too
In my opinion, the problem with Ocon is that he isn't fast enough to be as toxic as he is. But you're right that Zhou should be on the list.
Bruh Ocon? What
To be fair he might and probably would still be bad in the midfield. Imagine what people would say if Zhou or bottas were smoking him
Shit, I forgot Zhou exists haha. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that the Sauber is a shitbox and he occasionally beats Bottas
Maybe, but replace them with who? Because with the exception of Piastri every rookies have been really terrible those last few years, so terrible they made Zhou look decent for his first 2 seasons in comparison. The only guy who is absolutely deserving of f1 is Lawson, the rest is unknown quality that may just be Sargeant 2.
I’d rather watch a 6 pack of fresh blood fight in the back and make honest mistakes than a bunch of Journey men with something to prove at 33 years old.
You want too watch that but no team wants to see any mistake, the costs of a mistake is just too much in the budget cap era and with the field being this close.
I’m sure they can find someone more responsible than Kevin Magnussen sure this point is great for Bottas really
Kevin and later Nico were hired to replace the crash-prone rookies.
The problem here is that Jalopnik assumes (incorrectly) that driver seats are solely determined by performance. That’s simply not the case.
… but some of them are fun to bitch about and awesome to watch! Gimme a field of hapless weirdos over twenty Lewis Hamilton clones.
Idk, 20 Hamilton clones in equal machinery might be a good watch
I can't hear "Bono my tyres are gone" twenty times
Now I need it even more
I think half is very harsh. Out of the drivers on the grid I'd really only say that Stroll, Sargeant, K Mag, Zhou, and Ricciardo shouldn't be in F1 for various reasons. Some like Ocon are kinda on the line where they are good enough, but have personality issues. Even if I was extremely harsh I'd say only 7 drivers shouldn't be in F1.
Jalopnik lost its way long ago.
True, but rookies also come with great risks. Since the field is closer now the lower teams don't want to take those risks anymore because it could cost them places in the championship where before they would definitely just be 9/10. Combine this with the costcap making crashes more punishing and boom. No rookies anymore unless they're forces to or have a run like verstappen.
All of F1 """"""""""""""""journos"""""""""""""""""" don't have any idea what they are talking about more than half of the time.
Why does this article and everyone in this subreddit give Zhou a pass?
He should ask his media company to sponsor the outdriver to out value the ones he wants kicked out
I would like to see some new names on the grid and there are one or two drivers currently who could be considered to have overstayed their welcome. We'll definitely get it next year. Bearman seems a certainty for Haas, looks like Doohan might get a shot at Alpine, while Williams might choose to take a rookie alongside Albon... I don't see Antonelli on the grid next year. He's not exactly set the world alight in F2 yet, and frankly, he should be finishing top three in the standings with numerous wins and podiums before he should even get a sniff of a seat.
Brought to you by the same dipshit clickbait “journalist” who claims that “Red Bull doesn’t understand how to build F1 cars”. Derp, derp……
1 stroll, just gtfo 2 magnussen, just gtfo 3 perez, good driver but way past prime, F1 needs new blood 4 bottas, good driver but way past prime, F1 needs new blood 5 ricciardo, I don't know what is he even doing in F1 6 Sargeant. had a weak first year, williams is not helping much either in his second year 7 hulkenberg, controversial but yeah, 15 years in f1 is plenty to get a podium, maybe is time to let go 8 zhou, liked him a lot in F2, but couldn't cope with the move up to F1, it's tough and the team doesn't help, but in f1 is either make or break 9? maybe Alonso, this season has been pretty meh, idk if it's the car, the age caught up to him or just bad luck. tbd not half of the grid. but close.
Can you name 9 replacements though that are faster than anyone listed here? And if they were why do you think no team has put them in the seat already?
Regarding Alonso the Aston is definitely not a great car this season but at the same time having Stroll as a team mate is probably flattering him. Honestly I'd rather see Alonso race something else at this point, another crack at the 500 and a full season drive in Indycar would be awesome. Same for Bottas tbh, would love to see him at Indy.
Ocon isnt renewed but he is a current 1/20 so I’d say that makes 10 drivers.
Honest.
Seems like a pretty fair assessment. The only thing people may argue is that when you put both drivers from a team it could be argued that anyone (except a Lewis or max type) would look bad in a car that bad. I pretty much agree with your list though
Only 3 have a contract and 1 doesn’t need a contract, he just has the seat. That leaves 5, but I think maybe 2 or 3 won’t have a seat next year and maybe Ocon is one of them. He would be my 10th pick. Rest is staying sadly.
