Drivers who Didn't Make it to F1

WeirdKerr · Post by **WeirdKerr** » 17 Feb 2013, 16:32

This is a Thread to discuss the Could have beens such as Bjorn Wirdheim(sp?) who famously accidently threw a race by slowing too much at the flag in Gp2(or was it F3000) at monaco....

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 17 Feb 2013, 16:49

Brabham first wanted to run a japanese driver, I forgot his name, instead of Giovanna Amati. But he didn't get a superlicense.

Post by **Nuppiz** » 17 Feb 2013, 16:52

pi314159 wrote:Brabham first wanted to run a japanese driver, I forgot his name, instead of Giovanna Amati. But he didn't get a superlicense.

Akihiko Nakaya.

Post by **Londoner** » 17 Feb 2013, 17:02

Katsumi Yamamoto, who was supposed to take over from a certain J-D Deletraz at Pacific in late 1995, but wasn't given a superlicence.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 17 Feb 2013, 17:03

Nuppiz wrote:
pi314159 wrote:Brabham first wanted to run a japanese driver, I forgot his name, instead of Giovanna Amati. But he didn't get a superlicense.

Akihiko Nakaya.

I don't really understand why Nakaya didn't get a superlicence but Amati got one. Nakaya won the Japanese Formula 3 in 1988, Amati didn't score a single point in that series in 1989. Amati did some races in the International Formula 3000, where she didn't score any points, while Nakaya scored podiums and race wins in Japanese F3000.

FloProAct · Post by **FloProAct** » 17 Feb 2013, 17:37

pi314159 wrote:
Nuppiz wrote:
pi314159 wrote:Brabham first wanted to run a japanese driver, I forgot his name, instead of Giovanna Amati. But he didn't get a superlicense.

Akihiko Nakaya.

I don't really understand why Nakaya didn't get a superlicence but Amati got one. Nakaya won the Japanese Formula 3 in 1988, Amati didn't score a single point in that series in 1989. Amati did some races in the International Formula 3000, where she didn't score any points, while Nakaya scored podiums and race wins in Japanese F3000.

Simple. Amati was European, not to metion she would lead to a decent amount of PR for the sport.

f1-gast · Post by **f1-gast** » 17 Feb 2013, 17:43

Wasnt Amati at that time the girl friend of Flav ?
And wasnt it Flav that had a big influence early 90's in the formula 1 because of Benetton and his way of dealing with rules.

And ofcourse she was a girl.
That was al good sight for the formula 1, but well there were more female drivers in the 90's that had much more capacity then Amati.

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 17 Feb 2013, 18:28

Does Marco Apicella count?

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 17 Feb 2013, 18:31

JeremyMcClean wrote:Does Marco Apicella count?

No, because he made it to Formula 1.

I also think even Masami Kuwashima doesn't count, because he did a qualifying.

Jorge de Bagration, who never ran in an official event, does count, I think.

f1-gast · Post by **f1-gast** » 17 Feb 2013, 18:55

pi314159 wrote:
JeremyMcClean wrote:Does Marco Apicella count?

No, because he made it to Formula 1.

I also think even Masami Kuwashima doesn't count, because he did a qualifying.

Jorge de Bagration, who never ran in an official event, does count, I think.

So for example Desire Wilson do count ?
Though she drove years in the Aurora series ?

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 Feb 2013, 19:05

Hadn't Christophe Bouchut signed for Larrousse before the team folded?

girry · Post by **girry** » 17 Feb 2013, 19:11

Harri Toivonen, the brother of Henri (the rally driver..) had contract with Pacific in 1995 before his sponsorship ran out iirc.

the USF1 duo José María López & James Rossiter deserve a mention too.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 17 Feb 2013, 19:21

f1-gast wrote:
pi314159 wrote:
JeremyMcClean wrote:Does Marco Apicella count?

No, because he made it to Formula 1.

I also think even Masami Kuwashima doesn't count, because he did a qualifying.

Jorge de Bagration, who never ran in an official event, does count, I think.

So for example Desire Wilson do count ?
Though she drove years in the Aurora series ?

No, she also drove in the World Championship. She failed to qualify for the 1980 British GP.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 Feb 2013, 19:22

I don't know if he'd officially signed paperwork as such, but Jonathan Summerton had aligned himself firmly with Cypher before their bid to enter the sport failed.

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 17 Feb 2013, 19:33

Anthony Reid

f1-gast · Post by **f1-gast** » 17 Feb 2013, 22:06

How could i for get the attempt to qualifying.....

Well i remember that Jacky van der Ende was promissed by Stewart himself he could test a SF1 back in 1997 because of winning the Formula Ford Festival and the British FF championship but this never happend.

