[Rules] Driver Selection via a Draft

[chillibowl]

read this article/interview from Anthony Hamilton about the escalating costs of lower level motorsports and the lack of a clear category path leading to F1.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/m...-a7323951.html

ignoring the source (the writer but maybe also AH), many of the issues raised are ones that have been brought up before but near the end of the article he brings up the idea of introducing some sort of Drivers Draft concept...which is a concept i am familiar with but dont think i have heard it applied to the F1 ladder system before.

drafting the next generation of players is essentially the backbone of N.American pro sports leagues and with new owners on board and given the speculation that they may try to do things in a more 'american' way, this topic is not only relevant but an intriguing notion as well imo.

but there are no real details about how it would work and i dont really follow the junior categories so i dont know how viable of an idea it would be, however, being from N.America and seeing it in action, i think this is an idea which speaks to several of the issues raised about the ladder system and price tag to compete.

so the question for all is, would you be in favour of said idea? if so, how would you implement it? or if not in favour of it, then why not?



my thoughts, i envisage he is talking about a system similar to that of the NBA with athletes recruited out of high school to play in the the US college system and then then after playing as set number of years in college they are eligible to be drafted by an NBA teams (sort of in a reverse order to how they finished during the regular season).

there are also then provisions based on age for those that grew up outside of N.America and those who didnt blossom (or get their act together) during their college careers.

it works in bball because there are tens of thousands of kids going through the grinder all vying for 400 or so nba roster spots each season.

yes it leads to a constant and ever improving stream of new young talent but not sure it could work in a league that is only looking for 20odd drivers a season with only enough room for a small number of rookies each year?