Three drivers are in their debut Formula 1 season in 2021. Let us take a look at how F1's latest rookes have fared thus far.
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In recent years, Formula 1 has seen a marked departure in terms of driver profile. Whereas in years gone by teams favoured experienced hands, the situation is different now. Teams prefer to snap up younger drivers and let them develop at the very top. The case isn’t too different in 2021 – 3 drivers made their F1 debuts at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
With rookies, patience is always the name of the game. Thus no matter how well or badly they start, they are given the benefit of time. That being said, the season is now five races old and these drivers will have had time to settle in to the sport.
With that in mind, let us now take a look at how Formula 1’s rookes have fared thus far in their debut season.
The Japanese driver is not only a rookie, he’s also the youngest driver on the grid. Amazingly, he’s also the first F1 driver born in the year 2000. The Japanese driver is seen by many as a prospect for the future, something he proved at Barain. The AlphaTauri driver pulled off a stunning overtake on Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion it must be noted.
He also finished ninth, meaning he earned his first championship points on debut. Afterwards, Formula 1 techincal director Ross Brawn called Tsunoda “F1’s best rookie in years”. However, it has been downhill since then.
A tough race constantly stuck behind other cars. The strategy didn’t materialise as we had hoped either. Now fully focused on Azerbaijan to return to the points!
— 角田裕毅/Yuki Tsunoda (@yukitsunoda07) May 23, 2021
He finished 12th at Imola and 15th at Portugal, before having to retire at Spain. His luck at Monaco wasn’t much better as he finished 16th. Again, it is worth noting that patience is key with rookies. But Tsunoda is in a car that is good enough to challenge for points regularly. Bigger and better will be expected from him – and soon.
Mick Schumacher was under pressure before he even stepped foot in an F1 car. The son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, Mick proved his worth by winning the F2 world championship in 2020. Rumours linked him to Alfa Romeo but the Ferrari academy driver eventually signed for Haas.
Schumacher has struggled in his debut season but it’s down more to his car than his ability. The 2021 Haas is comfortably the slowest car on the track. For his part, Schumacher has shown flashes of promise – he is a safer driver than his teammate and even pulled off a slick overtake on Nicholas Latifi in Spain. Oh, and speaking of his teammate…
The Russian has been the most talked-about rookie so far this season – and almost always for the wrong reasons. Before the season began, he landed in hot water due to uploading a video that showed him groping a woman without consent. Afterwards, he apologised and asked fans to judge him for his racing ability.
Sadly, that hasn’t worked out for the youngster either. His numerous losses of control in the Haas led to him being nicknamed “Mazespin” on social media. He’s also saddled by the unfortunate “pay driver” tag as his father’s company brings significant sponsorship revenue to the team. It’s safe to say he has a lot to do to convince Formula 1 fans he deserves a seat.
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