Six drivers that should be in F1

In the absence of any racing due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis which has decimated the start of the 2020 season, we consider some great talents who could, and perhaps should, be on the Formula 1 grid. 

Looking at a number of active drivers who are currently excelling in their respective single-seater series, we’ve compiled a list of those who arguably deserve a chance in F1, and who we feel could shine if given the opportunity. 

Some have had brief cameos in the sport during their careers, while others never got a look in at all.

Nick Cassidy 

Nick Cassidy has become something of a sensation in Japan over the past few years. 

The 25-year-old New Zealander is one of the most successful drivers in the Toyota Racing Series, having won the championship twice - the first aged 17 in 2012 - and finished runner-up on one occasion. 

Cassidy triumphed to the Japanese Formula 3 title at the first attempt, before finishing fourth in the European Formula 3 championship with Prema in 2016, while also contesting a maiden campaign in Super GT. 

Two victories helped Cassidy seal the Super GT title with TOM’s in 2017 as he returned to Japan full-time, dovetailing his commitments alongside a Super Formula programme. 

The following year Cassidy narrowly lost final-round showdowns in Super Formula and Super GT to Naoki Yamamoto, but he fought back in convincing style in 2019 to claim the Super Formula crown and achieve the unofficial ‘triple crown’ of titles in Japanese motorsport in the process. 

Cassidy has long been something of an under-the-radar star due to his lack of success on European soil, but he is quickly emerging as a talent F1 should not be ignoring having conquered the East. 

It is a surprise in many ways that Red Bull have not signed their ‘Red Bull Athlete’ to its F1 programme, given a lack of genuine challengers below the likes of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri. 

While Cassidy’s age would go against Red Bull’s philosophy of placing its backing behind younger stars, he has repeatedly shown he has the capability to consistently perform at the highest level.

He has been somewhat overlooked outside of Japan and a shot at F1 would not be undeserved. 

Alexander Rossi 

Having broke through the junior ranks as a champion in Formula BMW and strong campaigns in GP3 and the World Series by Renault, Alexander Rossi was signed up as a test driver for the Caterham F1 Team in 2012. 

After a few years in the role at Caterham and later at the Marussia/Manor outfit, Rossi actually got a chance to race in F1, making his debut at the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix. 

Rossi made a total of five race outings and managed to equal the team’s best-ever result of 12th place at his home race, the United States Grand Prix. In the same season, Rossi finished as runner-up to Stoffel Vandoorne in GP2. 

Despite an impressive year, Rossi was overlooked for a full-time F1 race seat in 2016 and instead found himself contesting IndyCar with Andretti Autosport. The American gave up his reserve driver role at Manor and went on to win the Indianopolis 500 at the first attempt. 

Rossi has continued to excel in IndyCar and improved from 11th in the standings to seventh in 2017, before emerging as a title contender in 2018. He achieved three wins across the season and ended up second in the championship behind Scott Dixon. 

2019 proved to be another strong campaign as Rossi once again claimed multiple wins and podiums en route to sealing third spot in the championship. 

Rossi’s growth and improvement in IndyCar has seen his stock rise considerably and resulted in him asserting himself as a formidable driver. There is no doubt that a second chance in F1 in a more competitive seat - say at American squad Haas - would be deserved. 

Felix Rosenqvist 

Nicknamed ‘The Speedy Swede’, Felix Rosenqvist has been competitive in everything he has raced in. Be it single-seaters or GT machinery, he is lightening-fast. 

Rosenqvist stormed to the European Formula 3 Championship with 13 victories, 24 podiums and 17 pole positions in 2015, the same year he recorded a second consecutive victory at the Macau Grand Prix.

Despite his success, Rosenqvist failed to amass the budget required to step up to GP2 on the F1 support ladder and had to instead turn his attentions to racing IndyLights in America and a combined sportscar programme with Mercedes-Benz in Europe. 

His ties to Mercedes continued with a brief foray into DTM, before a full-time drive in Formula E at Mahindra opened up in 2016. As a street circuit specialist, Rosenqvist thrived in Formula E, finishing third in his rookie campaign with one victory to his name. 

After spending 2017 and 2018 dovetailing more victories in Formula E alongside various sportscar campaigns, Rosenqvist moved into IndyCar and proved an instant hit to claim sixth in the championship as the highest-placed rookie in 2019.

