F1 Rejects Got Talent

[girry]

Fair point - I somehow recalled Max had already debuted in F3 at that time.

Anyhow, I'll put my curses in:

Charles Leclerc is the obvious one, he's been impressive wherever he's gone.
Joel Eriksson
Ralf Aron is the forgotten man, yea he raced for Prema last season and didnt do as well as his teammates but it was his first season..

I will also wildly predict that Mick Schumacher is overhyped and will not reach F1 on achievement - if he gets promoted by some force of higher powers looking for nostalgia, he won't achieve anything more than Bruno Senna.

[dr-baker]

I will also wildly predict that Mick Schumacher is overhyped and will not reach F1 on achievement - if he gets promoted by some force of higher powers looking for nostalgia, he won't achieve anything more than Bruno Senna.

So you're suggesting that Mick will not do as well as his uncle Ralf? Fair enough.

[WaffleCat]

There might be…too much hype for Floersch. Yes, she's quite quick, and she has the added benefit (novelty?) of being a female driver, which might make her stand out more. But…I just think there's too much hype for her. At most, she settles into test driver roles like Wolff/De Villota or she becomes a cult hero like Sabine. But F1 full-time? Nah.

In the meantime, I have hope for Pedro Piquet. Yes, it's probably in the name and, yes, he had an off season in Euro F3 this year, but come on. Look at his results in Brazillian F3 in 2015. He won all but two races, where he still set fastest lap and pole position. I've got some hope for him.

And for some drivers you haven't heard of, how about Alexander Albon and Niko Kari? Niko Kari got snapped up by the Red Bull system, and impressed in his debut season in Euro Formula 3 and finished 2nd in the masters race, already behind the aforementioned Joel Eriksson. Albon, in the meantime, finished 2nd in GP3 first season in. If that's not impressive, I don't know what is.

[Normal32]

There might be…too much hype for Floersch. Yes, she's quite quick, and she has the added benefit (novelty?) of being a female driver, which might make her stand out more. But…I just think there's too much hype for her. At most, she settles into test driver roles like Wolff/De Villota or she becomes a cult hero like Sabine. But F1 full-time? Nah.

In the meantime, I have hope for Pedro Piquet. Yes, it's probably in the name and, yes, he had an off season in Euro F3 this year, but come on. Look at his results in Brazillian F3 in 2015. He won all but two races, where he still set fastest lap and pole position. I've got some hope for him.

Resumed my sentiments exactly on Floersch. I don't even see her as that quick either. She might get some change as a test driver but I severely doubt it.

As for Pedro Piquet... you can't really use Brazilian F3 as a benchmark. The grid isn't exactly filled with talent, and it's also quite small, with 6 other full-time entrants in the main championship that year.

[Nessafox]

I'm going to add Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg to the list. His talent doesnt seem to be special (but still acceptable), but he is Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia. If connections go, being a descendent of some big royal dynasty from the past isn't going to do you any harm.

[novitopoli]

Also think Alexander Albon could make great things in F1.
For an outside chance, I wonder what Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg could achieve.

[yannicksamlad]

I'll play - looking below GP2;
Jack Aitken - I think he could develop further..but I suppose he's getting on a bit since he's 21
Leo Pulcini - seems quick

[Ducktanian]

I'm going to place George Russell into the ring.
He's a local talent who I've been following since 2014, the same year in which he won the BRDC F4 championship.
He didn't do as well in Formula 3 but I still live in hope.

I used to follow Nathanael Berthon as well, but his career has sorta stagnated.

[Enforcer]

Lando Norris: This kid turned 17 two weeks ago, and he's already won two FR2.0 titles, the Toyota Racing Series, put in a great recovery drive in Macau (despite having never seen the track and only driven a proper F3 car once before), and made Mick freaking Schumacher his b**** in ADAC F4. McLaren, please pick this kid up already.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/02/22/n ... programme/

Indisputable proof that F1 teams read this site.

