http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luca_Badoer 1992 F3000 Champion 1993 regularly beat his experienced team-mate Michele Alboreto Will the pressure get to him, finally the chance he has been waiting for. 1999 after Schumi broke his leg, the team opted for Mika Salo in stead of LB. It sounds now like LDM just chose LB over MG to thank him. So how good is he, and how well does he handle the pressure? One thing he doesn't lack is track time in a Ferrari.
I have to imagine that being away from competition for that long has to have a negative effect. He obviously hasn't gotten this far by being bad under pressure, most racing drivers aren't, but putting in a fast lap alone is just so different from actually going wheel to wheel in anger.
He isn't good, end off. He beat alboreto in 1993 but looking at MA's results, they have been bad since the second half of 1989. They both finished the season with 0 points.
Im with you on this...Gene was the "logical choise"... ...Although NOW who cares about this season anyway?, Thanking Badoer is a nice gesture...not very wise but nice
If he was good, as in F1 GOOD, he wouldn't have last driven in F1 in 1999 with Minardi. He's no spring chicken either at 38. A midfield car with a mid to lower-class driver. That should be a lovely combination.
My thoughts precisely. Plus, IIRC, among the two, Marc was the last to drive in racing conditions, i think he subbed someone for Williams at Monza few years ago. That was before he became the official test driver.
The politics of being an F1 driver are huge so I would not discount his ability beacuse he was not a driver. I am not saying that he will be WC but for sure he will do a good job as he is well prepared and experienced. Secondly this 38 thing is a load of poop. No one discounted MS at 40 yet Badoer at 38 is an old man. Badoer earned the spot and if Ferrari is going to stick to its 'family' jive then Badoer is the only choice. Marc Gene is an outsider in comparision. OH and BTW there is a lot more to learing about a driver than using Wikipedia.
His age will certainly be an issue when considering who takes Massa's place in 2010 if he can't return. An exceptional driver finds a way to get noticed. As for Michael being 40, he's 40 with SEVEN world championships, quite different that what Bad Oer is, eh? Someone like Ruebens is a well proven older driver as well, if a bit whiney. I'm not particularly expecting much good from Bad Oer. But I hope he proves me wrong.
They'll probably alternate between Badeor and Gene like McLaren did with Wurtz and DeLaRosa when JPM went down in 06.
Let us not forget that the last time Ferrari ran a test driver as a sub it was the under-rated Nicola Larini at San Marino in 94 driving a pig of a Ferrari at the time. BTW: He finished 2nd to Michael Schumacher.
Yeah, that would make sense. I´d put Gené as he´s been more active lately but Badoer deserves a last hooray, so let him drive in a race or two.
Badoer sucks. Piquet levels of suckiness. Don't expect much, and you'll probably still be disappointed. He's just not a racer... tester, maybe... racer? no.
I remember Larini and he had talent, Caffi also. Both of them deserved better rides. Best of luck to Luca, I'm sure he'll do better than what many expect.
+1 Unfortunatly what is deserved and what happens in life does not always happen. For Badoer he is getting a great shot even if it only lasts one race.
Badoer is an experienced test driver whose role will be developing next year's car not a futile attempt at points this year. Just as Michael was intended to be, he is a place holder and will not be on the team next year. It seems to me that the Scuderia must have a driver (Alonso?) already committed for next year otherwise they would have taken the opportunity to try out some new talent.
Badoer figures prominently on the F1Rejects webpage as the driver with the most GPs but no points. That just about says it all. No need to speculate over him getting a podium. If he doesn't cause a crash, it'd be already a good day. At least he'll make Kimi look good. Even a stonewalled and totally out of his mind drunk Kimi.
Being realistic isn't "hating". I'll cover any bet you wanna make on whether he podiums or not (I say he won't). I'll offer up the traditional f-chat bet - a case of beer saying he won't podium... if you're in.
Not if they put Badoer in the car. Then again, Gene isn't that hot either and so they probably felt some moral obligation after they snubbed Luca in 1999, when he was still young and knew what racing was about. Now we're 10 years later during which his racecraft has experienced zero, his reflexes have aged and he hasn't driven the F60 for a while (if at all). And here people were worried about Alguersuari. At least that kid still has racecraft recently honed and young reflexes. PS: I just noticed the space in BAD oer's name in this thread's title. Hilarious! I have to copy that... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Obviously F have decided to throw the guy a bone as the season is pretty much a lost cause anyway. Sounds like they'll wish they hadn't given their test pilot this seat regardless of loyalty. While it'll be his last day in the sun odds are he'll get burned.
