Worst F1 Driver

That behavior wasn't in the majority of his F1 career, unlike Ide. You make it sound like he was a roadblock in every grand prix he took place in, which is obviously a gross exaggeration.

 

It's amazing how many people equate 'bad' drivers with 'slow' drivers.

Put SOME of these 'slow' drivers in a top-rate car and they won't be so slow.
They may not WIN, but they won't be so slow...

 

DP said that unless it's a serious test, she isn't interested. She turned down one already.

JPM should still be in F1. Oh well..

 

Its fun to contemplate who was the worst driver ever.
The worst driver to make the grid in the last generation is probably better than the best driver among those who have posted here (I'm guilty as well). Its a quantum leap to realise the talent and balls these guys have.
Credit where credit is due.

 

Anyone who races like that and puts other cars at risk to "try and get a drive for the following year" should be taken out back and dragged home by their ankles. Make the excuses all you want, Wurz is a danger no matter how you coat it and if he had talent he would have a steady drive with a decent team.

 

If it were only that easy.

Also, while I "coat" it all I want, you continue to exaggerate it all you want.

 

The car was bad and she was just as bad, so bad in fact she couldn't even get in the race. I'd say she counts. 4 secs slower than van der Poole? Geez.

 

Ok, but I have seen folks be 13 seconds of the nearest car ahead of them, but it's not right to say they are the worst-ever.

Let me put in in perspective:

If I go try out for the local pro football team as a kicker, and I miss 10 straight 25 yard field goals in a row, am I the worst kicker in the NFL ? No, because I never made it to the NFL.

 

Once you get into F1 it is that easy. All the hearsay would be over, you've become the best you can be with the tools that you have, you're showing your stuff etc. If Timo Glock was the next Senna or Schumacher do you think him being poor would stand in his way? Hamilton wasn't wealthy before F1, any crappy driver in F1 can get a good, long-lasting ride if the become better, Look at Rubins B, he made it to Ferrari and stayed for years.

 

Some folks are happy being the designated second banana, and some just want to go at it with another team and see what they can do.
When you are the Ferrari #2 driver, you are held back, castrated, you can't show up the #1 driver.
If you go to a 'lesser' team, you pretty much know you are not driving the best car (anymore), but you are also not held back due to politics or team orders anymore. My guess is that is why most #2's leave teams.

 

I was stating that if RB didn't have talent he wouldn't have been able to get to Ferrari. If Wurz had talent someone would have picked him up... I can only assum team bosses think the current drivers on the grid have more talent than Wurz.

 

I find these threads generally wildly uninformed as people give their opinion with less than 1% of available information. There is SO much that goes on behind the scenes that it will make your head spin. Just getting into a GP car is an impressive achievement as in that stratmosphere there are LOTS of drivers with money and talent vying for a very limited number of seats. That said the 'opportunites' some drivers get to race a GP car are far from the best for their career and by no means show their true potential. It is therefore important to look at the bigger picture when offering these opinions as many of these 'worst F1 drivers' under different opportunities would have had very successful F1 careers. Here is a little behind the scenes for you:

1. Think talent is all it takes to make it. Both Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen had to pay their way into their first F1 seat (along with a TON of others of note). Lucky for them they had the combination of talent, managment, and decent starter car to do something. If either of these drivers had started with a Force India their careers could have ended good and fast.

2. Taki Inoue told me a few years back that when he drove in F1 he went to his first official practice having never sat in an F1 car before! Moreover he never drove the car outside of official practice or races. His results now look pretty good all things considered.

3. Italian Ivan Capelli had his F1 dream crushed when joining Ferrari in 92. A good driver he went to Maranello when they were at their worst. So disorganized that he MET his race engineer at the airport in Brazil. Oh and BTW the engineer had limited racing experience and was from the road car division. Best funded team in F1 at the time.

This argument is WAY more complicated than you guys are making it out and are crucifying some fine drivers in the process. Just my 2 Lire.

 

But Ricardo Rossett is still a pretty good call, right?

 

Actually my pick was Jean Denis Deletraz. His name popped immediatly to mind when I saw the thread and I cannot believe no one mentionned him yet.

 

Kind of funny considering that Force India was Spyker.....who was Midland......who was Jordan........and with whom Schumacher started with way back in 1991.


I didn't think Kimi came in with a lot of sponsorship behind him? I thought he had just impressed the hell out of Peter Sauber who petitioned (begged) the FIA to grant him a Superlicence even though he had only done about 25 races in full-size cars?

And...to answer the original question. I have to say that Tarso Marques needs to have a mention here. Ide is certainly near the top of my list....anytime the FIA has to TAKE AWAY your Superlicence is a bad deal. And lastly, I have to say........the absolutely hapless Antonio Pizzonia.

 

Very well played with the Jordan connection

Kimi brought Nokia $ that came from Mika Salo who was essentially paid to stay home in 2001. A lot of political maneuvering took place at Sauber that year including big problems with RedBull because they did not want Kimi.

Lastly Pizzonia deserves the list as he came from mountains of money in Brazil and I know he got tons of GREAT chances he did little with.