It really is the nature of Formula 1. As more experienced
drivers leave the sport, fresh faces are welcomed to the dizzy heights of the
motor sports pinnacle.
I personally think that there will be a very interesting battle between
the rookies of 2013, but almost like they are in two separate classes. You have two fresh
faces battling in the midfield, with three jostling at the back for position.
So who shall I start with? Let’s start in the middle of the pack and look at a
driver who has huge pressure weighing down on his somewhat pale, Scandinavian
shoulders.
Valtteri Bottas has been hyped up since signing for Williams as their test and reserve driver in 2010. A former GP3 champion, he skipped GP2 and stepped right in to the world of Formula 1 with the Grove based squad. However can he really be classed as a rookie? Looking along the line of the “new” drivers of 2013, he stands out as the one with the most experience. His junior formula results are also second to none, a very impressive CV that probably rivals that of Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. A Formula Renault champion in the NEC and Eurocup, in the same year I might add, he has also been successful in the discipline of Formula 3. A double Masters of Formula 3 race winner, twice third in the Formula 3 Euroseries and a best finish of third in the famous Macau GP, he has certainly had his fair share of success, but will it translate on the track?
Bottas, or #BOTTAS as he is known on social media, is definitely prepared for Formula 1. His test experience is impressive, a Williams test driver since 2010. He has completed numerous Young Driver Tests, took part in straight line tests and opted not to race in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2012. Instead he had 15 outings in the FW34 during First Practice sessions, taking the place of race driver Bruno Senna. On these 15 occasions, he really proved his raw pace by consistently outpacing or matching the more experienced Pastor Maldonado. However he has not raced since 2011, so his race craft may be a bit rusty. He should be fine in Qualifying and Practice, where he will be lapping similarly to his test programmes. But when he is in a pack with other cars; that is when we will see if he can challenge for points and podiums. Testing is one thing, but racing is another. The F1 Fraternity have high expectations of him and it will certainly be interesting to see how he fares in 2013.
Keeping with the theme of staying in the family, Bottas has been at Williams since 2010, and continuing in the midfield we find Esteban Gutierrez. The smiley Mexican embarks on his rookie season at the Sauber F1 Team, a team he has known since 2009. He started off as their test driver towards the end of 2010, before continuing the role in 2011 and 2012. Gutierrez missed out on his first Formula 1 race when then Sauber driver Sergio Perez pulled out of the Canadian Grand Prix. Despite saying he was ready; the team chose experienced Pedro de la Rosa. He debuted in a Formula 1 car at the 2012 Indian Grand Prix, driving in the First Practice session.
However his role at Caterham was not his first time. For 2007 and 2008 he was appointed as the Force India (in 2007 they were known as Spyker) test driver. He completed a range of tests for the team as well as demo runs, which he also did for Caterham in 2012. He has also completed a few Young Driver Tests and certainly knows his way around a Formula 1 car. It will be a tough year at a small team for Giedo but he has the pace to match Charles Pic, which will provide a nice in house battle throughout the year.
A similarly experienced GP2 racer, Max Chilton came on song in 2012 after a few years running under the radar. Out of all the 2013 rookies, he perhaps has the worst motorsport CV. However it is still something to be proud of, being a race winner in Formula 3 and GP2. Championships have alluded Max throughout his racing career, and in the short term he certainly will not be adding one to the list. However he is definitely one to watch for the future, joining Button, Hamilton and Di Resta as the British Formula 1 racers.
Like the others, he has had bucket loads of experience in Formula 1 cars. He has particularly benefited from the recent problems regarding his team mate at Marussia. This has led to day after day of running in the MR02, giving him plenty of time to test and prepare their 2013 machine. Having previous completed straight line and Young Driver tests for Force India in 2011, he caught the eye of Marussia for the 2012 season. His debut season in GP2 was tough and he scored just three points, 2011 was no better with a four point tally but after his test for Force India the Banbury based F1 team snapped him up to race for their GP2 squad. The move proved to be the best decision of his career to date, scoring two victories, two pole positions and two further podium finishes. He wound up fourth in the standings after scoring on a consistent basis and dominating the final feature race in Singapore.
Four French Drivers on the 2013 grid yet no French Grand Prix? That is certainly the case now after the recent signing of new rookie Jules Bianchi at Marussia. The late deal came just two weeks before the start of this season, close stuff! But he certainly deserves the seat, after narrowly missing out on the drive at Force India. His CV is littered with wins, championship victories and podium finishes that comes a close second when compared to Bottas. A Formula Renault and Formula 3 champion, he has also found success in both GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5. He has twice finished third in the GP2 series and finished the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 series as the runner-up, or vice champion as some may refer to it as.
