Mitch Evans, Formula E runner-up and driving for the Jaguar works team, was once considered one of the most talented drivers of his generation. He won titles in youth series including GP3, and won races in GP2 while working with Russian team Russian Time and Campos.
Despite this, he had no prospects in Formula 1. According to the 30-year-old New Zealander, this is due to the personnel policy of the World Championship teams.
“It was difficult to even get a place to take part in the tests. I worked on the simulator, I was competitive, I was ahead of the main team drivers, but it didn’t do anything,” Mitch recalled in an interview with Total-Motorsport.com. – To break through, you need extraordinary circumstances. There are guys who even pay for the right to be a reserve driver, although this is ridiculous.
If you know how everything works in Formula 1, it seems like this is a completely crazy sport. Think of the example of Nic de Vries: he had no chance of getting a seat in F1, but when Alex Albon got sick, he was suddenly called in and he did a good job. Suddenly everyone started talking about him as one of the best, although he remained the same racer as always all those years.
Or think about Oliver Berman. He is also a good driver, but in the first round of the F2 season in Bahrain he only showed himself 18 times, and a week later he unexpectedly got the chance to make his Formula 1 debut with Ferrari.
He performed quite well, but he drove one of the best cars. Generally, it depends on how you look at it, but Formula 1 teams don’t want to take risks with drivers anymore. There’s only one way to get into the championship: if you get the chance because of crazy circumstances…
At the same time, many drivers pay teams, like Sergio Perez: he still brings Red Bull money, and there is nothing you can do about it. Although he is a good pilot, in this case we are not talking about his professional qualities. Many guys who compete in Formula E came to this championship after having fully experienced the cruel reality of F1…
This is a strange world where not everything depends on you, on your results – unlike tennis, golf or football. Formula 1 teams prefer to choose reliable options or invite drivers from their youth programs.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
