Opinion: Who I Think Deserved Better F1 Careers

It's no secret that Formula One is an extremely cut-throat sport. If you haven't got what it takes, or you haven't got the funds, you may just find your F1 career being short lived. And, many past drivers have found themselves the victim of having their dreams shattered before they've even began. Sadly, a lot of these drivers have been more than capable of a decent Formula One career but have, instead, been in the wrong place at the wrong time or on the end of a never ending string of bad luck.

With currently only twenty seats in Formula One, a number which has differed slightly over the years, some drivers WILL be left disappointed thus, making the list of drivers who deserved better in the sport ever more longer. So, who do I think makes it onto this exclusive list? And, why have I chosen them? Keep reading to find out the three drivers who I think should have had better F1 careers.

Jean-Eric Vergne

This two-time Formula E champion once raced in Formula One as a Red Bull Junior with the Toro Rosso team.

Vergne, a native of Pontoise in France, first started karting at age 4 before moving into single seaters in 2007, where he won his first championship in Formula Campus Renault. Fast forward a few years and he's won the British F3 International Series and taken 2nd in Formula Renault 3.5. Then, in 2012, he found himself as a Formula One driver, making his debut at that year's Australian Grand Prix.

JEV, as he is known, had quite a bumpy Formula One career and missed out on a promotion to the main Red Bull team to his then teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, for the 2014 season and then again for the 2015 season to Daniil Kvyat who was Vergne's teammate in that yer. Finishing 17th, 15th and 13th in each F1 season respectively, JEV's career in the World Championship looked quite short-lived. But was JEV unfairly dropped from the Toro Rosso team? Should he have been the one promoted to Red Bull instead of Daniel or Daniil?

Well, the majority of stats are definitely in Jean-Eric's favour.

In his debut season, 2012, JEV finished above his teammate; Daniel Ricciardo, in the championship standings. And, although he didn't have as many point finishes as Daniel, JEV made the most of what he could and consistently finished in a higher points paying position compared to Daniel. Then there was 2013, a more difficult season for the Frenchman meant he finished 7 points behind Daniel and missed out on the crucial promotion to Red Bull for the following season. Finally, then came 2014 and gave JEV a new teammate, then GP3 champion; Daniil Kvyat. Again, JEV consistently out performed his teammate but was STILL overlooked for a seat at the main team and instead found himself without a drive for the 2015 season.

However, JEV has said that "at the start of the 2014 season, Helmut Marko had told him that they were not going to choose him for 2015" but Marko also promised him that "if Sebastian Vettel leaves Red Bull for Ferrari, Vergne gets to take his place." (F1: Beyond The Grid) As we've already established, the promise was not followed through. That seems to be the nature of the Red Bull team. JEV has also admitted that "he didn't talk to any other teams before because he was in the Red Bull family." (F1: Beyond The Grid) Did JEV, himself, play apart in his F1 downfall by making this crucial mistake? It seems so. Despite this, there is no doubt that Jean-Eric should've had a chance at a future in F1.

But, it's not all bad. Look at where he is now. A two-time Formula E Champion. Maybe getting savagely dropped from Formula One was a blessing in disguise for our favourite Frenchman?

Stoffel Vandoorne

Another Formula E Champion, this time in the form of Stoffel Vandoorne, also found himself with a struggling F1 career. However, this wasn't the Belgian's first struggles in motorsport.

As a child, Stoffel, like many, lacked the funding and found himself racing in only 3-4 races per year. But, in 2009, he won a competition held by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium. The prize? 45,000 euro. Enough to kick start a career in single seaters which, in time, led to a place on the McLaren Young Driver Programme.

After winning championships such as Eurocup Formula Renaut 2.0 and GP2, Stoffel made his Formula One debut in 2016, where he replaced Fernando Alonso at McLaren for that year's Bahrain Grand Prix. Stoffel finished that race in 10th and earned himself his first F1 career point. Later on that year, Stoffel was signed to drive for McLaren for the upcoming 2017 season.

Stoffel's time with the McLaren F1 Team was during their few years of turmoil when they raced with Honda engines for the first time since 1992. And, after only 3 point finishes in 2017, he finished the season in 16th place. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, finished 15th. The following year was not much better with bad luck plaguing the majority of his season. And, although he finished the season with 4 point finishes compared to 3 in 2017, Stoffel replicated his 2017 position by finishing in 16th again. Fernando finished 11th. For 2019, Stoffel was left without a race seat.

It's no secret that Stoffel's Formula One career was a disappointment. Before his chance in the pinnacle of motorsport, many hailed him as a future world champion. But what was clear during his time with McLaren was that he struggled to adapt to the car. Many attempts were made to make it more suited to the Belgian but they were all to no avail. However, it was more than obvious that he still had the ability to race. He was just constrained by the limitations of the car, mainly with the rear end. And, having Fernando Alonso as your teammate is no easy task either.