Some more drivers:
Andrew Ranger
Marko Asmer
Jonathan Summerton
Richard Antinucci
Chanoch Nissany
Jorg Muller
Oliver Gavin

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 17 Feb 2013, 22:23

Would Sebastien Loeb and Valentino Rossi count for this?

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 18 Feb 2013, 01:01

WeirdKerr wrote:This is a Thread to discuss the Could have beens such as Bjorn Wirdheim(sp?) who famously accidently threw a race by slowing too much at the flag in Gp2(or was it F3000) at monaco....

Wirdheim sucked in Champ Car... :lol:

Paul Tracy (he tested) and Al Unser, Jr. spring to mind, but Little Al's interest in F1 is questionable. I think teams wanted him more than he wanted to go, but I could be mistaken. Also, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan...

Bryan Herta, though, I think would have been awesome in F1. His skill set didn't seem to work in CART so much, but the speed was clearly there for some time.

But we forget...

... the man that Jordan wanted for 1996 ...

ROBBY GORDON!!

!!

On that note, Jeff Gordon in F1. Imagine Jeff Gordon and Robby Gordon driving for Jordan! The team would have to be renamed Gordon GP just for that epic pairing (not kidding either, 80+ NASCAR wins and 4 NASCAR cups for Jeff Gordon, and Robby Gordon has won in CART at its peak, NASCAR at its peak as a #2 driver, and 7 SCORE championships)!!

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 18 Feb 2013, 04:18

How could I forget Jose Maria Lopez? Always was a candidate for rejectfulness in my opinion.

I remember reading a betting website saying that there was a 1500 to 1 chance of Lopez finishing a race :lol:

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 18 Feb 2013, 08:55

Cynon wrote:Paul Tracy (he tested) and Al Unser, Jr. spring to mind, but Little Al's interest in F1 is questionable. I think teams wanted him more than he wanted to go, but I could be mistaken. Also, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan...

Ah yes, didn't PT pick up the Benetton test drive after Zanardi went for the second Lotus seat in 93?

andrew2209 · Post by **andrew2209** » 19 Feb 2013, 18:07

Tom Kristensen, Jorg Muller and Kenny Brack all did very well in the mid 90's in F3000, and never got to F1. Also, Dan Wheldon was considered an up and rising talent, but lack the resources to make it in Europe.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 19 Feb 2013, 18:35

Don Pentecost!

Seriously though Will Power tested a Minardi once.

ibsey · Post by **ibsey** » 19 Feb 2013, 19:34

Does failing to qualify for a F1 race count? In which case can we count Jaques Villeneuve Snr?

I was reading up on him last night here on this autosport thread...

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=62369

(in addition to his profile on the main site here of course)

Interesting to think that he might not have pursued a career in Europe, like a drive with the Marlboro backed Euroracing team that was run by Paolo Pavanello. Which eventually went to Mauro Baldi who eventually won the European F3 championship and landed him in F1. Possibily because of the massive expectations JV Snr would have had to face, trying to follow in the footsteps of his supremely talented brother.

WeirdKerr · Post by **WeirdKerr** » 19 Feb 2013, 20:30

ibsey wrote:Does failing to qualify for a F1 race count? In which case can we count Jaques Villeneuve Snr?

I was reading up on him last night here on this autosport thread...

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=62369

(in addition to his profile on the main site here of course)

Interesting to think that he might not have pursued a career in Europe, like a drive with the Marlboro backed Euroracing team that was run by Paolo Pavanello. Which eventually went to Mauro Baldi who eventually won the European F3 championship and landed him in F1. Possibily because of the massive expectations JV Snr would have had to face, trying to follow in the footsteps of his supremely talented brother.

hmmmm a racing driver trying to make it in the footsteps of a supremely talented brother, now where have i heard that before....

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 19 Feb 2013, 20:53

Leave Mr. Fabi alone!

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 19 Feb 2013, 21:01

Wallio wrote:Leave Mr. Fabi alone!

Actually, wasn't Corrando considered the more talented of the two while they were rising through the junior ranks in the 70s and 80s?

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 19 Feb 2013, 21:13

Wizzie wrote:
Wallio wrote:Leave Mr. Fabi alone!

Actually, wasn't Corrando considered the more talented of the two while they were rising through the junior ranks in the 70s and 80s?

I believe so. I was just being an arse.

WeirdKerr · Post by **WeirdKerr** » 19 Feb 2013, 21:30

Wallio wrote:Leave Mr. Fabi alone!

it wasn't fabi....

or the obvious german drivers

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 19 Feb 2013, 22:29

WeirdKerr wrote:
Wallio wrote:Leave Mr. Fabi alone!

it wasn't fabi....

or the obvious german drivers

I'm guessing Nick Hamilton?