[UncreativeUsername37]

It's March now, so before the time runs out to look smart about predicting 2017, here are my three drivers two steps below F1.

Nico Jamin: The guy I angrily swapped Hawksworth for. On his second attempt, he won F2000 Winterfest, then won a majority of races in the main championship in the same year, which I thought was cool. Then he came third in Pro Mazda, and now he's up to Lights. Also I like his name.
Santiago Urrutia: He should be in IndyCar, but he isn't so I can still use him.
Niko Kari: I can't see what exactly makes him great, but Red Bull and Arden generally know what they're talking about. I'll be honest, he won a Nordic thing on his first attempt and he's Finnish, that's really why I like him.

[watka]

Searched for a list of drivers' superlicence points and surprisingly found exactly what I was looking for! Thanks F1 Fanatic!

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/01/23/superlicence-points-2017-full-list-of-all-314-points-scoring-drivers/

[Aislabie]

Searched for a list of drivers' superlicence points and surprisingly found exactly what I was looking for! Thanks F1 Fanatic!

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/01/23/superlicence-points-2017-full-list-of-all-314-points-scoring-drivers/

Oh my goodness, thank you! Amazing that Lando Norris is already only three points away

[CarloSpace]

Doesn't DTM get you any points?

[Nessafox]

Doesn't DTM get you any points?

I thought it got some points, but no mentionworthy amount. But judging by this list, i got it wrong too.

[watka]

Searched for a list of drivers' superlicence points and surprisingly found exactly what I was looking for! Thanks F1 Fanatic!

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/01/23/superlicence-points-2017-full-list-of-all-314-points-scoring-drivers/

Oh my goodness, thank you! Amazing that Lando Norris is already only three points away

You have to say his name does stand out with all of those P1s next to it.

[Aislabie]

Searched for a list of drivers' superlicence points and surprisingly found exactly what I was looking for! Thanks F1 Fanatic!

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/01/23/superlicence-points-2017-full-list-of-all-314-points-scoring-drivers/

Oh my goodness, thank you! Amazing that Lando Norris is already only three points away

You have to say his name does stand out with all of those P1s next to it.

Well yes, him and Lopez - if he gets the right wheels, he could so easily be the next Schumacher.

[golic_2004]

Let's review the submissions on this thread!
Aurelien Panis (Backmarker) - Eh...to be determined. 5th in WSBR this year. It looks like we predicted all 2016 WSBR drivers correctly. Remains to be seen whether he will get another shot on the F1 ladder.

Fail. He has surprisingly gone to WTCC.

[UncreativeUsername37]

So, how have my guys done?

Santiago Urrutia: The first half of the season made him look like a complete meme, but he revived himself for the second half. I still believe in him.
Nico Jamin: Showed good pace, but was spin-prone. If he can stop spinning, he'll be great. I'm keeping him as well for 2018.
Niko Kari: Like Urrutia, he had a season of two halves, with the latter half being the good one. Although looking back at the table, he doesn't look as great as I remembered. Replacing him with Scott or Vips is tempting, but I'll give him one more season.

[Nessafox]

Seeing how my picks did:

Richard Verschoor.
Had a very underwhelming season af F. Renault 2.0 finishing 9th in both the Eurocup and the NEC. Knowing Red Bull, they will expect results soon or he's dropped.
Mick Schumacher.
Dissapointing, anonymous season in F3, seems his name enough won't do. Probably will become another Mathias Lauda.
Lando Norris;
Seems to be on track.
Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia
Didn't expect much, so a anonymous but decent 7th place in Formula 3 is nothing to be ashamed of. Could've won the Macau GP if it werent for a silly crash in the last corner. Still stands a chance of becoming an okayish pay-driver, but remains to be seen when he moves up the latter. Neverthless he's still bathplug Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia My joker driver might actually be better than the other picks...

[Aislabie]

Alrighty then, if we're going to play this game:

• Sophia Florsch
• Lando Norris
• Mick Schumacher
• Robert Verschoor
• Guanyu Zhou

Drivers chosen for a range of talent, marketability and financial clout.

