For the Rookies:
Who are the Reserve Drivers of Formula 1 and why are they so important? Guest writer Sophie introduces us to the reserve drivers, explaining how they have become increasingly significant individuals during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Often referred to as ‘the forgotten men of Formula 1’, many fans do not realise how key reserve drivers are to the sport. Each team contracts in drivers who are on the sidelines ready to go whenever the team may need them if something were to ha ppen to the main drivers. Some may even receive the opportunity to drive during the Sunday Grand Prix, but sadly, others never get the chance to.
Many teams, as customary, use the reserve driver role to try out new talent and observe how some of the younger drivers fare in the extremely fast and complex F1 cars. Reserve drivers may take the car out during Free Practice (FP), gaining experience with the hope of earning a full-time seat in the team in the future. Drivers such as Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Antonio Giovinazzi, Nicholas Latifi, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso all began their F1 careers as reserve drivers.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has proved just how vital this role is. During 2020, F1 saw three drivers testing positive during the season. As a result, Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton for both Racing Point (Now Aston Martin) and Mercedes were all unable to drive during the race weekends due to the mandatory isolation period. The teams urgently needed to fill their seats quickly and this is where reserve drivers came into play. With the pandemic still a global issue, we should pay attention to this year’s reserve drivers. You can check them out below:
Mercedes: Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick de Vries
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team has contracted Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries as their substitutes for the 2021 season.
Stoffel Vandoorne is a 29-year-old Belgian, whose motorsport career has included racing for McLaren during the 2017 and 2018 season, with titles in the GP2 Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and F4.
Currently, he competes for Mercedes-EQ in Formula E and finished 2nd in the driver's championship last year.
Nick de Vries also drives for the Mercedes E-Q Formula E Team. The 26-year-old Dutchman’s previous titles consisted of F2, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps.
The drivers’ Formula E seats would make them unavailable during the Spanish, Monaco and Azerbaijan GP if the team were to need them. As a result, Mercedes have also contacted Nico Hulkenburg. However, it would not be surprising if the team were to call up George Russell from Williams F1 Team if a driver was required as like previously in 2020 for the Bahrain Sakhir Grand Prix.
Red Bull Racing: Alex Albon
Fan favourite, Alex Albon, lost his seat in Red Bull as the 2020 season came to a close. However, the team have continued their partnership contracting him on as their reserve and simulator driver for 2021. The 25-year-old Thai-British driver was promoted from the Toro Rosso team (now AlphaTauri) to a Red Bull seat during the 2019 season. He finished 7th in the 2020 F1 season and presently drives in DTM for AF Corse.
McLaren: Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick de Vries
Back in June 2020, McLaren struck a deal with the Mercedes team to share their reserve drivers. This deal was carried forward into the 2021 season, so there is potential we could see either Stoffel Vandoorne or Nick de Vries in the Papaya F1 car if Lando Norris or Daniel Ricciardo were unable to drive during a race weekend.
Aston Martin: Nico Hulkenburg
Nico Hulkenburg is a seasoned F1 driver; he drove for Williams in 2010, Force India in 2012, Sauber in 2013 and returned to Force India between 2014 and 2016. He then drove for Renault for 2017, 2018 and 2019. The 33-year-old German has won titles in Formula BMW, A1 Grand Prix, Formula 3, GP2 and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the driver was a super-sub for Racing Point (now Aston Martin), replacing both Sergio Perez at the British GP and Lance Stroll for the Eifel GP at the last minute. Nico was due to arrive at the Nürburgring for broadcast duties for the weekend due to this being his home race, but ended up swapping for a drive in the Racing Point team.
Alpine: Daniil Kvyat
Daniil Kvyat has been driving in F1 since 2014; starting his career at Toro Rosso, then advancing to Red Bull for the 2015-2016 F1 season. The 27-year-old Russian driver was then demoted to a second spell at Toro Rosso before being let go at the end of the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, Kvyat became the third driver for Ferrari, before moving back to Toro Rosso again (during which became AlphaTauri) for both 2019 and 2020.
Despite having some incredible talent in F2, with drivers like Guanyou Zhou and Christian Lundgaard, the team have yet to use their talent and promote them to F1 reserve drivers.
Ferrari: Antonio Giovinazzi
Ferrari is the only team to have contracted a driver who has a full-time seat elsewhere on the grid. The Alfa Romeo driver, Antonio Giovinazzi, began as a reserve driver for Sauber in 2017 and then for both Sauber and Ferrari in 2018. He was then promoted to a seat in the Sauber team in 2019, then renamed as Alfa Romeo, for whom he has been competing for ever since. The 27-year-old Italian’s previous titles include Masters of Formula 4 and Formula Pilota China.
AlphaTauri: Alex Albon
As AlphaTauri is Red Bull Racing’s sister team, they both also share Alex Albon as their reserve driver.
Alfa Romeo: Robert Kubica and Callum Ilott
Robert Kubica’s career has not been an easy feat. The 36-year-old Polish driver established himself in F1 at BMW Sauber between 2006 and 2009. After moving to Renault for 2010 and 2011, he signed a contract with Ferrari for the 2012 season. Devastatingly, his contract was cancelled after a horrible rally crash. Whilst he has driven in other motorsport rallies, Kubica did not make his comeback until 2018 where he was announced as the reserve driver for Williams. He then advanced to a seat at the team for the 2019 season, leaving again in 2020. Since his departure from Williams, he has been competing in DTM. He is the first and only Polish driver to have ever competed in F1.
[Images from Italy24News & Formula 1]
It was announced earlier this month that Callum Ilott would be joining Alfa Romeo’s roster as a reserve driver. The 22-year-old British driver has been hailed as one of the most successful karting drivers of his generation. After working his way up through F3 (also then as GP3) and F2 (again known previously as GP2) finishing 2nd to Mick Schumacher in 2020, he joined Ferrari as a test driver for 2021. This rising star is absolutely one to watch for the future!
Haas: Pietro Fittipaldi
Pietro Fittipaldi is the grandson of F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi. The 24-year-old Brazilian has raced in the NASCAR Wheelen All-American Series, F3, Formula V8, IndyCar and DTM, before being confirmed as the 2019 test driver for Haas. In 2020, he stepped in to replace Romain Grosjean for the final two races of the season, Sakhir and Abu Dhabi, finishing 17th in both races. Fittipaldi has returned to IndyCar this season, alongside his reserve driver duties, for oval races exclusively.
Williams: Jack Aitken
Jack Aitken, a 25-year-old British-Korean driver, began his motorsport career karting when he was 7 years old. His former titles include Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Formula Renault 2.0 Alps and Pro Mazda Winterfest. Before Williams, Aitken served as the reserve driver for Renault in 2019, having been part of their young driver program since 2016. Aitken substituted in for George Russell at Williams, who was temporarily promoted and replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, for the 2020 Sakhir GP finishing 16th.
As illustrated, there is a huge amount of talent amongst the reserve drivers. From up-and-coming newbies to seasoned F1 pros, the reserve driver role is a fantastic one for either starting your career or as a way to remain in the sport. Coronavirus has continued to affect the 2021 season, so keep an eye out to see if any of these faces appear on the grid in the coming months!
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