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 20 Feb 2013, 12:01

Jimmy Stewart? Wilson Fittipaldi? Gary Brabham?

Post by **tommykl** » 20 Feb 2013, 12:50

Ian Scheckter?

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 20 Feb 2013, 12:52

dr-baker wrote:Wilson Fittipaldi?

Wilson Fittipaldi raced in F1. He even escaped reject status, just.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 20 Feb 2013, 13:07

James Courtney seemed en route to Formula One as a very talented young driver and test driver for Jaguar. Then when testing at Monza the rear suspension crashed, and he hit the barrier at 190mph, and came round to find he couldn't move the right side of his body and was bleeding from his eyes while an Italian marshal and Michael Schumacher shouted at him. Took him over a year to recover, and he was never quite the same again.

Bruno Junqueira was put into a shoot-out for the Williams seat against Jenson Button, which he lost. Despite winning International Formula 3000 in 2000 (ahead of Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso), Junqueira failed to secure a seat with any Formula One teams and ended up in America.

Darren Manning was rumoured to be a candidate for the Williams seat before most people had even heard of Jenson Button, having impressed in 1999 with his 'perfect victory' at the Macau Grand Prix (pole, fastest lap, and leading every lap - the first driver to do so since Ayrton Senna). His testing performance at the end of 1999 was not good enough for Williams to consider him, however, and he went on to disappoint in International Formula 3000 before moving to America.

Gary Paffett has been a McLaren test driver and fixture at 'young' driver tests. For a while he was linked with many race seats: Jordan (losing out to Ralph Firman); McLaren (losing out to Lewis Hamilton); Sauber (losing out to Jacques Villeneuve); and Prodrive (losing out to the FIA's ruling on customer chassis). Gary Paffett can still be seen at young driver tests and DTM.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 20 Feb 2013, 13:12

Of all Champions of the main feeder series (F2, F3000, GP2), these drivers never raced in F1:

Jörg Müller (1996 F3000 champion)
Bruno Junqueira (2000 F3000 champion)
Björn Wirdheim (2003 F3000 champion)
Davide Valsecchi (2012 GP2 champion), although it can still happen.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 20 Feb 2013, 13:41

pi314159 wrote:Of all Champions of the main feeder series (F2, F3000, GP2), these drivers never raced in F1:

Jörg Müller (1996 F3000 champion)
Bruno Junqueira (2000 F3000 champion)
Björn Wirdheim (2003 F3000 champion)
Davide Valsecchi (2012 GP2 champion), although it can still happen.

How about the World Series by Renault champions:

Robin Frijns (2012 WSR champion - still time for him)
Robert Wickens (2011 WSR champion - now in DTM)
Mikhail Aleshin (2010 WSR champion - now back in WSR)
Bertrand Baguette (2009 WSR champion - went to America)
Álvaro Parente (2007 WSR champion - never made it in GP2, now in GT1)
Alx Danielsson (2006 WSR champion)

FantometteBR · Post by **FantometteBR** » 20 Feb 2013, 17:38

tommykl wrote:Ian Scheckter?

Ian wasn't at March around 76/77?

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 20 Feb 2013, 17:55

Backmarker wrote:Álvaro Parente (2007 WSR champion - never made it in GP2, now in GT1)

He was one of Virgin's reserve drivers in 2010 I believe, so almost, but not quite!

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 21 Feb 2013, 07:33

Jason Plato, before racing touring cars he had a brief career in Formula Renault and British F3.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 21 Feb 2013, 09:50

Unless something happens, it seems likely that Brendon Hartley will never race in F1, despite testing for Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Mercedes. He was a Red Bull Junior Team member, but ended up being outclassed by Jaime Alguersuari and Daniel Ricciardo, before being dropped for Jean-Éric Vergne. It's not inconceivable that he would have made it to F1 with a bit of luck.

Until HRT went bust it looked likely that the Spanish team would at some point give debuts to Dani Clos and Ma Qing Hua, both of whom tested for HRT during 2012.

Sébastian Loeb was due to make his debut at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but he was not granted an FIA Super Licence (despite at the time being a 6-time FIA World Rally Championship champion).

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 21 Feb 2013, 14:37

Backmarker wrote:Sébastian Loeb was due to make his debut at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but he was not granted an FIA Super Licence (despite at the time being a 6-time FIA World Rally Championship champion).

He was really slow in GP2. Slowest out of 25. He was 1.7 seconds down on the amazing F1 talent that is Jérôme d'Ambrosio. Maybe with a full pre-season programme he could have got up to a reasonable speed, but it was probably the correct decision by the FIA. He just wasn't familiar enough with the equipment.