Stoffel is an incredibly strong racing driver, as he has proved in Formula E. His time in Formula One was just at the wrong time which has potentially hampered any hope of a future drive. However, teams obviously see something in him as he as acted as a reserve driver for a number of teams, such as Mercedes, since his 2018 departure from the sport. Maybe, one day, he'll get that long awaited second chance.

Daniil Kvyat

If there is any driver in recent Formula One history who really had their career turned onto it's head, it would be Daniil Kvyat.

Russian born Daniil, or Dany - as he is widely known, won is very first karting race in Sochi in 2005. And, after a couple of strong karting years, relocated from Russia to Italy to make his dreams of becoming a racing driver a reality.

Continuing with his successful karting career, Dany was eventually noticed by the Red Bull Junior Team, who then introduced him to single seaters. As with his time in karts, Dany excelled in single seaters, taking home the championship in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps and GP3, the latter which earned him a promotion to Formula One with the Toro Rosso team.

Daniil made his Formula One debut during the 2014 Australian Grand Prix at 19 years old. He finished the race in 9th position and not only did he earn himself his first F1 career points, but he also broke the record of "youngest point-scorer in Formula One." After four more point finishes in 2014, Dany ended the season in 15th, two places behind his teammate; Jean-Eric Vergne. Despite this, Red Bull saw promise in the Russian and promoted him to the main Red Bull team for 2015. A seat that was supposedly reserved for Vergne.

Kvyat's first season for Red Bull in 2015 went reasonably well, despite a barrel roll during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. And, with his first podium finish recorded at that year's Hungarian Grand Prix, he ultimately beat his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, in the driver standings at the end of the year. However, from the following season on-wards, things went south quickly for Daniil. And, after a challenging start to the new season with a number of incidents, he was demoted back to Toro Rosso "giving him the chance to regain his form and show his potential." (Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principle.) For Dany, this never came to fruition. At the end of 2017, he was released from the Red Bull programme and left without a race seat for 2018.

After spending 2018 with Ferrari as their third driver, Dany rejoined Toro Rosso, as a race driver, for a third time in 2019. Daniil had a strong start to his 2019 season, even finishing on the podium at a rain-effected German Grand Prix. This was the first podium for Toro Rosso since 2008. However, during the summer break, Kvyat's teammate; Alex Albon, was promoted to Red Bull. A move which many questioned, especially as Kvyat had out-performed Albon during the first half of the season. Fast forward to 2020, Toro Rosso - who had renamed themselves to Alpha Tauri, kept Dany on the books for another year. This season, the Russian's last in Formula One, was plagued with mechanical failures and incidents. What really put the nail in the coffin, so to speak, was his teammate; Pierre Gasly, winning a race and finishing ahead of him in the 2020 driver standings. Kvyat had lost his seat, once again. He signed with Alpine as their reserve driver for one season in 2021. He has since left Formula One.

Kvyat has definitely had a rollercoaster of a career and one thing I have always believed is that he was promoted to Red Bull too soon. However, the whole point of the Red Bull Junior Team is to help the big guns at the drinks team find the next new talent. You're either good enough or you're not. And, in Dany's case, he was promoted too soon. So, when a more suitable time came for him, it was too late. Red Bull had moved onto the likes of Albon and Gasly and eventually Tsunoda, who replaced Kvyat at Alpha Tauri in 2021. This goes for Jean-Eric Vergne too who was discussed earlier on in the post.

I also think that a fair observation to make is that Kvyat wasn't demoted from Red Bull back to Toro Rosso for his performance. No, he was demoted to make way for Max Verstappen; a young driver with extreme potential. Kvyat didn't ruin his F1 career with his race craft. He was just another unfortunate victim of the Red Bull system.

Daniil's junior career is one to be proud of and it's a shame no other Formula One team gave him a chance. If he could have had more season at Toro Rosso or in GP2, things could have ended very different for the 28 year old.

When you are so invested in racing it can be relatively easy to feel sorry for drivers like Vergne, Vandoorne and Kvyat. But we have to remember that this is motorsport and sometimes it can be relentless. Teams want the best drivers. They don't care if a driver is in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you're not delivering, there's the door. Still, it's a shame that we never get to see the full potential of some drivers. However, some series, like Formula E, are relishing in it. As they say, or don't say, one series loss is another series gain.

Can you name any other ex-F1 drivers who should have had better F1 careers? Let me know in the comments below!

News: Six Engine Suppliers For F1 In 2026

With the next generation of engine regulations to begin at the start of the 2026 season, Formula One has revealed that six engine suppliers have already jumped on board. And, with only four suppliers at present in 2023, the jump to six, in 2026, may make things that more interesting.

