Rising criticism: older drivers get in the way of talent

Aston Martin announced this week that Sebastian Vettel will also be part of the team next season. Although it is very positive that such names keep on committing themselves to Formula 1, the successes have their downsides as well.

With Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas, Formula 1 will once again have several drivers who have been competing at the highest level for years. Where the position of Hamilton is justifiable, there is criticism on the place of Bottas for example. The Finn proved to be difficult to compete at a high level with Mercedes, but in 2022 he will take up a position with a smaller team.

The main criticism is about the role of the older drivers in Formula 1. Bottas' experience can undoubtedly contribute to Alfa Romeo, but at the same time, he is getting in the way of young drivers experiencing their first season in the racing class. By gaining experience at, for example, Alfa Romeo, these talents can grow into a top team in the long term.

The names of Nyck de Vries, Robert Shwartzman and Guenyu Zhou have been mentioned in recent months as potential candidates for a place in Formula 1. However, the teams can only allocate twenty places, which means that only a small part of the talented drivers will have the opportunity to prove themselves. For the rest, there is nothing else to do but wait and see.