FIA Super License Points System
The FIA announced a new system to acquire an FIA Super License. A driver will have to be at least 18 years old, having a valid road license, passed a test on the sporting regulations, spent at least two years in junior formulas and accumulate at least 40 points over a three year period.
The license points system has stirred up much controversy as such a system won't have prevented the likes of world champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button from making their when they did, while preventing the likes of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, Jr. from making their debuts in 2015.
I like the points system. At least I like the idea of it. While people bring up the likes of Senna, Schumacher, Räikkönen and Button as reasons for why the points system should not exist, I argue that they all came from different eras when teams could test every weekend they weren't racing if they wanted. A driver can't waltz into Formula One in the current environment with the type of experience the four listed above had. Today's drivers need more time in junior formulas and should not be rushed through the system.
Have we not learned anything from Red Bull's driver development system? The system that drop kicks drivers into the deep end before a driver is 21 and kicks them out if the results aren't good enough by the age of 23. There is no need to rush younger and younger drivers to Formula One, especially when they have so much time ahead of them. Verstappen could spend another three or four years in junior formulas and still have a great career in Formula One. There is no reason to be putting a 17-year old in a Formula One car after one year of car racing.
Speaking of all those drivers Red Bull threw out, I thought it was very telling that most of them were at the front of the Formula E race on Saturday and one Red Bull development driver that was completely ignored, António Félix da Costa, won the bloody race while Jaime Alguersuari, who has out of Formula One before he was 22 years old finished fourth and ran up front all race, Sébastien Buemi started on pole and led the first half before the papier-mâché suspension on Formula E cars broke on the Swiss driver and Jean-Éric Vergne finished sixth and was in contention for a podium before running wide in a corner.
The proposed changes would hopefully slow down the system but not also prevent paid drivers from just getting rides without taking into consideration their results in other serious. What happens on the track should be the most important factor in hiring a driver and a license points system would emphasize results, not just money.
Remember when Sergey Sirtokin was rumored to become a Sauber driver for the 2014 season? Why? At that point in his career, the Russian had done less than Verstappen despite being a year older than the Dutch driver. He finished third in AutoGP but that doesn't get any points toward a Super License, had finished 5th in the Italian Formula Three Championship, good enough for one point and finished 9th in Formula Renault 3.5, good for another point. He had two points toward a license prior to 2014. After finishing fifth in FR 3.5 this past year he now has nine points. Does anyone think he was/is ready for Formula One off results alone? Let's not forget to mention the like of Yuji Ide, Sakon Yamamoto and Zsolt Baumgartner, who would have all been kept out of Formula One seats and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The point system has a few problem as it doesn't account for many series. AutoGP is not recognized, a series Romain Grosjean, Luca Filippi and Narain Karthikeyan have run in recent years and a series Felipe Massa won when it was known as Euro Formula 3000 prior to his Formula One career. DTM is not recognized, a series Paul di Resta and Christjan Albers transition from directly to Formula One seats. NASCAR is not recognized and say what you want about NASCAR but it is a major series with talented drivers. Indy Lights is not recognized, a series that saw Luiz Razia, who finished 2nd in the 2012 GP2 Championship, which would have gotten him 40 points, enough to qualify for a Super License, finished fifth behind Gabby Chaves, Jack Harvey, Zach Veach and Matthew Brabham. Let's not forget how close Razia was to making his Formula One debut for Marussia before being replaced by Jules Bianchi.
Along with the series listed above, the World Touring Car Championship, Pro Mazda, U.S. F2000, Formula E, World Rally Championship and LMP2, whether it be WEC or ELMS, are not recognized as series that could get you points toward a Super License.
While these series that exist don't get any points toward a Super License, a series that is a figment of the FIA's imagination, Formula Two gets the most points toward a Super License with the Formula Two championship potentially earning 60 points, runner-up earning 50 points and third earning 40 points. The GP2 champion will earn 50 point while the GP2 runner-up gets 40 points. However, the system has undermined established championships such as the WEC and IndyCar, whose champions would earn 40 points, the same amount as the FIA European Formula Three champion will earn. The Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion, which has been the primary training ground for recent Formula One drivers such as Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Éric Vergne, Jules Bianchi, Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Sainz, Jr., can only earn 30 points, the same amount as GP3.
I didn't even mention Super Formula, whose champion will only earn 20 points despite being faster than IndyCars on road courses and having drivers such as Kazuki Nakajima, André Lotterer, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Narain Karthikeyan, Loïc Duval and James Rossiter on the grid.
