What are the chances that France will have an F1 driver soon?

[Fiorentina 1]

France basically lost a generation of talented drivers, thanks to the government rule outlawing cigarette advertising in racing. After Panis retired from F1 and the fact that talented guys like Bourdais, Collard and Montagny can't land a ride, the outlook for a French F1 driver looks bleak. The talent is there, Other then Bourdais, Collard and Montagny, that's for sure.

Look at the A1GP results! Alexandre Premat & Nicolas Lapierre are blowing everyone away in that series. Hopefully, this will open some eyes. Loic Duval is also a talent to be looked at.

My opinion is that Renault should do what they can to get a French driver. Fire Fisichella, because he is waaaaaaaaaaaaay overrated and hire either Bourdais, Premat or Lapierre!

[Kicking-back]

I'm sure these things ebb and flow, and we will have a few French drivers in F1 in the coming years.


However, Renault won the drivers and constructors titles this year - so they have no incentive to run a French driver.

[safc_fan89]

It's strange that after the period in the 1980s and 1990s where there were many French F1 driverd, there are now none. Renault will only get a French driver i8f it will benefit the team, and at the moment I'd sasy it wouldn't. Premat and Lapierre are doing well, but they are still comparatively unproven so it may be a couple of years until they are considered. Or perhaps someone else will come through. Nico Rosberg has come from nowhere to get a Williams seat. I doubt many would have thought he would be driving for Williams a year ago.

[safc_fan89]

Of course there's Bourdais. Forgot about him!

[luke]

I think it's the same with the British drivers, there is only two now and there used to be five at one point, but anyway Sebastien Bourdais I could see would do well in F1 in a Renault but that is in not going to happen anytime soon.

[safc_fan89]

Assuming that Alonso will be staying at Renault for a while, it seems that Heikki Kovalainen would replace Fisichella if he leaves, not Bourdais or another French driver.

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by safc_fan89

Nico Rosberg has come from nowhere to get a Williams seat.

Nowhere?

He was champion of the biggest series below F1

[safc_fan89]

Sorry, I meant he was nowhere before last season. In that sense he has come from nowhere.

[courageous]

I wouldn't be supprised to see Prost in F1 in a couple of years (whether that would be on merit or not is still open to debate imo)

[SpawnyWhippet]

France is not the only country that outlawed tobacco sponsorship. Anyone know how many drivers in F1 today got there by tobacco sponsorship?

[mcurtis26]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

I'm sure these things ebb and flow, and we will have a few French drivers in F1 in the coming years.


However, Renault won the drivers and constructors titles this year - so they have no incentive to run a French driver.

Why is there no incentive? Honda engines powered championship winning cars, yet Honda still insisted on Japanese drivers being palced at some of their teams.

[cds_uk]

Cochet was another one that got away.

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by mcurtis26

Why is there no incentive? Honda engines powered championship winning cars, yet Honda still insisted on Japanese drivers being palced at some of their teams.

There was never a Japanese driver in any Honda-powered team that won a constructors or drivers title during that season

[Snrub]

It sounds like there may be a decent chance for France's best driver to have a seat in 2007. There's little question that he's better than a number of drivers currently in F1.

[We Love Osella]

What it really needs is a Frenchwoman Driver

[BSchneiderFan]

Gommendy has also dropped off the single-seater radar. And Treluyer.

[Fiorentina 1]

It started with guys like Helary, Aiello, Tinseau, Janoray, Dussea, Andre, Phillipe, etc. You can add Cochet, Treluyer, Gommendy, Bourdais, etc to the list of guys who got left behind.

As someone else mentioned, British drivers have also been left out. How many British F3 Champions have been given the chance Jenson Button has? None! If Robbie Kerr had an Indian Grand-Mother, would he be in F1 today? Maybe!

[We Love Osella]

Originally Posted by Fiorentina 1

It started with guys like Helary, Aiello, Tinseau, Janoray, Dussea, Andre, Phillipe, etc. You can add Cochet, Treluyer, Gommendy, Bourdais, etc to the list of guys who got left behind.

As someone else mentioned, British drivers have also been left out. How many British F3 Champions have been given the chance Jenson Button has? None! If Robbie Kerr had an Indian Grand-Mother, would he be in F1 today? Maybe!

Takuma Sato

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

Gommendy has also dropped off the single-seater radar. And Treluyer.

Yes, Benoit is a very very good driver (imo!) and should already be in F1. It's a shame that F Nippon isn't the same draw for F1 managers that it used to be when guys went over there to get paid whilst they still looked for an F1 drive.

Bourdais, Sebastian Phillipe, Gommendy and Pla are also bloody quick too and probably would have already got to F1 if Elf and the French importer of a certain red and white tobacco firm was still heavily behind young driver initiatives.

Thre are a lot less seats avaialable now as well which will also have a bearing on this. Maybe in a couple of years time and we get a few more teams on the grid, it will open up the prospects for French drivers.

[BootsOntheSide]

Bourdais' failure to reach F1 is an indication of the poor reputation F3000 had at the time, and probably nothing to do with his nationality. I'd say the French A1 team seems to have the best staff behidn the scenes, which is helping their (obviously highly talented) drivers do so well.