Maybe I’m showing my age here, because I’m getting a
little worried by the ages of some of the drivers in F1. I know there’ll always be a young prodigy
(see Emerson Fittipaldi) who'll burst onto the F1 stage years ahead of schedule,
but a guy making it to F1 under twenty-three was the exception, not the rule. Twenty years ago, twenty-five or twenty-six
was the typical entry level for an F1 driver if you worked your way up the
ranks (Formula Ford, Vauxhall Lotus or Renault, F3, F3000, etc). With the demise of great breeder series like
Vauxhall Lotus and the introduction of GP2 and GP3 that seemed to have undercut
the rungs up the F1 ladder, there route from top to bottom is a swift one.
What prompted this concern is that Sauber look set to
offer Russian eighteen year old Sergey Sirotkin a seat next year. Yes, this deal seems in part to
secure Sauber’s financial future, but ignoring that factor, the age of an F1
driver is dropping and I find that sad. Now,
I’m not bashing Sergey per se or because he's young. He could be lightning in a jar, but what
concerns me is what kind of drivers are we getting in F1. I want the best and part of being the best is
experience and the fast tracking of drivers to F1 before their time doesn’t seem
the best thing. Also I miss watching
drivers learning their craft and making their way up the ranks.
I guess
I don’t F1 turning into a spectacle of raw talent. I want to see some guys who’ve been around
the block and know a thing or two out there.
Does this seem reasonable—or am I just getting old? :-)
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