It’s easy to make jokes about the Formula 1 young driver test. It might even be fun. But do you know what’s more fun? Statistics.
So, now that all the tests are complete, let’s have a proper look: how young are this year’s young drivers?
| Team |
Race Drivers |
Young Drivers |
| Caterham |
Heikki Kovalainen
Vitaly Petrov
|
31
28
|
30 |
Giedo van der Garde
Alexander Rossi
|
27
21
|
24 |
| Ferrari |
Fernando Alonso
Felipe Massa
|
31
31
|
31 |
Jules Bianchi
Davide Rigon
|
23
26
|
25 |
| Force India |
Nico Hulkenberg
Paul di Resta
|
25
26
|
26 |
Luiz Razia
Jules Bianchi
Rodolfo Gonzalez
|
23
23
26
|
24 |
| HRT |
Narain Karthikeyan
Pedro de la Rosa
|
35
41
|
38 |
Ma Qing Hua
|
24
|
24 |
| Lotus |
Kimi Raikkonen
Romain Grosjean
|
33
26
|
30 |
Nicolas Prost
Edoardo Mortara
Davide Valsecchi
|
31
25
25
|
27 |
| Marussia |
Timo Glock
Charles Pic
|
30
22
|
26 |
Max Chilton
Rio Haryanto
|
21
19
|
20 |
| McLaren |
Lewis Hamilton
Jenson Button
|
27
32
|
30 |
Gary Paffett
Oliver Turvey
Kevin Magnussen
|
31
25
20
|
25 |
| Mercedes |
Nico Rosberg
Michael Schumacher
|
27
43
|
35 |
Brendon Hartley
Sam Bird
|
22
25
|
24 |
| Red Bull |
Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber
|
25
36
|
31 |
Antonio Felix da Costa
Robin Frijns
|
21
21
|
21 |
| Sauber |
Sergio Perez
Kamui Kobayashi
|
22
26
|
24 |
Esteban Gutierrez
Robin Frijns
|
21
21
|
21 |
| Toro Rosso |
Jean-Eric Vergne
Daniel Ricciardo
|
22
23
|
23 |
Luiz Razia
Johnny Cecotto Junior
|
23
23
|
23 |
| Williams |
Pastor Maldonado
Bruno Senna
|
27
29
|
28 |
Valtteri Bottas
|
23
|
23 |
| Total |
29 |
24 |
Well that’s not so bad, is it? On average this year’s young driver testers are five years younger than the teams’ regular drivers. Would you consider 24 objectively ‘young’? That probably depends on how old you are.
Toro Rosso are the only team to have an older young driver line-up than their race pairing. But it’s by the smallest of margins, and given that all of their drivers are young scamps, that’s acceptable.
The two drivers in their 30s are certainly pushing the boundaries of young – those being Nicolas Prost for Lotus, and McLaren regular Gary Paffett. Only three others are over 25: Giedo van der Garde for Caterham, Davide Rigon for Ferrari, and Rodolfo Gonzalez for Force India.
Everyone else: well done.
(Rigorous analysis fans! Don’t worry, those cheeky young drivers who drove for more than one team were only counted once in the total.)
