Alan Hansen Syndrome

[teabagyokel]

A not-very-wise football pundit once said "You cannot win anything with kids". With grids getting ever younger with each new Alguersuari and Buemi coming in to F1, how far is the Hansen statement becoming a lie?

Buemi and Alguersuari have not pulled up roots in F1 at Toro Rosso as the previous youngster, Sebastian Vettel did. However, Vettel has, on occasion this year, been matched by a much older journeyman team-mate.

How do we feel about the lowering age of the F1 grid? And would a new team (eg. Manor or Lotus or USF1 or Campos) be sensible to bring in a reasonably experienced young driver. Should the example of Kimi Raikkonen being plucked from obsurity by Peter Sauber be seen less as a default mode for the teams, or just a very special driver being unearthed by an enterprising team owner.

Alonso and Hamilton have both recently lowered the youngest World Champions' mark. What is the liklihood of someone similar coming through the ranks of the Red Bull junior programme, the McLaren programme that spawned Hamilton or some other scheme? (The Briatore line that Alonso followed has been cut off!)

And, as has been said many times on this forum, how will a winter of testing impact on Romain Grosjean, Alguersuari and Liuzzi if indeed they remain in F1?

 

[Speshal]

I subscribe to the age old mantra that "If you are good enough, you are old enough"

I think quality will always shine through a case in point e.g. Jaime Alguersuari beat a man twice his age in a supposedly superior car at the european GP having had run only one race distance in his car prior.

 

[fedupwithuserids]

People must be given an opportunity to show their skill and talents.

F1 is full of drivers who have excelled themselves in lower formulas, but they languish in the middle and back of the field. I know the cars are a factor but if they had that 'spark' they would have moved to the more successful teams.

Alonso and Hamilton have proved that some people are born with a skill/talent that can be nurtured to acheive great things.

Long gone are the days when drivers had to earn the apprenticeship, before being given the holy grail of a drive in F1.

Look in the everyday workplace where employees are fast-tracked, at first they are a bit wet behind the ears, some even learn to do their job properly, others don't.

 

[McZiderRed]

There was a time when there were 'back-marker' teams, in which young/upcoming drivers could show their worth in F1; e.g. Minardi, Jordan. OK, they would be a few seconds off the pace, but the other teams could still spot a goodun' when they're driving right in front of them.

Now, all the teams are so close, it's difficult to fit the cigarette paper that covers the grid, between the cars.. Combined with lack of testing, just employing a driver that's won in GP2, means they have to make the leap of faith into an F1 car with no experience of a "lesser" F1 team. So, in F1 terms, I reckon Alan Hansen now has a point.

Teams are under pressure to deliver results. Taking a gamble on a young driver will become rarer and rarer, unless the new influx of teams take up the mantle of introducing new talent into F1. Allowing limited testing mid season is also a must. (IMO )

 

[fedupwithuserids]

Taking a gamble on a young driver will become rarer and rarer

It seems to be getting more and more common, as the pool of experienced drivers gets less and less.

The problem can only get worse as more teams join next year.

 

[cider_and_toast]

With the lower formula cars being virtual clones of F1 cars but on a smaller scale. Mini Me's to F1's Dr Evil if you will. I think it shows how easy a modern F1 car has become to drive for someone with even a modest tallent. (unfortunatly not Luca Badoer then!!)

When you think about it, most young drivers came into F1 and would not just be off the pace but be light years off the pace in the past while a very few had the tallent to shine. Now it would seem that ok Algersquishy and Goujion arn't setting the world on fire but they aren't the mobile chicanes of Yoong, Ide, Naspetti and a host of other F1 rejects from yester year. With a thousand or so miles of pre-season testing under their belts who knows how they would have preformed.

 

[fedupwithuserids]

With a thousand or so miles of pre-season testing under their belts who knows how they would have preformed.

Allowing limited testing mid season is also a must.

Thats the problem, stupid FIA rules.

 

[Speshal]

With a thousand or so miles of pre-season testing under their belts who knows how they would have preformed.

Didn't help Luca did it.

 

[fedupwithuserids]

Didn't help Luca did it.

Flav couldn't have helped him.