This year we’ve seen young racers getting over excited with their new toys, hitting problems, and losing confidence.

Jari-Matti Latvala had a storming start to the WRC season, winning his second rally with the works Ford team. His excellently flamboyant style has become a bit much recently though, and results have dried up. He needs to calm down a bit, and Ford are trying to do just that.

It’s been even more extreme for Jorge Lorenzo. After finishing on the podium in four out of his first five MotoGP races, and winning one of them, he crashed, crashed, and crashed again. Really badly. He was quite honest about his complete lack of confidence, but after a second place in San Marino, he could be back on the up. And he’ll probably be a better rider for having experienced some lows as well as highs.

That’s why I’m glad Lewis Hamilton didn’t win the Formula 1 championship in his first season – it surely wouldn’t have been good for his character. Not that he’s really comparable to Latvala and Lorenzo – they are excitable youngsters, whereas Hamilton strikes me as old before his time.

Interesting drivers are few and far between in the world of Formula 1, and the young drivers infrequently seem excited to be there. Obviously new drivers have varying degrees of success: immediate in the case of Hamilton; gentle improvement for Kubica; Kovalainen’s steady mediocrity; and let’s not forget the outright disaster of Super Aguri’s Yuji Ide, whose driving was so bad that his FIA Super License was revoked partway through his debut season in 2006. But they lack the youthful exuberance which is so joyous to behold in someone like Lorenzo, even if in him it can manifest itself as arrogance.

Part of it is, no doubt, the highly commercial nature of Formula 1. Take Kimi Raikkonen. He was widely reported to be something of a party animal, but never was that allowed to come across in his time at McLaren – and he hasn’t grown a personality at Ferrari either. Presumably it wouldn’t align with the brand identity.

Aside from David Coulthard, who sometimes has something slightly opinionated to say, the only Formula 1 driver in recent years who I’d class as outwardly interesting is Takuma Sato. His driving is wonderfully erratic, and he just seems to enjoy himself. He’s in with a chance of a Toro Rosso drive next season, which I think would be a superb turn of events.

Maybe it’s just the kind of person that Formula 1 attracts. Single seater racing is quite clinical – fast, of course, but there’s not much room for expression, for want of a better word. So perhaps more actively outgoing sorts are more attracted to rallying – with its slides and handbrake turns – or motorbikes – with its wheelies and ridiculous lean angles. That probably looks like a lot more fun.