The first month of the year and not even 24 hours apart, the second domino of the 2024 silly season has fallen. We are talking about the contract extension of Lando Norris. The young Brit’s future became a topic of discussion after his performances after the upgrades, despite his contract being valid till the end of the 2025 season. Norris’ contract extension has come right after Ferrari announced Charles Leclerc will stay with the Italian team beyond 2024. However, it’s the vague nature of the announcement that has concerned us.

Both McLaren and Ferrari have extended their stars’ contracts, but in the announcements, there is no mention of the lengths of the contracts. Both teams extended the services of their drivers, but for how long? Not many have the answer to that. These ambiguous announcements for both drivers bring us to the discussion of the future of the sport. Are these vague long-term contracts hampering the chances for the next generation? Are these lengthy multi-year contracts blocking F2 champions from getting their shot in the premier class? Let’s discuss it!

Are the long-term contracts of established F1 drivers hampering the chances for the next generation?

The last time we saw an F2 champion secure an F1 drive right after was Mick Schumacher in 2020, as he was hired by Haas for 2021. Since the young German, we have not seen any F2 champion cross the divide the very next year. This is becoming an increasingly regular problem as the talent pool is overflowing and there are obviously limited spots in the premier class. The current F2 champion, Théo Pourchaire, also highlighted this scenario during the 2023 FIA Gala.

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He stated, “I am the third F2 Champion in a row who is not promoted to F1. Next year, unfortunately, I will not be on the F1 grid, which is obviously a little disappointing, because it’s a dream to be a Formula 1 driver. As F2 Champion, I think I deserved my place, but it is what it is.”

We can all agree with the Frenchman as he spoke for all his compatriots when expressing his frustrations about the limited opportunities. However, is it the lack of opportunities or how the sport has evolved over the years?

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Can we blame the drivers? Or the teams? Or is it just poor timing? Let’s look at some of the scenarios.

Can Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris be blamed for these obstructions for the F2 champions?

The only F2 champion in the past 4 years to still have a drive in the upcoming season in F1 is Oscar Piastri. However, even the Australian had to spend a year on the sidelines before he secured a seat, which he did under controversial circumstances. However, he did so because his future in F1 was under threat because of a scenario that is becoming increasingly common in the sport. In fact, we believe this is the scenario and not long-term contracts of established drivers like Leclerc and Norris are blocking the entries of F2 champions and other F1 hopefuls.

Piastri was part of Alpine from a very young age and had been until the summer of 2022. It was the French team’s preference for 42-year-old Fernando Alonso over the Australian that pushed to switch loyalties. Instead of waiting another year on the sidelines, Piastri jumped on the first seat he got and it turned out to be an excellent gamble.

Mick Schumacher was also replaced by 35-year-old Nico Hulkenberg as Haas went for experience rather than gambling on a brighter future. A total of seven drivers on the 2024 grid are 30 years or above. This scenario, we believe, is where the real problem lies. The young drivers aren’t getting a chance to prove themselves because the teams are heavily reliant on consistent and instant results and are keeping a shortsighted approach.

If McLaren and Ferrari are securing their future by offering long-term deals with undisclosed contract lengths to their drivers to secure the team’s future, we can’t blame them. The problem is not enough teams are doing that by replacing the old and bringing in the new. We aren’t talking about the old drivers who are still performing at the highest level. We are pointing fingers at the drivers who are still occupying seats because of convenience and a team’s desire for instant gratification and unwillingness to gamble on a young driver.

AlphaTauri’s CEO proved this with his statement about the convenience of working with Daniel Ricciardo.

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This heavy reliance on veteran drivers needs to end if we need to see new and exciting young talents light up the tracks. However, with the sport’s massive revenue models and high costs, teams aren’t ready to take the risk. For now, it seems we have come to a standstill and we won’t see new young talents enter the sport for at least three years, or 2026.

Let’s hope this scenario changes soon as more and more young aspirants are breaking their backs and rising through the feeder series, only to be met by rejection and disappointments.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of EssentiallySports.