So what's new for F1 power-trains from 2026? Well, the main upcoming change for engines will be their sustainability; making them more "environmentally-friendly" and more "cost-friendly" to the teams and suppliers who will build them.

The most recent engine, the 1.6 litre V6, was first introduced for the 2014 season and, although it is to be retained for 2026 on-wards, the output of electrical power will be increased to 350kW. This change also sees the removal of the complex MHU-H system and the addition of an engine cost cap, both of which could be the prevalent reasons as to why more engine manufactures have come forward for the 2026 season. As of 3rd February, six suppliers have been confirmed to have completed their registrations.

FIA president; Mohammed Ben Sulayem said:

"The confirmation that there will be six Power Unit manufacturers competing in Formula 1 from 2026 is testament to the strength of the championship and the robust technical regulations that have been diligently created by the FIA in close collaboration with Formula 1 and the Power Unit manufacturers."

The six engine suppliers currently registered for 2026 are Alpine Racing, Audi, Ferrari, Honda Racing Corporation, Merecedes-AMG and Red Bull Ford. At the start of 2023, only Ferrari, Honda and Mercedes will appear in the upcoming season with Alpine using Renault powertrains. In 2026, Audi will join forces with Sauber whereas Ford will partner with Red Bull once they split from Honda at the end of 2025. It is not yet known who Honda will be supplying engines to from 2026. It should be noted that Porsche was also in negotiation to become an engine supplier for 2026. However, talks broke down over the summer months in 2022.

The signing of six engine manufacturers comes at a time when F1 is experiencing a boom in popularity and could, potentially, plant the seed or open the door to further engine supplier entrants in the future. Until then, we look forward to what awaits us in 2026.

Opinion: Has Drive To Survive Been Good For Formula One?

It's that time of year, again. Netflix's highly anticipated fifth season of Formula One: Drive To Survive is right on our doorsteps and it's no secret that since it's first season on the streaming platform, F1, as a sport, has evolved massively. However, despite this, I have to ask, has Drive To Survive actually done our sport any good?

When you look at it straight on, yes. Viewing figures are up dramatically - especially in the US, races are selling out in the blink of an eye, fan bases on social media are heaving, more and more countries are interested in hosting a race and Liberty Media, the owners of F1, are raking the money in. What's not to like?

But, for F1 fans who have been around a bit longer than Drive To Survive, the changes that have occurred in the sport have been quite prevelant, especially in the past couple of seasons. And, unfortunately, it's not all good.

People, especially on social media, like to blame Liberty Media for some of the "not-so-good" things that have happened to F1. I mean, they (LM) were the ones who liberated the sport and propelled it to it's stardom. But, are they here for the sport, or are they here for the money? Regardless, they've taken what they can and made it into what they have - a well-oiled money making machine.

Take ticket prices, for example. They're not what they used to be. Of course, financially, times are tough and this reflects that but still £600-ish for three day general admission at the British Grand Prix? Madness. But, venues will charge what people are willing to pay and with F1's popularity at an all time high, fans will pay anything to get their hands on a ticket.

And then there's the venues, themselves. Do we really need three races in the States? Do we need street circuit after street circuit? Do we need 24 races, the most in any given season?!

It makes you wonder. Is this all Drive To Survive's fault? Definitely not. But influenced? 100%

However, for motorsport as a whole, the best thing to come from Drive To Survive are the ever increasing number of fans. The reality series has introduced a whole host of people, from a variety of backgrounds, into the world of motorsport. And, although some may find it difficult to differentiate fact from fiction, they're still fans.

But, what do I mean by that? Well, the whole Drive To Survive narrative isn't always the truth. It can be just that, fiction. It can be a story of heroes and villains, of battles fought ferociously. As long as it makes sense, fits in with their narrative and gets the views; that's all that matters. And since this, F1 social media has become somewhat more toxic than it's ever been with fans constantly at each other throats about who supports the hero and who supports the villain. Still, F1 is a sport and with sport comes rivalry. Surely, at times, this behaviour can, unfortunately, be expected regardless of whether it has a whole reality TV series behind it?

Rounding this up, I think that yes, Drive To Survive has been good for F1. But it does depend how you look at it. For some the series has been a blessing. For others, maybe not so much. It's just one of those things that everyone is going to have a different opinion about. For me, personally, I've only seen the first three seasons. I'm just not interested in the narrative they have going. I think it's great that it's brought so many new fans to the sport but I hate that F1's new found fame and popularity has had implications also. For example, ticket prices and sell out crowds.

Anyway, do you have an opinion? Let me know below in the comments!

Season 5 of Formula One: Drive To Survive will be released on Netflix in mid February.