F1 ride share

[hondajack85]

So many drivers that are waiting a chance. So many teams which will be scoring a very modest points total.
These teams should look at 2 drivers sharing a seat for a season.
Its a bit ridiculous that one driver gets a chance to be an F1 driver for multiple seasons and may only score 1 or 2 points.
Its like they think doing 72 races will make the average driver into a max beater.
You should know the score after half a season.

[geeks]

Que?

[Jasandjules]

Interesting idea... They could have other teams with "feeder" drivers pay to have three weekends....... But suspect it is a nightmare and of course if one crashes it is the car that loses the PU etc..

[patmahe]

The last time I can remember something like this happening was Martin Brundle sharing with Aguri Suzuki at Honda's request at Ligier, it didn't work wonders for either man's career.

You'd need some form of rule to make teams do it now, the cars and ways of working are so tailored and practiced, could be cool if each team had to field their reserve drivers at 2-3 races per season like before the Summer break and the final race of the year (maybe a double header?) so if cars get damaged the impact isn't as great. These races could count for constructors points too and you could have a rookie championship too with prize money for the top 3?

[braddo]

hondajack85 said:

So many drivers that are waiting a chance. So many teams which will be scoring a very modest points total.
These teams should look at 2 drivers sharing a seat for a season.
Its a bit ridiculous that one driver gets a chance to be an F1 driver for multiple seasons and may only score 1 or 2 points.
Its like they think doing 72 races will make the average driver into a max beater.
You should know the score after half a season.

Inexperienced drivers will finish further down the grid and also crash more often. Do you think team sponsors will like that more or less?

[StevieBee]

It would make more sense for teams like Red Bull get someone like Vettel in the no 2 car to boost the WCC points as the season progresses. Not only would that be effective, it would also be a hot PR story... more than someone nobody's heard of running at the back in a Sauber.

[hondajack85]

Half a season now is the equivalent of 1 full season in the past if not more.
But I guess as a car evolves over a season, a senna could get binned off halfway for a stroll jr in a developed car who has better results by seasons end.

[WelshRich]

I wonder if, over the course of a season, a constructor might benefit from a “roster” of drivers - A pair of drivers who specialise in street circuits, some better at traditional tracks and wheeling out the wet weather experts drivers for places like Spa…

[entropy]

Red Bull did this in their inaugural season. DC was the lead driver, Christian Klien and Tonio Liuzzi shared the second seat. Then reverted to type the following season onwards depending on how desperate they were to replace the second second with someone else.

I don't think that system works in F1 because the car over a season is constantly in development. A car trait over a few months can benefit or hinder a driver whereas ideally a driver should be assessed over a season and how they respond to the car's development rather than. You have to be really bad or disappointing (e.g. de Vries who part of Merc programme) to be deserved to be dropped.

[thegreenhell]

They could even make them do the driver change at a pitstop.

[raftom]

A simple way to implement something like this would be a rule that one of the team drivers on the sprint races should be a rookie. So in a season with 6 sprint races, the rookie would have a fair chance of gaining experience, while the main drivers would only do 3 races each, which would lessen their workloads.

[richhead]

or try watching WEC, driver sharing is fairly common in that , and better racing

[Sandpit Steve]

raftom said:

A simple way to implement something like this would be a rule that one of the team drivers on the sprint races should be a rookie. So in a season with 6 sprint races, the rookie would have a fair chance of gaining experience, while the main drivers would only do 3 races each, which would lessen their workloads.

That’s actually not too bad an idea. You’d want to schedule the Sprint races on weekends when there’s no F2 though, as most of the rookies who have Super Licences are going to come from that series.

[C-J]

I like that idea too.

However I wouldn't want to be the one explaining to Max that his car isn't available on Sunday as young Jonny/Janey crashed it on Saturday.

Assuming more risk of a racing incident than crash in free practice crash when rookies are driving.

[GlobalRacer]

That's life. There are many, many drivers who would do well in F1 who never get the chance to wait for a seat let alone race in F1. It's not the only game in town but for so many "fans" it seems that the only motorsport in existence is F1.

[......]

A young driver looking to get into F1 by the time they are eligible to do so has quite possibly been racing for twelve to fourteen years given the ages at which they start karting - that's plenty of experience and opportunity to show that they've got "it" . And if they've got it, the teams will bend over backwards to get them in their car.

If they haven't got it, then why should the teams be forced into the liability of carrying that rookie?