What is the point of a driver academy?
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2025 will be the year of the rookies. Oliver Bearman (I know, technically not a rookie), Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan and the last one announced, Gabriel Bortoleto. Perhaps there will even be one more if Sergio Pérez gets kicked out of the Red Bull. Still, after the announcement of Bortoleto, I did start to wonder: what is the point of a driver academy?
Now, I do understand the general point of a driver academy. Teams spot young talents and help them (financially) to reach Formula 1. It’s a great initiative, but I sometimes wonder what the exact point is. Many of those drivers do not even end up making it into Formula 1. What bothers me most, however, is that a lot of those drivers do reach Formula 1, but often with another team.
Oscar Piastri’s tweet
The most famous example is obviously Oscar Piastri. He was a part of the Alpine driver academy and then became their reserve driver. It was thus assumed he would take Fernando Alonso’s spot when he left for Aston Martin. However, it was not that simple. With one of the most iconic tweets Piastri let the world know that he was actually not going to be driving for Alpine in 2023. He had already signed a contract with McLaren. Considering they have just won the constructors’ championship and Alpine are only sixth, this was a very smart move from the Australian driver. It might even allow him to fight for the drivers’ championship next year as well.
Piastri, while being extremely talented, is an example of how a young driver could be forgotten. He smart enough to start looking elsewhere, but not everyone has those options. Some good examples are perhaps Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchairce, for Aston Martin and Sauber respectively. Both won the Formula 2 championship, but neither gets to drive for the Formula 1 teams. They are perfect candidates for rookie tests, but they will never get an actual chance to show their talent.
Seeing how Formula 1 works, it is understandable that they are not able to drive in that category. There are only 20 seats in Formula 1 and if a team already has two drivers they are happy with, why would they change and go for a rookie? Still, it feels a bit unfair. A young driver does not only need talent, but also an insane amount of luck and the perfect timing. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the perfect example of a driver with such luck, and even Ollie Bearman has been quite lucky. Although he will probably have to spend a few years at Haas before he gets a chance at Ferrari. Jack Doohan has had to be a little more patient, but now he is also getting his Formula 1 seat.
That leaves me with Gabriel Bortoleto, and my problem with driver academies. Gabriel Borteleto is going to be racing for Kick Sauber next year. Bortoleto is part of a driver academy, but not with Sauber. He has support from McLaren. And that is my issue with a driver academy: why do you spend so much money on a young driver, to then pay another team for theirs?
It feels unfair to the drivers in the driver academy of the team itself. I’m sure in this case it was partly because those driver had started to look for seats elsewhere, because it is so difficult to reach Formula 1. For example, Zane Maloney had an amazing start to the season, but decided to leave early to start racing in Formula E. However, it just feels weird how teams seem more willing to pay off other teams for a driver, when there are many great drivers in their own program or even drivers without a program.
Still, I’m happy that 2025 has so many rookies. There was this period before where all teams decided to go for older, experienced drivers. I understand that they are the safer choice, but I am happy that young drivers are getting the chance to prove themselves. They have worked so hard to get to Formula 1 and they finally get their chance. And who knows, perhaps one of these rookies is a future world champion.