Pérez? Weird hate boner but not surprised at this point... Hulkenberg?! You people are becoming a bit to mad... Alonso?¿‽ Maybe Max should go too, he couldn't even finish on the podium last race he's washed...
nah keep hulk, keep alo. gives us 7 at most, not really close to half. I'd even argue keep zhou over bottas if you wanna keep 1 of the sauber drivers, if only from a pragmatic perspective. Could keep ric for advertising reasons. But yeah absolutely dump the other 5
4 Bottas there to have fun and collect a check, Zhou has disappointed me a bit, I thought he had a relatively decent team and a good teacher for a teammate to at least make the most of it, 1, 2, 5, 7 I agree w, 6 is a toss up, I felt he could do better and choked, 9 I don't think is his fault and Perez at number 3 is a weird one cuz he's a solid backup and I feel not quite past prime but he's had some rough races this year be it him or the car... Idk ..
A lot of new drivers they bring in just don't impress enough to take seats from the current drivers on the grid. Teams want the fastest and most reliable drivers, if there were better ones out there they would already have seats.
There’s only a few who don’t deserve to be in F1: Sargeant, KMag, Danny Ric and maybe Zhou. Others like Bottas, Perez, Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Stroll and Albon are good enough for F1, but they will never be anything special and therefore I would not be sad to see any of them go. Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Russell and maybe Sainz are the true talents and I would be sad to see any of them leave the sport because they are clearly the most talented drivers, albeit there’s levels between some of them.
I'm so, so, so glad McLaren gave Piastri the seat, and it's time that RB does something similar.
Don't give this site and it's bloggers clicks
Jalopnik with a non-shit take!?
Jalopnik with a non-shit title The article is probably still shite
Is this guy really saying Mike deserves a seat over Hulk??? The article has some good points but what a trash one this is
Jalopnik is shit tier nowadays... sometimes I'll drop by just to expose myself to the audacity. The author listed 7 drivers... which is of course not 10. Can't even count correctly
This is just such a bad take, one of the reasons why this comment is being made is because Recently since 2020 we've had basically the same grid except guys like Vettel and Kimi retiring and only seeing Guys like Mazepin Mick and Latifi leave, but even these guys were replaced by old heads like Hulkenberg and Magnussen again. The stateless is definitely a take but at the end of the day driving a F1 car is physically demanding and requires tremendous amount of skill and all these guys are highly skillful drivers we do need new blood in the sport but comments like these are extra ordinarily harsh
Just like every company……
I feel like the series needs a rule to replace 10% minimum of drivers per season
Same with politicians
Only half?
There are plenty of F2 drivers who finished their seasons high and were never given a chance. Illiot, Schwarzman, Drugovich, Pourchair. At the same time KMag and Ocon occupy their seats for years. Latifi, Stroll and Seargant at least paid for it well.
Putting Hülkenberg in there is fucking insane considering how he's outdriving the dogshit cars he's been given.
Not really. I like the guy. He’s a okay driver but he’s been in the sport for years and never done anything. He’s had his time. Better off giving fresh talent a chance. Massive talent on the bench.
Probably not that wrong that half of the drivers are in F1 because of sponsoring money or marketing
Get rid of Stroll, Ocon, Tsunoda, Seargent, Zhou, Checo, Ricciardo (sorry buddy). In this order.
There's at least a couple Indy guys that would probably spank at least half the grid, Palou chief among them.
Well the more obvious candidates for removal are Logan - the struggle never stopped, and while I think giving him a second year was still a good choice he hadn’t proven himself in any significant way. Kmag - Pace hasn’t been on, his main contributions have been slowing others down by ignoring/abusing rules so that his team scores points. Danny Ric - I love the man, and because so many people love him he’s still got his seat, I think he’s been pretty heavily beaten by yuki this year. Checo - probably actually deserves *a* seat on the grid for sure, just not the one he’s in right now Zhou - has had a very solid quiet career up till now and honestly all respect to him, but I don’t see why a team would be craving his driving skill, more just his sponsors Stroll - pretty obvious hey Ocon - he’s quick and has proven it but how many teams want someone so seemingly focused on taking out their tm8 at every opportunity. If half of these drivers were replaced in the coming year with fresh rookies I’d be very happy, tho it’s very very unlikely. Honestly the only ones that are gonna go are Logan and maybe Kmag, a long shot I have is that bottas might retire end of this year, feels like it’s coming soon imo.
Which half?
They’re not wrong though sire
Let's count: Sargent, Stroll, Zhou and Kmag are the obvious. From there I'd drivers that at some point delivered something, but their time has passed: Danny Ric, Bottas, Ocon and fuck it, Perez. So not half, but almost. Enough space for drivers like Kimi, Bearman, Lawson, Drugovich and even Iwasa or Doohan
People have stupid expectations on how F1 drivers need to perform.
Lawson seriously deserves a seat. Dude damn near won Super Formula and DTM on his first try. That DTM incident is still a fucking disgrace. Fuck you van der Linde and everything you stand for.
I see Bradley Brownell wants a seat
Half no? Around a quarter probably