Third driver in Formula 1: Bemusing strategy by teams?

Test Drivers for the sake of it?

Although Force India was said to announce their plans for the third driver by the start of the European Grand Prix, things never seem to have progressed at their side. Whatever happened at their end was unfortunate, as they have been one of the few teams on the grid to promote talent in all possible endeavours. Maybe it’s their quest to claim the fifth position in the championship that has halted their driver development programme; maybe they felt the necessity to give their race drivers maximum track time for the same reason, that seem to have ended a particular Indian driver’s prospects.

Caterham and Marussia, however, had no major worries. Although they have a tough battle to claim the 10th position in the constructors championship, they had promoted quite a few drivers during the first seven races of the season. While Ma Qing Hua, Heikki Kovalainen and Alexander Rossi drove for Caterham, Rodolfo González drove for Marussia. It has been reported that Caterham has further plans to promote its test drivers over the course of this season.

While the top teams understandably give its race drivers more track time, where every run seems to be so precious, maybe Williams and Sauber could have afforded to give a chance to emerging talent. But again, these two teams have their own problems as well, as both of them are disappointed with their performance so far this season, and are trying their maximum to be the best midfield team. Each position in the constructors championship has its own value, and it is hurting their prospects.

Is Red Bull the best talent promoter?

I never imagined it would come down to this, but seriously, Red Bull are making the best use of their B-Team. From roping in the best young drivers, to arguably the best Technical Director after Adrian Newey, Red Bull seems to have found a way to promote talent. Unfortunate, but true.

We need to wait and see if they are making the best use of the talent available to them.

They have groomed Vettel to an extent at Toro Rosso before promoting him to the main team. But will the replacement for Mark Webber come from the Red Bull stable as well?

It would be too good if this happens, and it would set an example for other teams, in terms of driver development. Not everyone requires a B-Team, but maybe an Inter-Team agreement to promote drivers, while the teams with more cash pile can afford to spend on driver development at the midfield/backmarkers?

But wait, maybe we are exaggerating the Red Bull Brand, but for sure, they have the talent to replace Webber in their own stable. We are talking of the likes of Buemi, Ricciardo, and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Both Ricciardo and Vergne are talented enough to brag for the second seat at Red Bull; they fight hard and fair. It has been reported that these two drivers have stopped talking to each other owing to the fight on-track. Unfortunate, but when the prize of winning the battle within the team is an apparent graduation to a team that can fight for championships, these things are inevitable, right?

While it was Ricciardo who seemed to have a slight edge over Vergne over the course of the 2012 season, tides seems to have turned around this season, with Vergne looking as a better prospect at this point of time.

It has to be noted that Ricciardo had a bit more experience over Vergne, maybe due to which a visible edge was noticed over the course of last season.