He moves around the paddock with ease, between one commentary stint and the next, greeting colleagues, young drivers and long-standing acquaintances. Despite everything, he never tires and is never too busy to talk about the passion and profession of a lifetime: living and loving motorsport, and reporting on it, as he has done for more than 50 years. This is Guido Schittone, the sports journalist and commentator who, since the 1970s, has experienced the most important motor racing competitions from the inside, from F1 to Le Mans, and met the most successful drivers in history.
But also the young drivers who will be the talents and champions of tomorrow. An opportunity made tangible by his current role within ACI Sport, through which he experiences and reports first-hand on the ACI Racing Weekends: an undertaking that complements an almost unparalleled background, allowing him to speak authoritatively, naturally, respectfully and never superficially about motorsport in all its forms. Just as he did in the exclusive interview he gave to this writer.
Talent wanted
In the conversation, Guido commented on the current Formula 1 season, discussing today’s great drivers, such as Kimi Antonelli, and those of tomorrow, drawing on his experience and his involvement in the world of young drivers. He was therefore asked who he believes could be one of the best talents of the future, but for now he does not hold out much hope.
"No one this year. I do not see any emerging new talents or drivers truly capable of making the difference. Over the past two years, I have not seen any outstanding talents, to be honest. In previous years, we had drivers such as Andrea Kimi Antonelli or Ollie Bearman. If I have to tell the truth, I would say only those two: there are many good drivers, but talent is something different".
Strong, but not exceptional
In short, even without any exceptional drivers coming through, the motorsport world can still rely on several very good drivers currently on the scene, whose value is far greater than that of drivers from 20 or 30 years ago. According to Schittone, the average standard has risen, while the number of exceptional talents appears to have fallen.
"The average standard of driving is better than in my era; the average level of talent is lower. In short, a higher average level, but fewer peaks of talent. Today, you see talent in race management, not in a moment of brilliance. For example, you understand that Antonelli is the best among those who have arrived not from the win or the pole, but from the way he gets to the win. Take Japan: he starts from pole and is running sixth. An ordinary driver would have lost his head and done something silly. He did not; he waited for the right moment. That is having the right mentality, vision. Many are simply quick. The real drivers are those with tactical vision. That is why there are drivers who will never win the world championship".