Bianchi has been with the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2009 and has tested the famous red machinery on a number of occasions, partly due to his role as the teams test driver in 2011. He was loaned out to Force India in 2012 to reprise a similar role for the Silverstone based squad, competing nine practice sessions for the team. Certain circumstances meant that Luiz Razia will not feature in this article on the rookies of 2013, like Bianchi he deserves a shot in Formula 1 but maybe he will feature in a similar article next year. I do actually think he can outrace Chilton too, but we will have to wait and see.
So there are the current crop of up and coming Formula 1 racers that we will all be watching closely this season. It will be interesting to see the inter-team battle at Marussia and how Van der Garde will fit in the mix too. Further up the field, Bottas and Gutierrez have huge amounts of pressure and high expectations to meet. With such a changeable driver market, 2013 is crucial for their long term futures.
Of course the new drivers of today can barely be classed as
“rookies”. Most would have already tested a Formula 1 car before, the majority
on a number of occasions, and even on a race weekend due to reserve or test
roles at the team. So who are the rookies of 2013? Let’s find out.
Valtteri Bottas has been hyped up since signing for Williams as their test and reserve driver in 2010. A former GP3 champion, he skipped GP2 and stepped right in to the world of Formula 1 with the Grove based squad. However can he really be classed as a rookie? Looking along the line of the “new” drivers of 2013, he stands out as the one with the most experience. His junior formula results are also second to none, a very impressive CV that probably rivals that of Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. A Formula Renault champion in the NEC and Eurocup, in the same year I might add, he has also been successful in the discipline of Formula 3. A double Masters of Formula 3 race winner, twice third in the Formula 3 Euroseries and a best finish of third in the famous Macau GP, he has certainly had his fair share of success, but will it translate on the track?
 |
| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
Bottas, or #BOTTAS as he is known on social media, is definitely prepared for Formula 1. His test experience is impressive, a Williams test driver since 2010. He has completed numerous Young Driver Tests, took part in straight line tests and opted not to race in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2012. Instead he had 15 outings in the FW34 during First Practice sessions, taking the place of race driver Bruno Senna. On these 15 occasions, he really proved his raw pace by consistently outpacing or matching the more experienced Pastor Maldonado. However he has not raced since 2011, so his race craft may be a bit rusty. He should be fine in Qualifying and Practice, where he will be lapping similarly to his test programmes. But when he is in a pack with other cars; that is when we will see if he can challenge for points and podiums. Testing is one thing, but racing is another. The F1 Fraternity have high expectations of him and it will certainly be interesting to see how he fares in 2013.
Keeping with the theme of staying in the family, Bottas has been at Williams since 2010, and continuing in the midfield we find Esteban Gutierrez. The smiley Mexican embarks on his rookie season at the Sauber F1 Team, a team he has known since 2009. He started off as their test driver towards the end of 2010, before continuing the role in 2011 and 2012. Gutierrez missed out on his first Formula 1 race when then Sauber driver Sergio Perez pulled out of the Canadian Grand Prix. Despite saying he was ready; the team chose experienced Pedro de la Rosa. He debuted in a Formula 1 car at the 2012 Indian Grand Prix, driving in the First Practice session.
 |
| (c) Sauber F1 Team |
Like rival Bottas, Gutierrez has found success in a number
of feeder series. Runner-up in the Formula BMW US series and champion in the
Formula BMW Europe he certainly showed early promise. However unlike his fellow
rookie, Esteban failed to find success in Formula 3. He then won the inaugural
GP3 series in 2010 with an impressive string of podium and race wins, before
moving on up to GP2. He won a race in his first season, but it took him a
further year to challenge consistently out front. In 2012 he finished third in
the GP2 series with three wins and a total of 176 points. So he certainly
proved himself in the feeder series, but what about F1 experience? He has had
his fair share of drives in Formula 1 machinery, his first taste was in
December 2009 in the BMW Sauber as part of his prize for winning the Formula
BMW championship. He then joined the team at several 2010 races as an observer
and was promoted to the Swiss teams Test Driver at the end of 2010, taking part
in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi.
