HealthSportsAlonso Reveals the Harsh Reality of F1 for Young Drivers

Alonso Reveals the Harsh Reality of F1 for Young Drivers

Alonso: F1 'doesn't give (...)

Challenges for Young Drivers in Formula 1

Fernando Alonso acknowledges the increasing difficulty for young drivers to access Formula 1. The Aston Martin F1 driver understands the reduced testing opportunities, considering the strenuous 24-race season that teams already endure.

“Formula 1 is a tough sport. There are no freebies,” says Alonso. “There is not much time. It would be good to see more testing, with some top teams able to run an old car and establish a program similar to the F2 drivers.”

While Mercedes will have a program for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alonso notes that this is a rare occurrence: “Antonelli, I read that he will have a program this season. So, you know, some top teams can afford this, but there is still no proper preparation and testing.”

“We have so many races, and teams are already under immense pressure with the budget cap and all the personnel traveling around the world for these 24 races that I believe it is entirely impossible to set up a test team as in the past to adequately prepare a young driver.”

“And we don’t even have winter testing, as I mentioned last week. So, even if you put a rookie in your car, they will only have a day and a half before starting a World Championship.”

According to the Spaniard, this is a very problematic situation: “This probably prevents some team bosses from truly promoting a young driver. So yes, there are many things wrong in this sport. And sometimes we raise our voices. But I hope someone will listen to us.”

Verstappen’s Advocacy for “More Teams”

Max Verstappen believes that there should be more teams to allow for more young drivers in F1: “I think, of course, recently there has been a certain interest from new teams trying to enter the market, which is very positive.”

“But you also have to consider things as a whole. A few years ago, teams were not profitable, and now everyone is growing, the sport is becoming increasingly popular, so naturally interest is increasing.”

“As for me, I would always be in favor of more teams to provide more opportunities for people because there are many great drivers who have had very limited chances or have never had a chance to access F1 and who may therefore have a chance to get there. But yes, you need to be very well prepared.”

“And personally, for now, I am not attending those meetings where they present you with plans and show you how serious everything is.

» …

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Subscribe Today

GET EXCLUSIVE FULL ACCESS TO PREMIUM CONTENT

SUPPORT NONPROFIT JOURNALISM

EXPERT ANALYSIS OF AND EMERGING TRENDS IN CHILD WELFARE AND JUVENILE JUSTICE

TOPICAL VIDEO WEBINARS

Get unlimited access to our EXCLUSIVE Content and our archive of subscriber stories.

Exclusive content

Latest article

More article