Think what would happen in other sports if those with lesser abilities got the call while those with more abilities sat on the bench. It wouldn’t happen. Seemingly, in Formula One, it does, and that is not in the sport’s best interests.
Red Bull’s junior team, Alpha Tauri, has announced that Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will drive again next season. The news surprised many because young prospect Liam Lawson didn’t get the call. The decision is business as usual in Formula One, where retention rather than promotion has become the order of the day. Consider this: nineteen of the twenty seats in Formula One 2024 will be occupied by the same drivers on the circuit this season.
Is the best young talent being given an opportunity to race in Formula One? That’s the question. It’s not just a racing talent question, either. Established drivers can offer greater value to teams for various reasons, and that outcome represents a form of mission displacement. Here’s why.
Alpha Tauri (then Torro Rosso) originally joined Formula One as a team to provide experience to Red Bull contracted junior drivers and offer them the opportunity to showcase their talents. The best progressed to the Red Bull Racing team. This pathway was previously followed with great success by current two-time World Champion Max Verstappen and by four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. However, overlooking Lawson, who has been highly impressive in the four races he has competed in so far, makes people question Alpha Tauri’s overarching purpose.
So, why isn’t Lawson being accorded a full-time chance to show if he can match the achievements of previous Red Bull juniors at Alpha Tauri? The question is important because neither Tsunoda nor Ricciardo has a realistic prospect of graduating to the senior team and becoming a future World Champion.
Liam Lawson is not alone in this situation. Reigning Formula 2 World Champion Felipe Drugovich spent the 2023 season as the Aston Martin reserve driver. But with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll being retained, Drugovich will likely spend another year on the Formula One sideline. Then there is the case of Formula 2 Championship leader Theo Pourchaire, who is an Alfa Romeo Sauber junior driver. Like Drugovich, he will not graduate to Formula One because Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are being retained for next season.
Why is this happening? One reason is that there are benefits for Formula One teams to maintain the status quo, including less risk, no matter how successful a driver has been in junior racing categories. That said, numerous Formula 2 World Champions have gone on to excel in Formula One immediately. For example, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton was the Formula 2 Champion the year before he came close to becoming Formula One’s first-ever rookie World Champion. Hamilton has since gone on to break all the records regarding World Championships, race wins, pole positions, and podium finishes. Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris, Alex Albon, and Oscar Piastri have also excelled in Formula One after having great success in Formula 2.
On the other hand, current drivers–Lance Stroll and Zhou Guanyu are two–have been in Formula One for multiple years, and their positions seem safe despite minimal success. Why? Other factors come into play. Stroll has had his career funded from an early age by his billionaire father, the current owner of the Aston Martin team. Zhou brings significant China sponsorship to the Alfa Romeo Sauber team.
If Formula One truly is the best single-seater racing series in the world, it should have the 20 best drivers competing, and those choices should be based on outright ability only. That is not the case currently, as other factors dictate who gets to drive. Think what would happen in other sports if those with lesser abilities got the call while those with more abilities sat on the bench. It wouldn’t happen.
Seemingly, in Formula One, it does, which is not in the sport’s best interests.