He replicated this in 2011 and 2012, showing impressive pace and gaining more
valuable experience in F1. So in a similar way, he is prepared for 2013 and
with a season of racing in 2012 under his belt he will certainly be sharper
than Bottas in the race craft stakes. However Bottas showed better raw pace in
testing, and the two teams look close in winter testing. It will be really
interesting to see who ends up on top by the seasons end.
 |
| (c) Caterham F1 Team |
Moving away from the hugely competitive midfield battle and
looking at the backmarkers, we first stumble across Giedo van der Garde. The
Dutch racer joins the Caterham team, completing their relatively inexperienced
line up. Obviously it will be tough to shine in 2013 with so much focus being
at the front of the field, but van der Garde certainly deserves the seat. Like
the previous two rookies, Giedo has succeeded in a number of motorsport series.
Perhaps not to the extent of Bottas, who’s CV is a racers dream, but race wins
in Formula 3, Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2 shows he can run at the front and
against tough competition. He has also jumped to a range of different series,
racing in both Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2 (some just stick to one). Van der
Garde actually won the 2008 Formula Renault 3.5 championship with five race
victories. I do not know why I adopted the surprised tone there, but most
people know him for his race victories in GP2. His best championship finish in
the feeder series is fifth in 2011, third in GP2 Asia in the same year. He also
raced for the Caterham GP2 squad in 2012 whilst also holding the role of Test
Driver at their Formula 1 team.
However his role at Caterham was not his first time. For 2007 and 2008 he was appointed as the Force India (in 2007 they were known as Spyker) test driver. He completed a range of tests for the team as well as demo runs, which he also did for Caterham in 2012. He has also completed a few Young Driver Tests and certainly knows his way around a Formula 1 car. It will be a tough year at a small team for Giedo but he has the pace to match Charles Pic, which will provide a nice in house battle throughout the year.
 |
| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
A similarly experienced GP2 racer, Max Chilton came on song in 2012 after a few years running under the radar. Out of all the 2013 rookies, he perhaps has the worst motorsport CV. However it is still something to be proud of, being a race winner in Formula 3 and GP2. Championships have alluded Max throughout his racing career, and in the short term he certainly will not be adding one to the list. However he is definitely one to watch for the future, joining Button, Hamilton and Di Resta as the British Formula 1 racers.
Like the others, he has had bucket loads of experience in Formula 1 cars. He has particularly benefited from the recent problems regarding his team mate at Marussia. This has led to day after day of running in the MR02, giving him plenty of time to test and prepare their 2013 machine. Having previous completed straight line and Young Driver tests for Force India in 2011, he caught the eye of Marussia for the 2012 season. His debut season in GP2 was tough and he scored just three points, 2011 was no better with a four point tally but after his test for Force India the Banbury based F1 team snapped him up to race for their GP2 squad. The move proved to be the best decision of his career to date, scoring two victories, two pole positions and two further podium finishes. He wound up fourth in the standings after scoring on a consistent basis and dominating the final feature race in Singapore.
 |
| (c) Marussia F1 Team |
Winning in front of the F1 paddock in Singapore, gossip started
fluttering about the young Brit’s future. Marussia quickly turned it in to
reality, signing him on as their test driver for the remainder of the season.
He tested for the team at the Silverstone circuit and debuted on a F1 race
weekend during FP1 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He has showed good signs over
winter testing and has secured a decent amount of mileage in the car. Max is
certainly prepared for F1 but how will he fare? It is tough to say and (now) with
a fast, new team mate he will certainly be kept on his toes.
Four French Drivers on the 2013 grid yet no French Grand Prix? That is certainly the case now after the recent signing of new rookie Jules Bianchi at Marussia. The late deal came just two weeks before the start of this season, close stuff! But he certainly deserves the seat, after narrowly missing out on the drive at Force India. His CV is littered with wins, championship victories and podium finishes that comes a close second when compared to Bottas. A Formula Renault and Formula 3 champion, he has also found success in both GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5. He has twice finished third in the GP2 series and finished the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 series as the runner-up, or vice champion as some may refer to it as.
Bianchi has been with the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2009 and has tested the famous red machinery on a number of occasions, partly due to his role as the teams test driver in 2011. He was loaned out to Force India in 2012 to reprise a similar role for the Silverstone based squad, competing nine practice sessions for the team. Certain circumstances meant that Luiz Razia will not feature in this article on the rookies of 2013, like Bianchi he deserves a shot in Formula 1 but maybe he will feature in a similar article next year. I do actually think he can outrace Chilton too, but we will have to wait and see.
So there are the current crop of up and coming Formula 1 racers that we will all be watching closely this season. It will be interesting to see the inter-team battle at Marussia and how Van der Garde will fit in the mix too. Further up the field, Bottas and Gutierrez have huge amounts of pressure and high expectations to meet. With such a changeable driver market, 2013 is crucial for their long term futures.
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