Good question. How do you define a pay driver, or when does a driver stop being one? I understand that Gutierrez´s family paid through GP3/2 and then joined Telmex/Telcel for GP2 and F1. So he always brought cash. I´m hesitant to call Gutierrez a pay driver today. He was a reserve driver at Ferrari and they probably don´t need the money that comes along (although it does´t hurt). Haas is different of course. Grosjean came with Total to Lotus, Bruno Senna had Gillette Brazil, Maldonado has PDVSA. One could argue that most drivers are pay drivers since rookies and mid fielders are expected to come with some form of financial support.
Well therein lies the difference: I bet ANY driver brings sponsors to the team. Even very successful guys. Or not even even: The more successful a driver becomes, the likelier he is to attract his own sponsors, which he then will bring to a team (e.g. Alonso and his $ from Spanish companies). So Grosjean coming with Total doesn't make him a pay driver but "just" a successful driver. I think RalleyChris brought it to a point: If the company sponsoring the driver is owned/run by a family member of the driver, then it is no longer just sponsorship but a pay driver.
Agreed. Alonso brought Santader to Mclaren and then to Ferrari. Interestingly Maldonado keeps getting called a pay driver due to the PDVSA backing.
Gutierrez has a lot of Ferrari test stink on him. Would be smart to have him on contract for a year and wait to see how Rossi drives at Manor next year (if that happens at all...). JMHO
I think 'under the carpet' there are two classes of drivers: the fast ones and the very fast ones. The latter ones, they just come in, test and they are in. The former ones, they are fast, but the look "faster" with some sponsorship...
Don't get why they didn't went for a US driver. And speaking of the US; I'd welcome another US track to the calender as well (Laguna Seca for instance). F1 still doesn't seem very popular in the US.
I was thinking more a Haas seat, even as a test driver, then Ferrari in the future. Not so far fetched, really. I never saw Gut as any great shakes.....
Disappointed with gut...figure it was part of the deal for the Ferrari assistance. Would have preferred Rossi. Inexperience is debatable, kimi had 20 races in any class before F1. Rossi has shown very well against Stevens, who's a credible reference. I won't be donning any Haas gear now, but likely would have if it was backing a stateside driver
Content ?? Content with 1 race only ?? A bit strange isn't it, given the big market that the US is for all manufacturers and sponsors involved. Besides plans for a 2nd US race on a street "circuit" in New Jersey were well advanced.
Each country is supposed to have only ONE GP each. Rarely more. Beside, with Canada and Mexico on top of the USA, it's 3 GPS in North America. The trouble with the USA is that there is no continuity, and so many different venues have been tried and later abandoned: Watkins Glen, Riverside, Long Beach, Detroit, Las Vegas, Dallas, etc ... I think that 2 GPs were arranged in the US in the past, East and West) but that didn't last.
That alone was obvious who the 2nd driver was going to be. Gutierrez is a paid driver, period. And Grosjean wasn't a smart choice either, with Button, Raikkonen, and Massa in limbo, all better and more accomplished drivers. We'll see how they do.
Yep. They're referred as 'paid' drivers for what I've read before, but agree doesn't make sense. Sorry. It's just there for Slim's money, to put it bluntly . I'm originally from Mexico (born in the US, raised in Mexico City, and back in the US since 21 y/o), but he's not the best young driver at all. Hate when that happens, even if it's a fellow Mexican who got the gig.
From an historic F1 perspective your undoubtedly right, from a manufacturer/sponsor perspective I would not compare the US with 1 country. But more with Western Europe, which currently has 6 GP's (Europe in total 8). Given that F1 still seems largely unknown territory for most in the US, makes me wonder if F1/Ecclestone done enough in, lets say, the past to decades to make it popular. But maybe Ecclestone is more interested in low hanging fruid vs. possible long term benefits.
Which US driver would you recommend over Gutierrez, who actually has F1 race experience and Ferrari testing experience (important since Haas is purchasing a lot of Ferrari technology)? Button, Raikkonen, and Massa are all confirmed for their current teams until the end of 2016. None are options for Haas' 2016 grid unless they wanted to buy those drivers out of their contracts and those other teams were happy with the replacement prospects. All the best, Andrew.
