The grid for the up-coming F1 season has, like the regulations, changed dramatically, with one returnee and seven driver moves. There will also be a few fresh faces taking to the Albert Park Circuit next month.
Three talented young drivers will make their Formula 1 debuts at this year's Australian Grand Prix. Here is a look at the rookies of 2014.
Making it to F1 is never easy and the first year is always tough. However, the seismic rule changes for this season make it the perfect time to be joining the grid. The playing field is now more level, meaning all 22 drivers will be learning the same things at the same time.
This will certainly help Kevin Magnussen, Daniil Kvyat and Marcus Ericson – the three new faces on this year's grid. Some of you may not know who these talented young drivers are. Well, here I am to tell you.
Let’s start with Magnussen, who will partner Jenson Button at McLaren. Does the surname sound familiar? His father Jan raced briefly in F1 back in the 1990s before going on to compete across the pond and in endurance racing. Kevin’s career started in karting before he made the jump to single seaters at the age of just 15, in Formula Ford Denmark.
He dominated and took the title after winning 11 of the 15 rounds. During 2008 he also competed in a handful of Formula Ford rounds in Europe, as well as dipping his toe in the Formula Renault 2.0 pool.
The Danish racer competed in both the NEC and Eurocup championships in 2009, finishing second in the former (with one win and 11 podiums) and seventh in the latter (with one podium). He swiftly moved up to German Formula Three and immediately made an impact. He ended the year third in the standings with three wins and five further podiums.
This made the McLaren F1 team sit up and take notice, signing him to its Young Driver Programme in 2010 – where he started training and development work with the iconic outfit. Next up was a move across the channel to the British Formula Three series. He won seven races but couldn’t take the title, finishing runner-up to Felipe Nasr.
For 2012, he moved to the Formula Renault 3.5 series with Carlin. It was a strong rookie season which yielded one race win and three further top three results. He also got his first taste of F1 machinery with a run for McLaren in the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test. His debut FR3.5 season proved to be a good warm-up for 2013, where he remained in the series but switched from Carlin to DAMS.
It was a very impressive season and he won the title with ease, winning five times and registering eight further top three finishes. Magnussen's winning margin over the championship runner-up Stoffel Vandoorne – a fellow McLaren Young Driver – was 60 points. With nothing else left to prove, McLaren first looked to place him in a smaller team like Marussia. However, negotiations failed and the team realised he was worth adding to its own line-up.
Following the last McLaren rookie success story, Lewis Hamilton, the pressure is certainly on for the 21-year-old to perform and it will be a steep learning curve. However, there is no doubt that the Woking-based outfit will prepare him well and the talent is obviously there. I’m personally really excited to see how he does, and whether he can match and beat 2009 champion Jenson Button in equal machinery.
Daniil Kvyat was also a championship winner in 2013, this time in the GP3 series. He began karting at the age of eight but only started to race competitively in 200. He moved up to single seaters in 2010, racing in the Formula BMW Pacific championship, and impressed from the off-set.
After catching the attention of Red Bull, he joined its Junior Team and was placed in the Formula BMW Europe series later in the year, finishing 10th in the standings with one podium. He also finished fourth in the Formula Renault Winter Series with Koiranen Motorsport.
Like fellow F1 rookie Kevin Magnussen, the Ufa-born racer also juggled racing in both the Formula Renault NEC and Eurocup championships. He finished second in the former and third in the latter, as well as finishing fifth in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series.
Kvyat remained in the Eurocup series for 2011 and improved on the previous year’s result, finishing in second place behind Stoffel Vandoorne. The Russian also won the Formula Renault Alps championship, before joining MW Arden for his first – and only – GP3 campaign.
The opening round in Spain was a disaster but the results steadily improved. He scored his first podium in Hungary, before taking his first win in Belgium. Following that victory, it became apparent that he was in with a chance of being promoted to F1, to replace Red Bull-bound Daniel Ricciardo.
He dominated the second half of the championship to take the title with one race to spare in Abu Dhabi. The 19-year-old also raced in the European Formula 3 series last year, taking one win. However, he was late registering and was not eligible for points.
2013 also saw Kvyat drive a Formula 1 car for the first time, at the Silverstone young driver test. Three months later he was confirmed as an F1 driver at Toro Rosso, gaining further experience in a test at Misano and two first practice outings in Austin and Brazil.
Following his speedy move up the feeder series ladder, some have questioned Toro Rosso’s decision to promote Kvyat to a Formula 1 seat. His appointment came as quite a surprise, with many expecting Formula Renault 3.5 frontrunner Antonio Felix da Costa to get the seat, but I have no doubt that he is ready and deserves to be on the grid. I’m really interested to see how he performs.