Okay, so how did we do?

Floersch - P13 in Formula 4 does not suggest great things are ahead, even if she did manage a podium at each of the last two race meetings. That said, she remains pretty marketable, and I think at one point went a little bit viral? Can't remember why though.

Norris - My talent pick remains highly talented, and won Formula 3 in his rookie season. And not only was it an easy win, but it should perhaps have been easier, were he not to go off the boil in the last couple of race meetings when the Championship was no longer on the line. Could potentially sneak an F1 debut next year.

Schumacher - Proved to be the very definition of mid-table mediocrity in Formula 3, finishing twelfth while others from my list did better. Again though, his marketing value remained up to scratch, securing him demonstration runs in his dad's old Benetton.

Verschoor - It might seem harsh, but he's my big disappointment of the season. P9 in a couple of Formula Renault classifications isn't much to write home about, but he nearly stole a Championship in the Toyota Racing Series (The what? No, me neither.) so it wasn't all bad for him.

Zhou - My outright pay driver pick actually did okay this year. P8 and a load of podiums in Formula 3 isn't exactly indicative of a huge career ahead of him, but there's no reason he couldn't go on to be Chiltonesque.

[WaffleCat]

Let's see how my WaffleCat House of Youth (WHY for short) is getting along...

Pedro Piquet -- Damn. He wasn't even the best offspring of a World Champion in Euro Formula 3, and Little Mickey had an awful season. I'm sorry Pedro, it's a no from me.

Alexander Albon -- 10th in GP2 may not sound like much, but for his first season in GP2, he's had a decent run. Had to go through surgery after a cycling crash, so he missed Baku and affected him quite a bit thru the season. Also nearly won in Abu Dhabi if it weren't for LeClerc being balls out insane. He gets a second shot.

Niko Kari -- 10th in GP3, though unlike Albon's 10th, this one's not terribly promising for Kari, seeing as how he's gotten the boot from Red Bull's Juniors. I'll keep him onboard. Maybe.

As for right now, I really, REALLY want Austrian Prince, Macau Grand Prix last-lap crasher, Man of Many Names, Ferdinand Habsburg to succeed. He's replacing Pedro Piquet for sure this year.

Another name I'm getting into my squadron is Giuliano Alesi, son of Jean. I don't think anyone would've guessed that he'd go anywhere after his 2016 season, but right now he's outshining Mick and Pedro in the 'Sons of F1 Drivers' category. Of course, this was primarily down to his strategy of finishing low in the points in GP3 feature races then taking advantage of his Sprint Race starting position to win, but still. Young Alesi, welcome to WHY.

[UncreativeUsername37]

I'm firing everyone. Here's why:

• Urrutia was a contender for a while, but eventually dropped off championship-wise because he just didn't have the pace.
• Jamin didn't survive Indy Lights' latest half-collapse and is now in ELMS getting similar positions to what he was doing in Indy Lights. So no improvement there either.
• Niko Kari has got six points so far this season.

The first driver in my new imaginary squad is Felipe Drugovich, who's been dominating Euroformula Open this year. And the guy who did the same thing last year is... okay, not going so well. But I believe in him!
Replacing Nico Jamin in the "guy with a cool name who won U.S. F2000 and a series no one has heard of in the same year" slot is Kyle Kirkwood, the Road to Indy's second Kyle with a catchy name. He's smashed U.S. F2000 (and F3 Americas ), which, I know, is a fifth-tier series, but I feel good about him. Jamin made it to Indy Lights midfielddom, after all.
And replacing Niko Kari as my Great Finnish Hope is Konsta Lappalainen, who's currently leading SMP F4 at 16 years old. He better get me some F3-level success or I'll feel like even more of an idiot for not taking Christian Lundgaard whilst I had the chance to look smart about it.

