In 2012 we have four rookies, trois of which are French, two of which have competed in several races before. IMO this is one of the best rookie line-ups in a while. Which rookie do you see as the standout and have the potential to rise up? Romain Grosjean - France Lotus F1 Team Competed In 7 Races Romain Grosjean's appearance in 2009 was, unspectacular, having been brought in to replace the faltering Nelson Piquet Jr. He didn't stack up well against double world champion Fernando Alonso and wasn't retained for 2010. He returned to win the 2011 GP2 Championship convincingly and participated in two Friday practices for the Lotus Renault team. He impressed enough to be given a 2012 drive with Lotus alongside another former world champion and two-year absentee Kimi Raikkonen. The Lotus looked strong in the first pre-season test and Grosjean set the fastest time for a 2012 car at Jerez. Will he outperform Raikkonen though? Daniel Ricciardo - Australia Scuderia Toro Rosso Competed In 11 Races Brought up through he Red Bull Young Driver Program, Ricciardo (pronounced Rick-ardo) has an impressive CV, dominating the 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Championship and the 2009 Formula Three Championship and narrowly finishing runner-up in the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 Championship. He performed very well at the 2010 Young Drivers Test for Red Bull beating Sebastian Vettel's pole time by 1.3 seconds. He completed several Friday practice sessions for Toro Rosso and was 'loaned' to HRT at the British GP to complete his training and before long, outqualified and outraced his more experienced teammates.He was rewarded with a seat at STR alongside his former junior category teammate and rival, Jean-Eric Vergne and will have to consistently outpace his teammate to have a shot at a possible RBR seat. Jean-Eric Vergne - France Scuderia Toro Rosso Competed In 0 Races Like Ricciardo, Vergne was also brought through the Red Bull Young Driver Program and also has an impressive CV and has effectively mirrored his teammate's career path. He dominated the British Formula Three Championship in 2010 and finished runner-up in the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Championship to Robert Wickens. In 2011 he represented Red Bull at the Young Driver Test and similarly impressed. Halfway through the 2011 season, Vergne was promoted to STR reserve driver, participating in three Friday practice sessions, and he and Ricciardo stepped up to replace the STR duo of Buemi and Alguersuari. Vergne will have to put pressure on his Australian teammate to have a crack at a future with RBR. Charles Pic - France Marussia F1 Competed In 0 Races Charles Pic participated in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2008 and finished sixth in the championship with two wins. He kept improving in the series in 2009, finishing third in the championship with another two wins under his belt. In 2010 he made the switch to the GP2 Series, winning two rounds on his way to tenth in the championship. He kept racing in 2011 and was leading the championship at one stage but ultimately finished fourth in the championship. Pic comes with a decent resume and a fair amount of sponsorship money and so was signed by Marussia for the 2012 F1 season, replacing Jerome D'Ambrosio to partner the experienced Timo Glock.
Grosjean looks like having the best car, will get the most exposure and therefore the best chance to impress. Naturally, the complete opposite is true for Pic. I've nothing against the Toro Rosso drivers but I wish nothing but the worst for that team in 2012. Pedant's corner: isn't Grosjean actually Swiss?
I believe Grosjean is both French and Swiss but competes with a French racing licence. FUN FACT: Aside from being a racing driver he apparently has a job at a bank in Geneva.
I do feel Grosjean has a very real chance of beating Raikkonen this year. I certainly feel he'll have a better start to the year anyway. I think the two STR boys will run each other very close with possibly only 5 points in it come the end of the season. Pic's only chance to shine is to beat team mate, who I still believe is quite good. His car will allow him to fight HRT and thats about it.
Right, thanks for that. So, French, Swiss and a banker... I wanted to like him but now I'm not so sure
Grosjean could well beat Raikkonen, certainly I would tip him to start the season well. Vergne vs Ricciardo... Ricciardo's experience at HRT will give him a boost early on but otherwise that's pretty 50/50. Unless Vergne smashes Ricciardo though I think the former will be Webber's replacement at Red Bull. And Pic, well, we haven't got much of a benchmark... Glock is the best driver out of those 4 at the back, so if he can beat him then he has a shot at a better seat next year.
good line up of rookies! im most unsure on Tooth-PIC but the others are talents that maybe will be in f1 for a few years.
Classic. First it was Custard D'Ambrosio and now Tooth-Pic Lol, i thought the smiley with a mask over his face and reference to a bank job was pretty self-explanatory. I need to work on my jokes a bit.
I know, I was being thick on purpose. I think it's me who needs to work on his jokes As for Tooth-Pic, that second Virgin seat's a bit of a poisoned chalice, isn't it? He'll have to do something special to keep a drive for 2013. I thought Custard did pretty well last year considering...
Ah, I see. Still, conveying tone through a computer is easier than holding to that Virgin seat for more than a year. I too thought Custard did really well which is why I'm not convinced Tooth-Pic will be able to keep the seat. They seem to have a habit of choosing guys who never quite made it to the top of GP2.
Ha! Hehehaa - I like your dry humour No! Nope! Don't change a thing! Hahaha; you two are a great double-act. Thanks for the laugh.
Glad to be of service, I do try! But to paraphrase Kirby, it's easier for Bernie to enter the kingdom of heaven than to convey tone through a computer. I tell you the truth
Our comic genius knows no bounds... When it's not conveyed through a bloody computer! Back on topic, The STR battle will be one of the best this year with a potential RBR seat up for grabs. But to get it one of them will have to show a a fair amount of consistency over the other. I'd say outscore the other by at least 8 points. As a biased Aussie, I wish Ricciardo of the best of luck.
I'm just happy that Romain Grosjean is back, purely for the entertainment that the F1 rejects podcast will provide when they say his name.... Rooooooooooooomaaaaaaaan Groooooooooojeeeeeeeeeean!
