Q: I can see why the top teams may want to sign and develop a young driver prospect, but a mid-pack or lower-ranked team should be looking for the best driver possible — a driver that gives them the best chance of scoring points regardless of age. So why hasn’t Josef Newgarden been given a shot? Yeah, I know he’s up there in years, but so are several current F1 drivers. He’s gone head-to-head with ex-F1 drivers (in equal equipment) and outperformed them.
My opinion is that Newgarden gives you a better chance of scoring points then Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Ocon, Magnussen, Guanyu, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Bottas…
Mark, Lockport, NY
CM: It’s always tough to know for sure, but the uncertainty is more about preparation now. F1 is so different to IndyCar in terms of the sensitivity around tires, the tracks they race on, the systems, etc., that you’ll have noticed how all drivers that reach F1 have been through the European junior categories that prepare them for it.
Put any of those drivers you list in an IndyCar and on average Newgarden comfortably beats them while they build up experience, but by the same token then they all likely outperform Newgarden in the same F1 car, at least initially. It’s nowhere near as simple as just jumping in without preparation.
We do have some more clear examples with the testing and FP1 sessions that Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou got to do with McLaren as part of that preparation. They did really good jobs, but nothing that had any teams clambering to sign an IndyCar driver to a race seat — not because they don’t have the ability, but because they would take time and investment to get used to the completely different environment. Instead, that investment is made in junior drivers and they have them race in Europe.
In IndyCar, Newgarden’s one of the best there is, and you’re right he’s beaten ex-F1 drivers. But at the time he was trying to stand out in the European junior ladder he struggled and finished his sole GP3 season in 18th place in the drivers’ championship. He was comfortably outperformed by Robert Wickens and Alexander Rossi when teams would have been looking at him for a future F1 ride.
That he then returned to the U.S. helped him build that experience and show what he can do in IndyCar machinery, but it definitely doesn’t guarantee performance in an F1 car. If Josef had a full F1 preparation and testing program and could get to the point that he was performing at the level he does in IndyCar in F1, then yes, he’d be extremely competitive, but that takes a massive commitment on all sides with no guarantee of success.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see more crossover and certainly wish we had IndyCar drivers getting runs in practice sessions to really see for sure — either I’d be proven wrong, or the boring points above would hold true and at least there would be less frustration at F1 teams not picking up someone out of Indy.
None of this is a dig at IndyCar, by the way, as it works both ways. Nico Hulkenberg’s test with Arrow McLaren at Barber a few years ago showed he didn’t fit with the car or team at that point, and it wasn’t something he was willing to commit to trying to adapt to at that stage of his career.
One other point as well that I think Newgarden himself has flagged up, is that when you’re used to winning races and championships in IndyCar, it would be a tough mental switch to then race in a midfield F1 car that never offered a chance of anything better than a few points even if you have the race of your life.
Q: What went wrong with Bernie Ecclestone in the last few years of his ownership of Formula 1?
Kurt Perleberg
CM: Are you trying to get me in trouble, Kurt?! I think in general it was just that the way Bernie managed the sport — maximum profits for the owners at all times rather than long-term investments and divide and conquer among the teams — started to become outdated.
Don’t forget Bernie’s age, or the fact he didn’t own the sport — CVC Capital Partners did — but he was the one running it. He was still extremely savvy, but when you’re in your late 80s and have done something for so long it can be tough to adapt to the way the world changes quickly enough to appease everyone involved.
As teams started to evolve from a marketing point of view and actually wanted to collaborate on certain aspects, Ecclestone’s ability to control them slipped a little.
Q: When viewing the WEC race from Imola, I thought I saw Adrian Newey talking to Roger Penske before the race. In rewatching the GP later, I did not see Newey on the Red Bull pit box, nor I did not see him after the race in his customary position next to Horner when Max exited his car immediately after the race for the winner congratulations. What gives, and did I miss something?
Bill
CM: It could well have been Adrian, because he wasn’t in China. But that’s not unusual — he doesn’t attend every single race, and China was one that a number of people didn’t travel to. There was no upgrade on the Red Bull last weekend, so less need for his presence in that sense.
Adrian was in London on the Friday for a Salon Privé event, as an owner of the Valkyrie that he helped design. His was among the 14 Aston Martin Valkyries that attended, setting a world record gathering of that car.
As a big racing fan, though, it would not be a surprise if he went to Imola for the WEC race, too. He’s been in Italy driving himself recently, and he has a lot of friends in U.S. racing so Roger Penske would certainly be someone he’d know and speak to. I wouldn’t read too much into it though, other than there’s every chance your eyes weren’t deceiving you!