For about a decade now, F1 has faced a major challenge of many talented young drivers waiting on the sidelines with only 10 teams on the grid. There has been a notion about having an additional team on the grid to give opportunities to two more drivers from the several F2 graduates.
While that hasn’t materialized, F1 is trying to organize a post-season race for these young talents, and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff feels it could help them gauge these drivers better, as all teams agree to this idea.
Wolff reveals that he had a conversation with the F1 commission about the possibility of giving young drivers more opportunities in the F1 car. Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman received this opportunity and showed their capabilities in Singapore (2023) and Saudi Arabia (2024) respectively. As a result, the Briton is now confirmed by Haas for a 2025 seat while Lawson — who raced in four more races besides Singapore — is in talks with VCARB.
The 2024 silly season has been a welcome relief for the young drivers with many like Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, and Jack Doohan earning their big break for next season. However, F2 champions like Theo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovich have unfortunately not secured permanent F1 seats yet. So, the problem persists with not enough track time for young talent.
Wolff told RaceFans.net, “With a day of racing in Abu Dhabi, they’re all going to be on the same fuel [loads], they’re all going to be on the same tire and it will be interesting to see how they compare in those respective cars.”
“It’s the best idea so far that we have come up with to give them more driving time.”, he added.
The Mercedes CEO acknowledged the strain on the teams but explained the logistics to make it as minimal as possible.
The logistics of the post-season young drivers’ race
Wolff agreed to the idea of the race being held in Abu Dhabi after the F1 season concludes. When questioned about the possibility of the young driver racing on a Grand Prix weekend, he added, “If you let them race on a main weekend, it could influence the race result, which could be pretty damaging if you’re fighting for a championship.”
Often, young drivers participate in FP1 sessions for all teams at two or three races in a season. Even a minor crash during those appearances by those drivers can affect the respective team for the rest of the weekend. Kimi Antonelli’s FP1 crash in Monza for Mercedes is the perfect case in point. So, a race amongst rookies on a Grand Prix weekend can be very risky for all teams.
A standalone race during the post-season testing in Abu Dhabi is a great setting for drivers like Lawson, Bearman, Isack Hadjar, and Gabriel Bortoleto to showcase their skills. Wolff also suggested that they could have a weekend structure similar to that of an official F1 weekend with free practice, qualifying, and the race.
Moreover, the venue being Abu Dhabi minimizes the transportation and logistics aspects just like for the post-season test with all teams already present at the Yas Marina circuit.
