It’s a very well-known fact that Formula 1 is a very exclusive group, with only a select number of racing drivers, from the thousands of racers worldwide, chosen to be worthy of trying out for the ultimate seat. With the current machines being the fastest and most technologically advanced race cars in the world, teams have to select their drivers wisely.
In 2021, three rookies were surprisingly promoted to motorsport’s top tier from Formula 2, with 2020 FIA Formula 2 Champion, Mick Schumacher, third placed Yuki Tsunoda and fifth placed Nikita Mazepin all gifted seats on the 2021 grid. With Schumacher and Mazepin both installed at backmarker Haas, and Tsunoda at AlphaTauri, expectations of their success were mixed but nevertheless low, given it was to be their first year in the Piranha pond.
Right from the start, all three the rookies were at a disadvantage. Even though they had all previously tested Formula 1 machinery before jumping into their 2021 cars, there was still a lot of adjusting to do.
Formula 1 has moved to slash costs in recent years and with certain elements dictated and accelerated by the COVID-19 global pandemic, pre-season testing was held across just three days earlier this year in March, only giving the three rookies just 12 hours of session time to settle in before jumping into a race weekend with the eyes of the world on them.
Although testing was held at the same venue as the opening race, Bahrain, it was a difficult equitation to overcome. The grinding start was echoed throughout the grid, as those who had switched teams or returned to the sport after an absence all initially struggled to get accustomed to their new work environments.
The opening round was a mixed bag – Mazepin lasted just one corner in the race, Schumacher too had trouble pointing in the right direction, but Tsunoda stared them all down and took home a rookie best ninth overall result, receiving praise from his seniors for his debut performance.
Tsunoda was instantly labelled as ‘the real deal’, but things only seemed to get more challenging from there out. The theory of a driver being ‘only as good as his last race’ was quickly proven correct, as the mood quickly began to rotate on the Kanagawa-born driver. 11 rounds into the season and Tsunoda is yet to out-qualify team-mate Pierre Gasly and to top that, the Japanese driver has only scored 26% of AlphaTauri’s points so far this year.
Then, after a move to Faenza in Italy, to be with the AlphaTauri team on a more regular basis, the young Japanese driver seems to have turned a corner. Italian life has seemingly served him well, as in the last six races he has scored four top ten results, including a career-best sixth place last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
It’s more of the Tsunoda that many expected to see when he was praised by Red Bull ahead and after his debut. The 21-year-old’s more respectable performances came after a rough period, in which some began to question his worth. Q1 exits, crashes, lacklustre race results and an undisciplined mouth over the radio hinted all was not well.
But it seems it’s beginning to turn around somewhat for Tsunoda, who is no doubt under more pressure than ever to perform. Waiting in the talented wings of the Red Bull junior programme are names such as Juri Vips, Liam Lawson and Dennis Hauger, who like Tsunoda, are all vying to be the next successful Red Bull protégé in Formula 1.
But points for any of the Haas drivers are still something of a pipe dream. The team is situated dead last in the championship standings, with its on-track performances painting the clear picture as to why. Their car has not being developed, as the American owned squad has placed all of its focus on the new 2022 regulations.
Although both drivers are gaining the experience of being a part of the grid and handling a Formula 1 car, spending time at the back of the field is doing no good to developing their race craft, which they both moulded at the font of the F3/F2 grids while competing with an onslaught of competitors throughout their junior careers.
But racing in a different atmosphere takes some getting used to, especially when the brakes, engine, aerodynamics and just about every other part of the car are a step-up in technology.
Throw in the fact that the Haas VF-21 is extremely difficult to handle, as has been showcased numerous times throughout the year, and it becomes an arduous environment to live in, especially given that competing for second-to-last on the grid is a world away from their hopes of having a title-winning challenger at their disposal.
The good news, however, is that both Schumacher and Mazepin’s back pockets have contracts for 2022 in them, and with (hopefully, for their sake) a more competitive car underneath them, they will be able to continue their development paths and not be a sill for the drivers’ championship.
This opinion article originally appeared in issue 430 of our weekly digital motorsport magazine, Motorsport Monday. Completely free to read with no sign-up necessary, Motorsport Monday is published every Monday morning and is packed full of motorsport content. Check out the latest issue here.