I like the point system but I think the allocation of points has been done poorly. First off, Formula Two shouldn't get any points until there is a Formula Two series with real teams and drivers competing at real tracks with real fans in the stands. Second, WEC, IndyCar and Super Formula are professional series and should be treated like wise, receiving the most points. GP2 and FR 3.5 should be on level teams, as should be GP3 and Formula Three. More series have to be included into the system. The precedent is there for a top DTM driver to move to Formula One yet the FIA failed to taken that into consideration when first drawing up this point system.
While many disagree with the FIA's proposed Super License Points System, I understand where the FIA is coming from but will admit that the FIA could have done much better in distributing the points among the series.
Speedweeks Missing Attraction
It will never happen but I have thrown it out there on multiple occasions: IndyCar kicking off their season at Daytona Speedweeks. I think it is a win-win for everyone. If NASCAR can come to Indianapolis I don't see why IndyCar couldn't go to Daytona and run the road course. I think it would add more bang for a fans buck at Daytona. I have thrown out IndyCar running the same days as the shootout and/or the duel races but what about kicking off the IndyCar season at Daytona the Friday night before the 24 Hours of Daytona? You would have no NFL to worry about, most of the IndyCar grid is already in Daytona (I count 11 drivers with rides, plus Justin Wilson and Josef Newgarden were down at testing looking for seat and you have drivers such as Rubens Barrichello, A.J. Allmendinger, Bruno Junqueira, Tristan Vautier, Martin Plowman and Townsend Bell all at Daytona with recent IndyCar experience that would make for potentially exciting season opening one-offs) and the schedule could allow for it.
The Wednesday prior to the 24 Hours of Daytona has Ferrari Challenge and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on track but they are done before 5:00 p.m. You could practice all evening and into the night. Thursday is jam-packed with sports cars but there is plenty of time for a nighttime qualifying session. Friday has the final few sessions for the IMSA teams with the CTSCC race but that is over by 4:30 p.m. You can have the IndyCar race start at 7:00 or 7:30 p.m., under the lights and we all know how great IndyCars look under the lights. I think it's a great idea. It would shorten the IndyCar off-season by six weeks. We have gone nearly four and a half months since the last IndyCar race. Starting in January is the only way to justify ending by Labor Day.
Random Thought
Does anyone else think actor Eddie Redmayne looks like Mike Conway?
Winner From the Weekend
You know about the Dubai 24 Hour and António Félix da Costa but did you know...
Eli Tomac won the Supercross race from Phoenix, the first victory of his career.
Coming Up This Weekend
The Chili Bowl from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Dakar Rally wraps up as the competitors make their way back to Buenos Aires.
The license points system has stirred up much controversy as such a system won't have prevented the likes of world champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button from making their when they did, while preventing the likes of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, Jr. from making their debuts in 2015.
I like the points system. At least I like the idea of it. While people bring up the likes of Senna, Schumacher, Räikkönen and Button as reasons for why the points system should not exist, I argue that they all came from different eras when teams could test every weekend they weren't racing if they wanted. A driver can't waltz into Formula One in the current environment with the type of experience the four listed above had. Today's drivers need more time in junior formulas and should not be rushed through the system.
Have we not learned anything from Red Bull's driver development system? The system that drop kicks drivers into the deep end before a driver is 21 and kicks them out if the results aren't good enough by the age of 23. There is no need to rush younger and younger drivers to Formula One, especially when they have so much time ahead of them. Verstappen could spend another three or four years in junior formulas and still have a great career in Formula One. There is no reason to be putting a 17-year old in a Formula One car after one year of car racing.
Speaking of all those drivers Red Bull threw out, I thought it was very telling that most of them were at the front of the Formula E race on Saturday and one Red Bull development driver that was completely ignored, António Félix da Costa, won the bloody race while Jaime Alguersuari, who has out of Formula One before he was 22 years old finished fourth and ran up front all race, Sébastien Buemi started on pole and led the first half before the papier-mâché suspension on Formula E cars broke on the Swiss driver and Jean-Éric Vergne finished sixth and was in contention for a podium before running wide in a corner.
The proposed changes would hopefully slow down the system but not also prevent paid drivers from just getting rides without taking into consideration their results in other serious. What happens on the track should be the most important factor in hiring a driver and a license points system would emphasize results, not just money.
