For a series which prides itself on having the best drivers in the world, and is the culmination of a multitude of driver academies, in an arena where only the best will survive, it is surprising that the governing body feels it necessary to police the entry into F1 so heavily.
It is a well known that F1 has not always had the best drivers in the world within the series, normally as a result of their backing helping them climb through the ladder. However, driver academies and the more connected world we live in has minimised this, and even the worst drivers on the grid today, naming no names, are still very accomplished. Therefore, the natural progression of feeder series is able to do the selection process without the need for a further hurdle on entry to the sport, plus, teams aren’t exactly going to want a bad driver on their books. In fact, until recently, the main purpose of the super license was to hold drivers accountable for their actions within F1, with the introduction of penalty points, and the threat of race bans. This is a logical way of policing drivers actions, much like in the real world, although it is not itself without problems.
The decision to only allow drivers to obtain a super license when they had achieved a certain amount of points, based on results in series, was a knee jerk reaction to one particular case. It was the situation with Max Verstappen’s incredibly swift and early entry into F1, at 17 years old, straight from Euro F3. The process was a shock to a lot of people, but his results throughout his F1 career have clearly shown it wasn’t without good reason, although he might be a controversial character for a lot of people. The FIA felt it needed to stop this happening again for whatever reason, despite the clear fact that his progression was so fast, simply because he is a great driver. It was a solution to a problem that wasn’t there!
We have seen no one since even attempt to replicate his ascension through the ranks, which shows how rare it was. The measures that were put in included being no younger than 18, which is logical in some respects, but most notable was this new points system to obtain a license. It was so controversial simply because it effectively graded every international series by importance, and skill required to win in said series. Open wheel series were obviously prioritised given their relevance, but it was not a surprise to see FIA series dominating the top spots too.
On the whole, the order is not too inaccurate from what you could reasonably expect, yet I think the points system still scores a lot of series too low, as the points drop off too quickly as you go down the list. The two most obvious alterations should be the IndyCar series and Formula E’s position on the list, yes they are already both near the top, but putting them behind feeder series to F1 is not fair in my view. I am sure many other series could merit changes too, such as for the increase of road courses in NASCAR!
Two factors are likely to have driven these positions. For Formula E, given it is an FIA series I assume it is just down to the lack of prestige the series had in 2015 when the points system was created. In the years since, the series has exploded, and the level of competition surely merits an equal berth at least with F2, especially as F2 race winners and champions have gone there and not found it easy!
IndyCar equally has not been done justice in these tables, with it ranking just below F2, which is unjust for a series, which whilst being domestic is able to attract international stars, and host arguably the biggest race in the world! The reason is likely to sadly be it is not an FIA series, and having F2 as the top of the table is their way of making themselves feel good! The lack of power steering and sophisticated technology to aid the drivers within IndyCar, if anything brings out a greater level of driver skill, compared to other series. I am not saying that IndyCar has better drivers than F1, and the opposite has been proven on a few occasions, yet I would say they are closer than any other series can get.
This brings us to the reason for bringing up this discussion, with regards to the situation around Colton Herta. His rise at the start of his IndyCar career was incredible, with him becoming the youngest ever winner in the series’ history. Since then, his talent has been clear to see on occasion in every season, but has lacked the consistency to fight for a title. Often he has pushed the car too hard out of frustration, to try and make up for a previous errors. The lack of consistency is also largely due to the team he is driving for, Andretti Autosport, which is able to produce race wins, but not able to truly fight for a title.
This might be one shortcoming of the Super license system, in that it only looks at championship results, not pure pace, although it is rare they don’t go hand in hand, as the best drivers end up in the best teams. Personally, three factors in my view have conspired to deny Herta a super license, his consistency/maturity, his teams ability to fight for a title, and the super license points system. I do believe that Herta is worthy of a chance in F1, but at the end of the day, there are other drivers in IndyCar who are qualified for a super license through winning titles, so personally he might not be my first choice.
A possible way to fudge their way to the necessary 40 points, is to invent a non-oval IndyCar series leader board, which could in theory be done, given the way the FIA sanctions tracks. Herta’s results just on road and street courses alone would merit him enough points for a super license, but it is hard to say if that will be allowed.
In summary, I don’t see the need for the points system to earn a super license, as long as they are old enough, and do not endanger others, the ruthless nature of junior academies and feeder series will find the stars. Beyond that, if the FIA insist on the points system, they need to take a thorough look at it again, and keep updating it. Otherwise, it will simply be another piece of pointless bureaucracy, getting in the way of what the fans want to see!
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 