Rosenqvist never quite got the chance to prove himself in F1 and at 28 the door seems unlikely to open given he has no particularly close ties to any team. His absence from the grid is a genuine loss. 

Jean-Eric Vergne

Some might argue that Jean-Eric Vergne’s chance in F1 has been and gone, and in many ways, it is not unfair to suggest that the Frenchman did not seize his initial opportunity with both hands. 

But the Vergne of 2020 is a much different beast to the one that struggled to sufficiently impress Red Bull after three seasons stuck in the midfield pack at sister squad Toro Rosso. 

But a switch to Formula E has helped Vergne reignite his career. Upon his arrival into the all-electric series, Vergne was immediately fast but he had a tendency to struggle in races. He soon found his feet and a move to Techeetah in 2016 would prove a huge turning point. 

Off the back of a fifth-place in his first campaign with the team, Vergne claimed a first Formula E title in 2017-2018, before successfully defending his crown in the series’ new Gen2 era of 2018-2019. 

Vergne has been the benchmark in the Formula E field over recent years and has also turned in some impressive displays in the World Endurance Championship. He remains in contention for a third title in the most recently Formula E season which has been temporarily suspended because of the COVID-19 crisis. 

While a return to F1 is highly unlikely, especially at 29 years old and with a lack of top seats to tempt him away from Formula E, it would be fascinating to see how 2020-spec Vergne would stack up against the very best in F1. 

Antonio Felix da Costa 

An unfortunate victim of the golden days of emerging talent at Red Bull, Antonio Felix da Costa missed out on a seat in F1 despite a promising junior career.

A Formula Renault title, top three finishes in GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5, and a dominant lights-to-flag victory at the 2012 Macau Grand Prix were enough to result in the Portuguese racer getting selected to join the Red Bull Junior Team.

da Costa emerged as a prime contender for a Toro Rosso seat in 2014 but the energy drinks giant ultimately opted to promote reigning GP3 champion Daniil Kvyat.

Forced to look elsewhere for a drive, da Costa turned to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and Formula E. He subsequently fell below the likes of other emerging Red Bull juniors including Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen, who were both promoted to Toro Rosso F1 seats in 2015.

By this stage, the F1 dream appeared over for da Costa, who was now becoming fully invested in Formula E. After some difficult years at the Aguri/Andretti guise, a BMW works deal for 2018-2019 changed the team’s fortunes and saw it become a front-running outfit.

Da Costa kicked off Formula E’s Gen2 era with victory at the first ever race in Saudi Arabia - his first win since the 2015 Buenos Aires E-Prix - and went on to finish sixth in the standings.

The current 2019-2020 season has been even more successful for da Costa, who finds himself leading the championship after a series of impressive displays in the opening five rounds, including victory at the most recent race in Marrakesh before the campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Mitch Evans 

The rapid New Zealander never got his F1 breakthrough and it still haunts him to this day.

A protege of Australian grand prix race-winner Mark Webber, Evans twice won the Toyota Racing Series in his home country before enjoying a breakthrough year in 2012 as he beat the likes of Daniel Abt and da Costa to the GP3 crown with three victories along the way.

Evans spent four years in GP2 fighting to get to F1 but despite racking up multiple wins and some strong campaigns, graduation from the second tier never quite materialised, forcing Evans to pursue other avenues as his F1 dream faded.

Jaguar provided Evans with a lifeline in 2016 when he joined the British manufacturer’s project in Formula E. As a new outfit entering the series late, success was initially hard to come by, but Evans still enjoyed two solid years and largely outperformed teammate and former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr, who was the first-ever Formula E champion.

The Gen2 regulation change launched Jaguar towards the front of the Formula E field and Evans subsequently claimed his maiden win in Rome and followed that up with two more podiums in Switzerland and New York to end the year fifth in the standings.

A strong start to the 2019-2020 campaign saw Evans lead the championship until the most recent round in Marrakesh, with the 25-year-old thrusting himself into early contention for the title thanks to a comprehensive victory in Mexico with one of the most dominant performances in Formula E history.

As Jaguar’s most successful driver, Evans has become one of the hottest commodities on the grid. Combining his raw speed with his likeable character, he would surely be viewed as an attractive proposition for a number of F1 teams.