[CarloSpace]

And replacing Niko Kari as my Great Finnish Hope is Konsta Lappalainen, who's currently leading SMP F4 at 16 years old. He better get me some F3-level success or I'll feel like even more of an idiot for not taking Christian Lundgaard whilst I had the chance to look smart about it.

I wouldn't count too much on him. The level of the championship this year hasn't been particularly strong and Lappalainen hasn't been as dominant as one should be to be considered a big talent. I'm happy to be wrong though but I don't think he has the required talent to even reach GP3.

[Ataxia]

And replacing Niko Kari as my Great Finnish Hope is Konsta Lappalainen, who's currently leading SMP F4 at 16 years old. He better get me some F3-level success or I'll feel like even more of an idiot for not taking Christian Lundgaard whilst I had the chance to look smart about it.

I wouldn't count too much on him. The level of the championship this year hasn't been particularly strong and Lappalainen hasn't been as dominant as one should be to be considered a big talent. I'm happy to be wrong though but I don't think he has the required talent to even reach GP3.

Simo Laaksonen's your man. He makes Kimi Raikkonen sound like a flamboyant, overly-enthusiastic raconteur.

[UncreativeUsername37]

All right, here's my 2020 crew. There are no Finnish guys, but it'll be okay, because I'm keeping it very Nordic.

Kyle Kirkwood actually won his series, so he's staying.
Felipe Drugovich didn't stand out in FIA F3. He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't what I wanted. So I'm doing something I should've done a long (sort of) time ago: take on Christian Lundgaard.
Konsta Lappalainen's sideways move hasn't resulted in any more success, and replacing him is Dennis Hauger, 16-year-old Italian F4 champion and ADAC F4 almost champion. Let's hope he doesn't go the way that the last promising Norwegian Dennis did.

Honourable mention to Frederik Vesti, who's almost got on the team two or three times now.

[FortiWinks]

Let’s take a punt with the FortiWinks Driver Academy which I’m looking a little longer down the track than others.

As an Aussie I’ll require to have the token Antipode in my crew and that will be Liam Lawson I’ve been watching this kid since Aussie F4 and with a few more years to develop this kid could be a gun.

Next we take Caio Collet from Formula Renault who finished 4th and was rookie of the year, could be the next Brazilian in F1.

Finally the karting speculative pick Harry Thompson from the Red Bull Junior Program who I see could be a very interesting driver if he can convert into cars smoothly.

[yannicksamlad]

I'll play - looking below GP2;
Jack Aitken - I think he could develop further..but I suppose he's getting on a bit since he's 21
Leo Pulcini - seems quick

12/12/2016 I wrote that ....still waiting

David Schumacher though ....seems to be developing nicely, and has the right surname

[UncreativeUsername37]

Vesti going to F3 with Prema... Drugovich going to F2... Lundgaard looking likely to go to F2 in the first year I finally picked him so I'll have to take someone else... I was so close. That isn't to say the people I did pick won't work out, but this is annoying.

[UncreativeUsername37]

So with Lundgaard indeed going to F2, I have to choose someone else. Hoggard got me interested even before he won the BRDC McLaren Autosport Award or whatever it's called this month, but I'm going to go for an even more obvious choice with Zane Maloney.

[WaffleCat]

Ahhh, it's been a while (2 years plus actually), so let's see how by updated WaffleCat House of Youth (WHY) got along...

Alexander Albon -- Hmmmm. I still dunno about this one. Jury is still out.

Okay, just joking, I somehow got this one right on the money. Didn't expect him to land the Red Bull drive, but still, good job WaffleCat :--)

Niko Kari -- Ooofffff. Shouldn't have kept him on. His cameo in F2 was disappointing and his two additional seasons in GP3/F3 were meh to say the least. That, plus absolutely zero updates on his 2020 status after a 30 second google search (though maybe he's in Campos?? I dunno) leaves me to kick him out of WHY.

Ferdinand Habsburg -- Ah. He somehow joined DTM. And absolutely sucked at it. Lord knows what he's doing now. He may still be in the Austrian Royal Family, but he ain't in my WHY family any longer.

