In a world where even a 7 time WDC’s manager doesn’t know where his own client will be driving, successfully predicting where junior formulae drivers will ultimately end up is an almost impossible task. So of course, that’s what Patty is now going to try and do. Our latest six of the best analyses in a haphazard and factually starved fashion who may be heading the F1 field in the next decade. Unlike football where even the elite leagues have hundreds of positions available, the top rung of the motor racing ladder accommodates only 20 competitors. This leads to inevitable tears as talent is ruthlessly tossed aside in the relentless search of the next champion.
All this makes for a fine line between reaching F1, million pound salaries, irritating pop-star girlfriends and hammering around the back of Le Mans in a knackered 911 fifty seconds a lap off the pace, embarrassed every few laps by a diesel piloted by a likeable Scotsman with verbal diarrhoea. For some, the passage to the top never looked in doubt. These drivers fell the right side of this fine line thanks to either being in the right place at the right time, manufacturer backing or even through simply possessing the surname of a successful ex-driver. Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna were both dominant in junior formulae and it seemed only a matter of time before they were on motorsport’s elite grid and casually driving into anyone who dared draw alongside them.
However, for every success story, there are tales with contrasting conclusions. Jan Magnussen after beating Senna’s British F3 win record was expected to achieve great things, however he can now be found running round in the Danish Touring Car Championship at completely unpronounceable venues. Ireland’s Tommy Byrne had an incredible junior formula career in the 1980s that saw him win numerous domestic and European titles and go wheel to wheel with Senna, often coming out on top. He is now a driving instructor.
So enough of reminiscing the good old days, it’s time to look forward and assess which crop of current youngsters stand a prayer of stepping into the pound seats instead of talking about being in them.
1) Nico Hülkenberg
As we kicked off mocking Willi Weber, it seems appropriate to first analyse his latest protégé. The Hulk has already won a whole host of championships in both karts and cars, with the trophies that matter already safely locked away in the vault. In fact, so highly talented is the 21 year old German export that he’s already a World Champion, though most are more impressed by his current position at the summit of the 2009 GP2 standings in his rookie season. His passage into F1 seems a matter of when not if. With a Williams test-contract already in his pocket and one of the shrewdest driver managers in the business pulling the strings off-track, Hülkenberg has everything in place to have a long and successful F1 career. Scooping the GP2 title this season coupled with Naka’s consistent swerving of the points should see him enter F1 in 2010. Roll on the dreadful puns.
Interesting fact: Hülkenberg owns 23.7% of Stupid-Beak-Dekra-Hats GmbH.
In 10 years time likely to be: Scooping his fifth world title at McLaren and laughing at Patrick Head’s observations.
2) Daniel Ricciardo
Although he sounds Italian, Ricciardo is as Australian as watching the Neighbours omnibus with a crate of Fosters. With a slice of pizza for dessert. Ricciardo made a steady start to his racing career outside of Australasia, taking 3rd overall in the 2006 F-BMW Asia championship. However, it’s since 2008 that the young Aussie’s career has taken off dramatically, coinciding with his enrolment into the revolving talent door that is the Red Bull young driver scheme. Since then he has been crowned F-Renault WEC Champion and Eurocup Vice-Champion. 2009 sees Ricciardo renting a two-bed semi with some Media Studies students in Northampton as he completes a full British F3 campaign for perennial winners Carlin. He’s not doing too badly either, with a huge 37 point lead over 2nd place seeing him well on the way to a championship that perhaps wasn’t what it used to be. In his defence, despite being utterly hammered by half of Europe in the recent F3 Masters event, Ricciardo recently beat F3’s current golden boy Julian Bianchi when racing to rules the Aussie was familiar with, so there’s hope he won’t be palmed off to serve a life sentence in V8 Supercars just yet. He may need to change his name to Seb though if he wants a shot in F1.
Interesting fact: Ricciardo enjoys playing Frisbee at the weekend with close friends Alf Stewart and Harold Bishop.
In 10 years time likely to be: Calling Franz Tost a flamin’ mongrel.
