Frédéric Vasseur: A fairly easy accession to F1

With the arrivals in F1 byEsteban Ocon, Stoffel Vandoorne or even Pierre Gasly et Charles Leclerc, young talents who shone in the accession categories have managed to make their way to the premier category in recent years.

A situation that Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, which in 2018 will be able to count on the presence in its ranks of Charles Leclerc, just crowned with his FIA title F2 in 2017 with Prema Racing.

« I find that, for two or three years, all the great hopes of racing have reached F1, explains the Frenchman. Whether it's Ocon, Gasly, Vandoorne, Leclerc or even Russell and Norris, which will probably happen. This has not always been the norm and we are in a fairly easy accession dynamic.

If you are very good and if you stand out in a junior category, you have a way of getting back into a sector. We had a big hole before them, with a whole bunch of guys who found themselves trapped because there was no more room for young people because of the longevity of careers. »

The French manager also highlights the difficulty for top teams to sometimes take a gamble on youth. “Even very good, a beginner will have difficulty, continues Vasseur. We see it with Mercedes ou Ferrari who do not take the risk of putting Ocon or Leclerc in their car.

Too much at stake, too much uncertainty around the driver, they are forced to rely on a satellite team to give him a little experience. Conversely, McLaren who was not in a position to play for the title was able to bring Vandoorne up. »

Find our complete file on “how to become an F1 driver in 2018” in AUTO issue 2147hebdo, always available in digital version and on newsstands.