The search for the perfect Formula 1 driver is both relative and subjective. By nature, each driver has their own characteristics of racing to the maximum, whether it be methodical and smooth, exhibited by the likes of Jenson Button, or raw car-control and late braking, commonly demonstrated by Lewis Hamilton.
However, with the financial plight of many F1 teams and the expenses of running a professional race organisation, some outfits have to take into account the budget that a driver can bring in the form of sponsorship.
Pastor Maldonado has shown a good turn in form since the beginning of the 2015 F1 season, however his position on the grid is aided by the significant funds which follow him via the global oil exporter Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).
The Venezuelan may not want to admit it, however, prior to moving to Lotus in 2014, the Enstone-based squad were trying to secure the services of Nico Hulkenberg, but budget inevitably forced the team to take Maldonado.
Max Verstappen, at the age of 17, with just one-year of experience within junior single seaters, has also sparked debate to the readiness and capabilities of the modern race driver. The Dutch driver has answered his critics with a string of strong performances, countered with reliability issues, however crashing into Romain Grosjean at Monaco, before accusing the Frenchman of brake testing, has led to more questions to who should be allowed to race in F1.
Last year, the FIA reacted to the debates over driving quality by releasing a new qualification criteria for the Super Licence needed to race in F1. Drivers wishing to qualify for a licence will need to have had at least three-years experience within junior single-seater racing and obtain a minimum of 40 points from the governing bodies’ series rating list.
The yet-to-be-launched Formula 2 series sat top of this list, with 40 points given to the winner of the series, whilst the Formula Renault 3.5 championship (FR3.5), which housed the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sebastian Vettel prior to their entry into F1, was deemed less worthy.
However, after wide-spread criticism of the rating system, the FIA agreed to tweak the ratings of the qualifying championships at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council last weekend.
Under the new system, the winner of the GP2 series will earn equal qualifying points to the winner of the future F2 series, whilst the winner of FR3.5 will now earn up 30 points towards his or her Super Licence proposal.
Whilst the sentiment of improving driving standards at the pinnacle of world motorsport is well placed, the sport’s governing body has failed to acknowledge that a driver’s capability of driving a F1 car cannot simply be determined by their finishing position in a junior series.
Equally, whether a driver has competed in a junior single seater series or not, it cannot be assumed that a driver is less worthy of competing in F1 because they have not taken the “traditional” steps up the ladder.
Reckless or Talented? Maldonado has flashes of brilliance, but they’re few and far between
Verstappen, even with his minimal experience in single-seaters, is by no means a detriment to F1 and its image as the pinnacle of motorsport. Under these regulations, the Dutchman would still require a further two years in the junior formulas despite impressing enough in Formula 3 throughout 2014 to warrant Red Bull signing him for the sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso.
Likewise, it should be noted that, just because a driver has achieved at junior level over a three-year period, their competitiveness or suitability for F1 is by no means inherent.
Maldonado would have qualified for a Super Licence prior to signing for Williams in 2011 under the new regulations after winning the 2010 GP2 championship at a relative canter. However, his closest challenger to the title, Sergio Perez, had just two years experience within the series compared to Maldonado’s four.
Now, after four-years of F1 racing, Maldonado’s image in the sport is plagued by accidents, collisions and difficulties in competing against his team-mates. The Venezuelan is beginning to change the global opinion but he will need to eradicate the mistakes if he is to remove the “pay-driver” tag from his gear-box.
Equally, the American Scott Speed, who achieved five podium finishes in GP2 taking third in the drivers’ standings in 2005, did very little to impress in his two seasons driving for Toro Rosso.
The regulations also fail to acknowledge the difficulties of obtaining a F1 seat through the luck of timing. Many drivers miss the opportunity to race in motorsports top series because they are under contract with a current F1 team that simply does not have a seat available.
The current GP3 champion Alex Lynn has had to divert his allegiances to Williams this year despite previously receiving backing from Red Bull. The British driver took the junior series title with ease in 2014, but failed to secure a race seat in Toro Rosso because of the promotion of Verstappen and FR3.5 champion Carlos Sainz.
Lynn. Who has shown strong form in his maiden GP2 series this year, and has also impressed in run-outs with the current Williams, faces a fight to claim Valterri Bottas’ seat should the Finn depart for Ferrari as is being speculated.
Stoffel Vandoorne, who is dominating this year’s GP2 series, faces a difficult task of moving into the second McLaren race seat alongside Fernando Alonso in 2016 because the Woking based squad has contracts with both Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen.
If the Belgian does claim a likely GP2 title this year, will he have to take a testing role for 2016 without a full-time race seat? Will Vandoorne be forgotten like so many test drivers who do not compete in a fully fledged series?
Test drivers, such as Susie Wolff of Williams and former McLaren test driver Gary Paffett, are also being widely overlooked by the new superlicence criteria. Both Wolff and Paffett have extensive experience at a competitive level, such as DTM, aided by long hours spent in simulators and test runs for their respective teams.
Under the new regulations, both Paffett and Wolff could not obtain a Super Licence because they have not achieved enough points in classified feeder series within the last three years. However, based on the hours spent in and around F1 cars and simulators, it is debatable whether some of the current F1 drivers could be more qualified than the likes of Paffett or Wolff.
Whilst improvement in driving standards is widely welcomed by the F1 community, the new FIA Super Licence criteria fails to address the underlining issues which are apparent when signing race drivers. Judging a person’s capability of driving a F1 car is entirely open to debate, however a driver’s suitability cannot be judged simply by how many years they have driven in a junior series and their relative finish in the standings.
