The new Formula 1 season is just around the corner, and the first and last test drives are scheduled for next week in Bahrain. The fans won’t see any new faces because, for the first time in the history of the premier motorsport class, there won’t be a single change in the driver field. This really upsets former team boss Eddie Jordan.
Although some highly talented young drivers are pawing like crazy, their path to Formula 1 was blocked by the ten teams in the 2024 season. Not a single racing team is trusting a rookie this year. An absurdity, says Eddie Jordan.
“I’m so angry. I can’t even say how angry this makes me,” Jordan said against the ten teams in the “Formula for Success” podcast. This decision by those responsible was simply “scandalous,” raged the early team boss, who denied the racing teams a vision for the future.
Formula 1 teams “should be ashamed”
“All big and all small teams should be ashamed of not making it their job to give young drivers a chance,” criticized Jordan, who would have liked a breath of fresh air in Formula 1.
In his eyes, there were several young drivers who deserved a chance. “One person I would really consider is Liam Lawson. And then there’s a young Brazilian who a lot of people aren’t aware of yet, and that’s Felipe Drugovich. He won the Formula 2 championship by a huge margin and would probably be my first choice,” Jordan explained.
Toro Rosso the “best kindergarten” in Formula 1
Jordan was particularly disappointed with Red Bull’s B team, which in the past has stood for regular rotation in the cockpits and paving the way for young people to get into Formula 1. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, among others, made their way into the premier class.
“For me, Toro Rosso was the best kindergarten that gave young drivers the chance and just let them fly. I enjoyed that. And Franz Tost always enjoyed seeing the rise of these drivers,” said Jordan, concluding said: “I think it’s just disturbing that it [in diesem Jahr] there are no rookies.”