By: "Ask any child to colour in a car and they will draw it red", said Enzo Ferrari, president of the Scuderia that bore his name. "Ask any young karter about their dream and the answer will be Formula 1". The second statement is ours. It may not be true for everyone, but it certainly is for many.
The dream
Formula 1 is a dream: for some drivers, it represents the ultimate destination, the pinnacle of motorsport. For others, as may well be the case for Alonso, it is indeed the best place to showcase their abilities, but not the final destination. Over the course of his career, the Spaniard has competed in a wide range of categories. Beyond the junior ranks, he has raced in the Indianapolis 500 and the Dakar, won a WEC title with Toyota and claimed two victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in addition to his two F1 world titles.
Whether it is the destination or a stop along the way, it is the pinnacle of motorsport and everyone wants to be part of it.
The talent pool is growing, while experience is in less demand
However, right now is not the best time to harbour dreams of that scale. In some ways, if you are a driver in the junior categories and see Alonso still behind the wheel of a single-seater, you may find yourself wondering just how difficult it is to gain access.
On the other hand, there are many interesting talents in F2 and F3 at present, putting enormous pressure on F1 teams.
Just consider how easily Ocon lost his seat at Haas during the season, with only a few races remaining. The talent pool is so deep that teams are being encouraged to experiment, especially now that the cars appear to work almost better in the hands of young drivers than those of more experienced ones. Unless you stand out in some way, losing your seat can become very easy indeed.
That is why we believe this is not the best time to dream of Formula 1.
Cover photo by Finlay Williams / WHYOUT images
Interior photo by Vinicius de Oliveira / WHYOUT Images