Remember when Sergey Sirtokin was rumored to become a Sauber driver for the 2014 season? Why? At that point in his career, the Russian had done less than Verstappen despite being a year older than the Dutch driver. He finished third in AutoGP but that doesn't get any points toward a Super License, had finished 5th in the Italian Formula Three Championship, good enough for one point and finished 9th in Formula Renault 3.5, good for another point. He had two points toward a license prior to 2014. After finishing fifth in FR 3.5 this past year he now has nine points. Does anyone think he was/is ready for Formula One off results alone? Let's not forget to mention the like of Yuji Ide, Sakon Yamamoto and Zsolt Baumgartner, who would have all been kept out of Formula One seats and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The point system has a few problem as it doesn't account for many series. AutoGP is not recognized, a series Romain Grosjean, Luca Filippi and Narain Karthikeyan have run in recent years and a series Felipe Massa won when it was known as Euro Formula 3000 prior to his Formula One career. DTM is not recognized, a series Paul di Resta and Christjan Albers transition from directly to Formula One seats. NASCAR is not recognized and say what you want about NASCAR but it is a major series with talented drivers. Indy Lights is not recognized, a series that saw Luiz Razia, who finished 2nd in the 2012 GP2 Championship, which would have gotten him 40 points, enough to qualify for a Super License, finished fifth behind Gabby Chaves, Jack Harvey, Zach Veach and Matthew Brabham. Let's not forget how close Razia was to making his Formula One debut for Marussia before being replaced by Jules Bianchi.
Along with the series listed above, the World Touring Car Championship, Pro Mazda, U.S. F2000, Formula E, World Rally Championship and LMP2, whether it be WEC or ELMS, are not recognized as series that could get you points toward a Super License.
While these series that exist don't get any points toward a Super License, a series that is a figment of the FIA's imagination, Formula Two gets the most points toward a Super License with the Formula Two championship potentially earning 60 points, runner-up earning 50 points and third earning 40 points. The GP2 champion will earn 50 point while the GP2 runner-up gets 40 points. However, the system has undermined established championships such as the WEC and IndyCar, whose champions would earn 40 points, the same amount as the FIA European Formula Three champion will earn. The Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion, which has been the primary training ground for recent Formula One drivers such as Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Éric Vergne, Jules Bianchi, Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Sainz, Jr., can only earn 30 points, the same amount as GP3.
I didn't even mention Super Formula, whose champion will only earn 20 points despite being faster than IndyCars on road courses and having drivers such as Kazuki Nakajima, André Lotterer, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Narain Karthikeyan, Loïc Duval and James Rossiter on the grid.
I like the point system but I think the allocation of points has been done poorly. First off, Formula Two shouldn't get any points until there is a Formula Two series with real teams and drivers competing at real tracks with real fans in the stands. Second, WEC, IndyCar and Super Formula are professional series and should be treated like wise, receiving the most points. GP2 and FR 3.5 should be on level teams, as should be GP3 and Formula Three. More series have to be included into the system. The precedent is there for a top DTM driver to move to Formula One yet the FIA failed to taken that into consideration when first drawing up this point system.
While many disagree with the FIA's proposed Super License Points System, I understand where the FIA is coming from but will admit that the FIA could have done much better in distributing the points among the series.
Speedweeks Missing Attraction
It will never happen but I have thrown it out there on multiple occasions: IndyCar kicking off their season at Daytona Speedweeks. I think it is a win-win for everyone. If NASCAR can come to Indianapolis I don't see why IndyCar couldn't go to Daytona and run the road course. I think it would add more bang for a fans buck at Daytona. I have thrown out IndyCar running the same days as the shootout and/or the duel races but what about kicking off the IndyCar season at Daytona the Friday night before the 24 Hours of Daytona? You would have no NFL to worry about, most of the IndyCar grid is already in Daytona (I count 11 drivers with rides, plus Justin Wilson and Josef Newgarden were down at testing looking for seat and you have drivers such as Rubens Barrichello, A.J. Allmendinger, Bruno Junqueira, Tristan Vautier, Martin Plowman and Townsend Bell all at Daytona with recent IndyCar experience that would make for potentially exciting season opening one-offs) and the schedule could allow for it.
The Wednesday prior to the 24 Hours of Daytona has Ferrari Challenge and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on track but they are done before 5:00 p.m. You could practice all evening and into the night. Thursday is jam-packed with sports cars but there is plenty of time for a nighttime qualifying session. Friday has the final few sessions for the IMSA teams with the CTSCC race but that is over by 4:30 p.m. You can have the IndyCar race start at 7:00 or 7:30 p.m., under the lights and we all know how great IndyCars look under the lights. I think it's a great idea. It would shorten the IndyCar off-season by six weeks. We have gone nearly four and a half months since the last IndyCar race. Starting in January is the only way to justify ending by Labor Day.
Random Thought
Does anyone else think actor Eddie Redmayne looks like Mike Conway?
Winner From the Weekend
You know about the Dubai 24 Hour and António Félix da Costa but did you know...
Eli Tomac won the Supercross race from Phoenix, the first victory of his career.
Coming Up This Weekend
The Chili Bowl from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Dakar Rally wraps up as the competitors make their way back to Buenos Aires.