Finally we have Marcus Ericsson, who will race for Caterham in 2014. The 23-year-old’s racing career kick-started in karting back in 1999, with the Cadetti series in his native Sweden. He continued to race in karts until 2006, after catching the attention of former IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack and ex-Swedish F1 driver Eje Elgh.
With their help, he got his first taste of single seaters in the Formula BMW UK championship, where he immediately impressed. Racing for the well-known Fortec outfit, he took the title at his first attempt before swiftly progressing up to British Formula Three.
He remained with Fortec and finished fifth in the championship, before then making the brave decision to move to Japan to compete in the Japanese Formula Three series with TOM’s. Ericsson won the title at his first attempt and also competed in a few British F3 and GP2 Asia rounds during 2009.
It was a big year for the Swedish racer, as he got his first taste of driving F1 machinery at the end of year young driver test in Abu Dhabi. He took part in the event for newly-crowned champions Brawn GP, and later signed a deal with Super Nova to race in GP2 full-time in 2010.
His debut year in F1’s leading feeder series didn’t get off to the best start. After six races, the GP2 field headed to Valencia and this proved to be the highlight of his season. Ericsson scored his first points of the year in the feature race before going on to win the sprint race on the following day. However, his front-running form didn’t continue and he only managed one further points finish, ending the year 17th overall.
A switch to iSport for 2011 helped him move up the order, improving to 10th in the standings after putting together a much more consistent campaign. He remained at the team for 2012 and returned to the top step of the podium in Belgium. The improvements continued and he ended the year eighth in the championship with four podiums, including one victory, and seven further points finishes.
Heading into the 2013 season, a move to reigning champions DAMS meant he was one of the favourites to challenge for the title. However, the opening few rounds were disastrous and despite a late return to form – which included a win in Germany and four other top three results – he could only finish the year in sixth place.
We saw flashes of speed in 2013 but it was another underwhelming campaign for Ericsson. Rumours of a potential race seat at Caterham for 2014 started to bubble late in the year and he was spotted in the paddock at the season finale in Brazil. He was eventually confirmed just prior to the first winter test in Jerez, and now has plenty to prove.
I would have, personally, preferred to see either of the team’s reserve drivers, Alexander Rossi and Robin Frijns, as I feel they have more raw speed and potential, but I'm hoping Ericsson proves me wrong.
Which of the three 2014 rookies are you most excited to see make the jump up to F1? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Three talented young drivers will make their Formula 1 debuts at this year's Australian Grand Prix. Here is a look at the rookies of 2014.
Making it to F1 is never easy and the first year is always tough. However, the seismic rule changes for this season make it the perfect time to be joining the grid. The playing field is now more level, meaning all 22 drivers will be learning the same things at the same time.
This will certainly help Kevin Magnussen, Daniil Kvyat and Marcus Ericson – the three new faces on this year's grid. Some of you may not know who these talented young drivers are. Well, here I am to tell you.
 |
| © McLaren Mercedes |
Let’s start with Magnussen, who will partner Jenson Button at McLaren. Does the surname sound familiar? His father Jan raced briefly in F1 back in the 1990s before going on to compete across the pond and in endurance racing. Kevin’s career started in karting before he made the jump to single seaters at the age of just 15, in Formula Ford Denmark.
He dominated and took the title after winning 11 of the 15 rounds. During 2008 he also competed in a handful of Formula Ford rounds in Europe, as well as dipping his toe in the Formula Renault 2.0 pool.
The Danish racer competed in both the NEC and Eurocup championships in 2009, finishing second in the former (with one win and 11 podiums) and seventh in the latter (with one podium). He swiftly moved up to German Formula Three and immediately made an impact. He ended the year third in the standings with three wins and five further podiums.
This made the McLaren F1 team sit up and take notice, signing him to its Young Driver Programme in 2010 – where he started training and development work with the iconic outfit. Next up was a move across the channel to the British Formula Three series. He won seven races but couldn’t take the title, finishing runner-up to Felipe Nasr.
For 2012, he moved to the Formula Renault 3.5 series with Carlin. It was a strong rookie season which yielded one race win and three further top three results. He also got his first taste of F1 machinery with a run for McLaren in the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test. His debut FR3.5 season proved to be a good warm-up for 2013, where he remained in the series but switched from Carlin to DAMS.
It was a very impressive season and he won the title with ease, winning five times and registering eight further top three finishes. Magnussen's winning margin over the championship runner-up Stoffel Vandoorne – a fellow McLaren Young Driver – was 60 points. With nothing else left to prove, McLaren first looked to place him in a smaller team like Marussia. However, negotiations failed and the team realised he was worth adding to its own line-up.
