The Conveyor Belt Syndrome

19/02/2012

It seems attention is always focussed on the future. In the current culture we find ourselves surrounded by an almost obsessive desire to discover the newest talent. A quick glance at a regular weekend's TV listings will see numerous programmes, like the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, searching for what they call, "the next big thing". Sport is not immune to this, and, particularly in relation to Formula One, debates often bring up the topic of who could be the next new champion.

Over the last decade it was almost impossible to keep up with drivers being tipped as future champions - it seems as if almost half the grid has been awarded the championship before they have even sat in the car. The sport doesn't stand still, and sometimes drivers' careers in Formula One are over before they have barely begun. Driver programmes have undoubtedly helped some drivers reach the highest highs of motorsport - but are they effectively just a conveyer belt, bringing along new faces to replace yesterday's news?

Franz Tost, the team boss of Toro Rosso has defended the decision to replace last season's drivers - Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari - with two of the freshest faces on the grid - Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo. Tost claims the pairing of Buemi and Alguersuari was not suitable for the senior Red Bull team.

Red Bull has had a reputation of helping young drivers for many years - and has backed drivers in various junior formulae. Ferrari, McLaren and Williams run similar schemes, and undoubtedly they are a benefit. Existing teams help new talents climb the ladder of motorsport and help drivers who otherwise may lack the funding needed that they otherwise wouldn't have. With a season in GP2 now costing a reported two million euros, it is easy to see why it is often the case that some of the most exciting prospects never make it to Formula One. Would a certain Sebastian Vettel or Robert Kubica have ever even made it to Formula One had it not been for the deep pockets of Red Bull and BMW respectively?

But even still - these programmes are notoriously cut throat - and so they should be, to distinguish the exceptional from the merely good. The route to motorsport has never been easy - it is perhaps arguably one of the hardest sports to even get started in, with many other things than just talent entering the equation before drivers can progress with their careers.

Yet, are these driver programmes perhaps too strict?

Red Bull has dropped many young drivers from its programme if its doesn't believe they are making substantial progress, and there is evidence to suggest a driver's performance is perhaps hampered by the pressure they are surrounded by in such a programme. Canadian Robert Wickens was formerly a Red Bull junior driver but was dropped following a disappointing season in Formula Two in 2009 - ironically however, he beat Jean-Eric Vergne (a Red Bull backed driver) to the Formula Renault 3.5 championship last year. It was Vergne who had the last laugh though and was subsequently promoted to Formula One, yet as things stand, Wickens will not be on the F1 grid.

Then there are ‘the disappeared’, drivers such as Brendon Hartley – test and reserve driver with Red Bull and Toro Rosso in 2009 and 2010 – who was suddenly dropped midway through his second season.

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