3) Valtteri Bottas
It wouldn’t be a future stars list without a rapid and inanimate Finn amongst the ranks. Like how planes stay in the air, why we’re here on earth and women, nobody really knows much about Bottas. What we do know though is that young Valtteri is that he is very quick indeed – he’s won a championship of some description every year since he was 14. Stepping into cars in 2007, Bottas finished a respectable third in F-Renault NEC and won the British Winter Series just because he felt like it. In 2008 things went up a gear as he beat Ricciardo for the F-Renault Eurocup title and also cleaned up the F-Renault NEC with a quite ridiculous 12 wins in 14 races. Bottas appears to be following a similar career path of the aforementioned Hulk by employing a manager of an ex-multiple world champion (in Bottas’ instance Didier Coton of Mika Häkkinen fame) to manage his affairs and also racing an ART car in Euro F3. What worked for Hülkenberg also seems to be working for Bottas, who has already beaten Europe’s best this year by winning the prestigious F3 Masters. Expect to see this Finn terrorising F1 and muttering sweet-nonsense to Lee McKenzie in the next few years.
Interesting fact: Bottas was approached by Real Madrid and Man City this summer but turned them down for S+G’s.
In 10 years time likely to be: Also inexplicably married to a Miss Scandinavia.
4) Jules Bianchi
Coming off a glittering karting career, Bianchi was always destined for a career in motorsport coming from a family heritage with Le Mans 24 hours titles to its name. It also appears that unlike Leo Mansell, Jules inherited talented genes as he continues his rapid ascent up the ladder to F1. Driving for ART in Euro F3 under the management of Nicolas Todt, Bianchi collected the French F-Renault title in 2007, the F3 Masters victory in 2008 and is now making everyone look very amateurish in the 2009 Euro F3 series. Let’s not mess around – Bianchi is immensely talented and is managed by Nicolas Todt. 2010 will no doubt find Bianchi’s derrière in an ART GP2 car with a view to a Ferrari powered F1 car in 2011. If not, feel free to e-mail me calling me names.
Interesting fact: This season, Bianchi allegedly questioned the profession of a fellow competitor’s mother and had half his face punched off for the pleasure of doing so. For once, we jest not.
In 10 years time likely to be: Driving for Ferrari, married to a French lovely, living in a pad in Monte-Carlo and wondering where it all went wrong.
5) Michael Christensen
If you were unsure who Valtteri Bottas was then you’re definitely going to be wondering who in the name of Lewis Hamilton’s new receding hairline Michael Christensen is. Christensen is impossibly young – being born in the 1990s meant he missed out on the epic 80’s performances of Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Duran Duran. Since graduating from nappies, Christensen has spent most of the 2000s racing karts and accumulating every trophy there is in the karting world, with highlights including being multiple German and Danish champion. Last year he took part in his first car championship where he won the F-BMW Europe Rookie of The Year title and then came an excellent runner-up in the F-BMW World Final. For 2009 Christensen is currently dominating F-BMW Europe and looks a shoe-in for the championship crown. It’s very early days for the youngster from Karlslunde, but it’s all looking very promising for the Danish cross to return to the F1 grid.
Interesting fact: Christensen is not Tom Kristensen’s dyslexic nephew.
In 10 years time likely to be: Putting his kids through private school with Audi Le Mans pay cheques.
6) Romain Grosjean
If by “best” we temporarily mean “the most mental but awesome guy in racing at the moment” then in Romain Grosjean we have saved the best for last. Grosjean appears to be a mix of personalities – the blistering raw pace of Lewis Hamilton, the wit and charm of the late François Cevert, the overtaking talent of Juan Montoya and the aggression of Mike Tyson. This all sounds great in theory; however this is often his downfall. When all these elements are balanced and working in harmony, Grosjean is often unbeatable as shown by a number of crushing performances he has delivered in his career. However - and more often than he would like – Grosjean often finds himself at the centre of trouble with the only winner being the Dallara parts business. Think Jean Alesi with more speed and minus the aviators. Effortlessly rising through the junior ranks with F-Renault (French and Swiss), Euro F3 and GP2 Asia titles to his name, bravery and speed have never been Grosjean’s problem. The issues however arise when he finds himself out of position (due to doing something stupid) and he attempts to progress through the field; often meeting a car shaped obstacle. Despite this, when he keeps it on the black stuff he and Hülkenberg really do look like the next generation of young talent who will make it in F1. Pressure from the Renault board for a French driver and Nelson Piquet doing everything he can to fire himself means Grosjean will probably be the first of our youngsters to figure in F1.
Interesting fact: Grosjean has been spotted on Betfair laying evens on him being in the car at Valencia.
In 10 years time likely to be: Keeping the Mercedes safety car on TV.
So that concludes Patty’s prediction for future F1 stars. What can be learnt from our analysis? Well not much really apart from the fact England hasn’t got a prayer of anyone half decent coming through the ranks anytime soon. We’ll revisit this article in a few years time for a good gloat.
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