Giuliano Alesi -- His F2 season last year may have been a near-disaster, but his results picked up tremendously post-Spa. Plus, with a drive at Mercedes' B-Team at HWA in F2, I'll still keep him onboard for the 2020 season on team basis and name basis alone.

As for my next selection into WHY, it's gonna be a left-field pick, but it'll be Ren Sato. Sure, maybe the field of Japanese F4 wasn't the biggest competition, but you can't argue when he wins ALL BUT THREE RACES of the entire 2019 championship. Call it left field, but it'll be that.

[FortiWinks]

Let’s take a punt with the FortiWinks Driver Academy which I’m looking a little longer down the track than others.

As an Aussie I’ll require to have the token Antipode in my crew and that will be Liam Lawson I’ve been watching this kid since Aussie F4 and with a few more years to develop this kid could be a gun.

Next we take Caio Collet from Formula Renault who finished 4th and was rookie of the year, could be the next Brazilian in F1.

Finally the karting speculative pick Harry Thompson from the Red Bull Junior Program who I see could be a very interesting driver if he can convert into cars smoothly.

Despite no racing going on I’d like to add two drivers to my Academy, both Aussies with F3 driver Oscar Piastri and another karting pick James Wharton joining the existing lineup.

2020 FortiWinks Driver Academy lineup
[NZL] Liam Lawson - FIA F3
[AUS] Oscar Piastri - FIA F3
[BRA] Caio Collet - FR Eurocup
[GBR] Harry Thompson - karting
[AUS] James Wharton - karting

[UncreativeUsername37]

What did "my" drivers do in 2020? Any racing of significance at all? Well, most of them.
Kyle Kirkwood: He did a few minor sports car races. That's it. He'll still be in Indy Lights this year (or start being in it, I guess) and it isn't like he had a chance to dent my confidence, so I'm keeping him.
Dennis Hauger: He did F3 and didn't distinguish himself, getting points in one weekend, but he's going to Prema so I'll keep him.
Zane Maloney: 8th in Euroformula isn't what I'd expect from a British F4 champion. Niklas Krütten got a few podiums in the 2020 EF Open season and is a bit younger than the other guys who did, so he'll be the replacement.

[FortiWinks]

Let’s take a punt with the FortiWinks Driver Academy which I’m looking a little longer down the track than others.

As an Aussie I’ll require to have the token Antipode in my crew and that will be Liam Lawson I’ve been watching this kid since Aussie F4 and with a few more years to develop this kid could be a gun.

Next we take Caio Collet from Formula Renault who finished 4th and was rookie of the year, could be the next Brazilian in F1.

Finally the karting speculative pick Harry Thompson from the Red Bull Junior Program who I see could be a very interesting driver if he can convert into cars smoothly.

Despite no racing going on I’d like to add two drivers to my Academy, both Aussies with F3 driver Oscar Piastri and another karting pick James Wharton joining the existing lineup.

2020 FortiWinks Driver Academy lineup
[NZL] Liam Lawson - FIA F3
[AUS] Oscar Piastri - FIA F3
[BRA] Caio Collet - FR Eurocup
[GBR] Harry Thompson - karting
[AUS] James Wharton - karting

So 2020 lineup results

Liam Lawson - 5th in FIA F3, promoting to F2 with Hitech for 2021 (retained)
Oscar Piastri - 1st in FIA F3, promoting to F2 with Prema for 2021 (retained)
Caio Collet - 2nd in FR Eurocup, promoting to FIA F3 with MP for 2021 (retained)
Harry Thompson - 3rd in WSK Champions Cup OK, 26th in FIA Euro Championship OK (on the chopping block)
James Wharton - signed to FDA, 18th in WSK Super Masters Series (retained)

[UncreativeUsername37]

So all "my" people did really well! Hauger won F3, Kirkwood won Indy Lights, Krütten lost his ELMS class by two points. I'm keeping everyone.