Following the last McLaren rookie success story, Lewis Hamilton, the pressure is certainly on for the 21-year-old to perform and it will be a steep learning curve. However, there is no doubt that the Woking-based outfit will prepare him well and the talent is obviously there. I’m personally really excited to see how he does, and whether he can match and beat 2009 champion Jenson Button in equal machinery.
Daniil Kvyat was also a championship winner in 2013, this time in the GP3 series. He began karting at the age of eight but only started to race competitively in 200. He moved up to single seaters in 2010, racing in the Formula BMW Pacific championship, and impressed from the off-set.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
After catching the attention of Red Bull, he joined its Junior Team and was placed in the Formula BMW Europe series later in the year, finishing 10th in the standings with one podium. He also finished fourth in the Formula Renault Winter Series with Koiranen Motorsport.
Like fellow F1 rookie Kevin Magnussen, the Ufa-born racer also juggled racing in both the Formula Renault NEC and Eurocup championships. He finished second in the former and third in the latter, as well as finishing fifth in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series.
Kvyat remained in the Eurocup series for 2011 and improved on the previous year’s result, finishing in second place behind Stoffel Vandoorne. The Russian also won the Formula Renault Alps championship, before joining MW Arden for his first – and only – GP3 campaign.
The opening round in Spain was a disaster but the results steadily improved. He scored his first podium in Hungary, before taking his first win in Belgium. Following that victory, it became apparent that he was in with a chance of being promoted to F1, to replace Red Bull-bound Daniel Ricciardo.
He dominated the second half of the championship to take the title with one race to spare in Abu Dhabi. The 19-year-old also raced in the European Formula 3 series last year, taking one win. However, he was late registering and was not eligible for points.
2013 also saw Kvyat drive a Formula 1 car for the first time, at the Silverstone young driver test. Three months later he was confirmed as an F1 driver at Toro Rosso, gaining further experience in a test at Misano and two first practice outings in Austin and Brazil.
Following his speedy move up the feeder series ladder, some have questioned Toro Rosso’s decision to promote Kvyat to a Formula 1 seat. His appointment came as quite a surprise, with many expecting Formula Renault 3.5 frontrunner Antonio Felix da Costa to get the seat, but I have no doubt that he is ready and deserves to be on the grid. I’m really interested to see how he performs.
Finally we have Marcus Ericsson, who will race for Caterham in 2014. The 23-year-old’s racing career kick-started in karting back in 1999, with the Cadetti series in his native Sweden. He continued to race in karts until 2006, after catching the attention of former IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack and ex-Swedish F1 driver Eje Elgh.
 |
| © Caterham F1 Team |
He remained with Fortec and finished fifth in the championship, before then making the brave decision to move to Japan to compete in the Japanese Formula Three series with TOM’s. Ericsson won the title at his first attempt and also competed in a few British F3 and GP2 Asia rounds during 2009.
It was a big year for the Swedish racer, as he got his first taste of driving F1 machinery at the end of year young driver test in Abu Dhabi. He took part in the event for newly-crowned champions Brawn GP, and later signed a deal with Super Nova to race in GP2 full-time in 2010.
His debut year in F1’s leading feeder series didn’t get off to the best start. After six races, the GP2 field headed to Valencia and this proved to be the highlight of his season. Ericsson scored his first points of the year in the feature race before going on to win the sprint race on the following day. However, his front-running form didn’t continue and he only managed one further points finish, ending the year 17th overall.
A switch to iSport for 2011 helped him move up the order, improving to 10th in the standings after putting together a much more consistent campaign. He remained at the team for 2012 and returned to the top step of the podium in Belgium. The improvements continued and he ended the year eighth in the championship with four podiums, including one victory, and seven further points finishes.
Heading into the 2013 season, a move to reigning champions DAMS meant he was one of the favourites to challenge for the title. However, the opening few rounds were disastrous and despite a late return to form – which included a win in Germany and four other top three results – he could only finish the year in sixth place.
We saw flashes of speed in 2013 but it was another underwhelming campaign for Ericsson. Rumours of a potential race seat at Caterham for 2014 started to bubble late in the year and he was spotted in the paddock at the season finale in Brazil. He was eventually confirmed just prior to the first winter test in Jerez, and now has plenty to prove.
I would have, personally, preferred to see either of the team’s reserve drivers, Alexander Rossi and Robin Frijns, as I feel they have more raw speed and potential, but I'm hoping Ericsson proves me wrong.
Which of the three 2014 rookies are you most excited to see make the jump up to F1? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
No comments:
Post a Comment