Max Verstappen

If a driver comes along and shows themselves to be an exceptional driving talent with the right level of maturity, and an obvious candidate to be a future WDC, Ferrari will not care if they're 18 or 19 years of age, especially if there's a risk that another competitive team could sign them up.

Saying "it is frowned upon" by Ferrari is not accurate, because they have never been in a position where a driver that young, who has shown that sort of exceptional driving talent, has been available to them, that's why it's never happened, and not because of some suspected company/team policy.

 

When was the last time Ferrari recruited a newcomer to F1? Gilles Villeneuve perhaps ?

 

Can anyone seriously imagine Max being Vettel's 'team mate'.

 

You could have imagined that years ago when Enzo Ferrari was in charge; he wasn't against creating some animosity between his drivers to spur them.
But "modern" managers want an easy life and prefer to avoid conflict within the team.
But it may still happen, and we could get some entertainment watching the sparks!!

 

Max would destroy Seb

 

Ricci was able to compete and defeat Vettel.

 

Tend to agree...but hopefully not literally

 

I'd hope he didn't crash into Seb if they were in the same team! Hehehe

 

Gilles first race was actually for McLaren .

 

1977 British GP

Where he finished in 11th place in a McLaren M23 / Ford Cosworth DFV.

First race for Ferrari was Canada 1977.

 

I think that he was running as high as 5th when he pitted, the oil or water temperature gauge was pegged. The team just told him to ignore it and sent him back out.

 

OK, so back to my question: When was the last time Ferrari recruited a F1 newcomer?

Michael Parkes? Ludovico Scarfiotti? Giancarlo Baghetti?

 

Ferrari don't tend to recruit young or new drivers. Here is what I can find for the 10 youngest drivers who have driven for Scuderia Ferrari in world Championship F1 races. I've included the date of birth, date of first race for Scuderia Ferrari, the number of races they completed for Ferrari.

Caveats:
I may have counted wrong, this is not gospel, but I'm 99% confident
I haven't included non championship F1 races either int he before, or for Ferrari drives.
Pedro Rodriguez did a number of races in a Ferrari for NART before and after his time at Scuderia Ferrari, I haven't counted those as for Ferrari, but I've noted them separately.
I have included DNS, DNQ, Ret and DSQ in the totals both before and at Ferrari. Basically if they were entered and showed up at a race, that race is included no matter if they didn't turn a wheel.

Interesting that the two most succesful young drivers were Mike Hawthorn and Felipe Massa who wona nd came 2nd respectivly in the WDC but their first races were 52 years appart.

Draw your own conclusions
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

BADoer

 

So Jonathan Williams was the last "raw" recruit at the Scuderia. I was just curious.
Thanks for that.

 

Max a team mate for Vettel ? LOL ! Vettel wouldn't see him for dust, then you would really see toys getting chucked out of the pram.
The trouble is that Ferrari have just shot themselves in the foot by retaining Kimi; he's good, but not good enough, and doesn't read the drivers manual about how to drive his Formula 1 car !

 

Lucky you that Bas Jaski is on "gardening leave". He'd fight you tooth and nail for that comment.

BTW: It was Seb who screwed up the last start, not Kimi.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Granted Max was responding to Seb, that doesn't mean Seb is completely at fault. Seb made a legal move. Max reacted poorly. Max has the most accointability then Seb second and Kimi has none as far as I am concerned.

 

Kimi has space to his left (not shown; bout a car's width) but due to his position on the track and the upcoming turn he has to setup so he (KImi) moves right while the other two (Seb & Max) move left. It was a culmination of events happening all at once.

Kimi even stated had he NOT had a good start, things would have been different.

 

Kimi had the position by half a car length. Case closed. He was in front of Max before Max moves and collides. Things would have also been different if Kimi caught a cold and didn't race that day. Irrelevant as his fast start didn't not directly cause the collision. Kimi drives virtually completely straight. Oh he should have moved to the wet line for the car he couldn't see? Max should have backed off and didn't. Kimi and Seb, like it or not drove legal didn't directly cause the collision.

 

My comment was a generalisation, not a criticism on the last race.......of which we all seem to have a varied opinion.....but that's life and it makes discussion interesting.
BUT.....Max a team mate for Vettel ?
Laugh ?......now my trousers need to dry out.

 

You forget to mention that, starting from the right, Vettel moved sharply to the left to block Verstappen and left Max and Kimi nowhere to go. That is quite visible on the video. If swerving on a straight to defend a position is condemned by F1 etiquette, equally cutting across an other car at the start shouldn't be allowed, IMO.

 

Kimi DID have the position by half a car length and THOUGHT his right rear cleared Max's car as he was moving right for set up to turn one at THE SAME TIME,Seb and Max are still moving left....but Kimi did'nt clear Max's car. Again, it's not Kimi's fault but Seb squeezed Max into Kimi; Seb not being able to see OVER Max. Max is not going to back off because that is Max....especially in the wet where we have seen him, in the wet, make the rest of the grid look like amateurs as he passes outside and inside...Brazil 2016 and China 2017(first lap).

And why are these two drivers during this particular race with regards to inclement weather and the points standings going toe-to-toe with Max who is not even in the contention for the WDC. I realize its racing and its a go-for-it attitude....but at what price givin the conditions, who they were racing and where everyone is at in the points. Strategists knew where everyone was at on the grid and in the points and the weather.

 

I don't forget at all and I say that Vettel has accountability however Max has a bit more because both Ferrari's had position over him. Period. He should have accepted his third place and didn't.

 

My impression is that Max had nowhere to go.