With Scott Speed now gone (?) there are now no US drivers in F1. USGP out of the race roster, things not looking too good for F1 here. Know of any hopefulls ? I wouldnt think Bourdais counts but he's been here so long he may as well be a citizen
Bourdais will last as long in F1 as Speed did. JPM is more American than he is. There are a few prospects, Marco Andretti comes immediately to mind.
Ah so now you admit he's got the seat huh? Even during the SPA testing you didn't believe he would get it. As for a future F1 driver, look for Marco Andretti or Graham Rahal in a few years.
I still don't believe he will get the seat but rumors certainly suggest he might. Either way, I think he is no more deserving of that seat than either Liuzzi or Speed. If you look at guys like Heikki, Hamilton, Piquet Jr. and Nico Rosberg and even JPM, they were locked up by the F1 teams while still in junior formulae. Bourdais wins the F3000 championship and F1 yawns. If he were truly a great talent, then there is no way that he would have not been signed by an F1 team back then. Assuming he makes it to F1 in the first place, I predict he will be a major disappointment.
Graham Rahal is a prospect for a lot of GP2 teams, and Marco Andretti has already been testing with the honda factory team. Bourdais has some potential, but I honestly cannot see him competing at the formula 1 level all that successfully-and I'll be disappointed to miss him in the Pugeot 908 HDi FAP in Le Mans and at the 24 hr race next year.
Also had a shot at test driver with the newly reformed Renault team then, he didn't want to be a test driver though.
The problem for Buordais is that so many also-rans and F1 rejects are also competing in and winning in Champ cars. Yes he has won 3 titles but look at how well Justin Wilson is doing in the rankings. No one would ever confuse him with being a top level F1 competitor. Bourdais looks god only because his competition is so weak or so much of the F1 paddock seems to believe. The fact is that Bourdais has been available for years and has had no takers. That pretty much speaks for itself in f1 circles. I am a huge Bobby Rahal fan and would love to see that name, along with Andretti, back in F1. However both Marco and Graham (particularly Graham) need more seat time in lower levels before they are ready. I hope we don't have too long to wait to see another American in F1.
So then let's see him step his game up in F1, with a hot prospect who has been tipped to be "The next Schumacher" as a teammate. Not anymore, apparently. Also, with teams employing guys like Ralf Schumacher, who not only under performs but is GROSSLY overpaid, you can see how few opportunities there are. I agree here. Both Andretti and especially Rahal, need a few more years practice before they should enter F1.
So far no mention of one Danica Patrick I try and follow Star Mazda when possible but no stand outs there as yet. BTW a very entertaining road racing series and I give it more credance than FAtl where money has just as much chance of deciding a win over pure talent. IMO.
We've discussed Ralf a lot previously. I too agree he is long overdue for retirement. He has his seat for name recognition, not performance...clearly.
In my opinion: - Marco is still too young, has only won ONE IRL race and has 7 DNF's out of 12 races so far this season. - I have read from multiple sources that Graham Rahal has no intention, as of right now, of moving up to F1. Apparently, he's one of the only young guys to realize that he has to put in his time in Champ Car, GP2, and other feeder series before stepping up to F1; I give him a lot of credit for that. I do, however, see him as a potential F1 candidate in the next 5 years. - Danica?...0 Wins in IRL...definitely not an F1 candidate...yet... - Sebastian Bourdais: Ignoring the fact that he is in fact French, he probably has the best chance of stepping up to F1. He's had the most success of all the drivers people have mentioned and has already put in a decent amount of time testing with F1. I would certainly not go as far as to call him the "Next Schumacher" but he may get a few wins in F1.
I'd prefer to look at her rack... As far as Rahal and Andretti are concerned, Andretti will never make it and Rahal has a long way to go. He needs a GP2 ride first and then has to perform.
I wouldn't even associate him with F1 for at least a few years. He hasn't even reached his full potential in Indy or Champ car. By the time he's ready to make the leap, things might be different. Teams like Toyota, Redbull, Renault etc. might not even be in F1 by then.
Wish I knew of impending Canadians stars out there, but with less snow these days, the Bombardier team ain't what it was a few decades ago.... I know a splashy name and tons of money are helpful, but I'd like to believe a North American could be found without any association to a famous predecessor. Gary Carlton certainly looks like he might have talent but it's a little too early yet. Patrick Long anyone ? Colin Braun ???? . And even though I know this will bring out howls, I'd like to see what Denis Hamlin could do in something other than a taxi even though there'd be no reason for him to leave $$$$$..
I pray to God that Marco Andretti comes over to F1 and drive for Ferrari......if that ever did happen I can die a happy man The Idea of seeing Mario and Micheal at an F1 race watching there name sake racing would bring a tear to any die hard race fan.....thats what racing is all about.
http://www.driverdb.com/future-racing-stars.html lets see if any of these guys make it Carl Skerlong Patrick Barrett Parker Kligerman
Besides yours truly, Marco would be great as soon as he learns how to avoid unnecessary crashes. I believe it's just a learning curve thing.
