Lewis Hamilton (2007) and Jacques Villeneuve (1996) have been the most successful rookies in Formula 1, registering 4 wins each and interestingly both of them went on to win the title in their sophomore year. But with the sport getting increasingly competitive, we have yet to see such brilliance. However, Oscar Piastri came close to Hamilton’s fabulous debut as he took his first win against the mighty Max Verstappen in his rocket ship, albeit in the Sprint format. There is something poetic about a rookie succeeding, but the world will be devoid of that poetry in 2024.

The 2024 grid, which houses 20 seats, had no place for a rookie when Logan Sargeant filled the last seat at Williams. The year 2023 saw a repeat of 2019 when 3 rookies debuted in McLaren, Williams, and Toro Rosso, it almost felt like Lando Norris, George Russell, and Alex Albon passed the baton to Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant, and Nyck de Vries. But it probably was celebrated so much because rookies in F1 in not as common an occurrence as in other sports.

Why does the 2024 grid have no rookie?

The answer to this question is very simple, it is because there aren’t any seats available. If you pick any sport played in the Americas, there are hundreds and thousands of players on the roster registered to play, be it a team sport or an individual one. For example, if you want to become a Javelin Thrower and go to the biggest platform, like the Olympics, you have to be the best of the lot and there will be a berth secured for you. But alas, that’s not the case for the apex of motorsports.

F2 champion Oscar Piastri had to wait it out a year to finally bag a seat in F1 and the 2023 champion Theo Pourchaire has also been subjected to the same grueling pain. The Frenchman told the Pitstop, “The main issue is that the F2 Champion probably needs to have an F1 seat. For me, I think, they need to find a solution. I mean you cannot force any Formula 1 team to choose one driver and you cannot tell them you know, he is the F2 Champion you have to take him. We need to find a solution because I’m the third one in a row to not be in F1 the next year.”

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If one has done their best, i.e. he has become a champion in F2 and despite that, the scales don’t tip in their favor, then this is a wake-up call for the stakeholders. There need to be empty seats and a rule of motion set in place where, if a driver hasn’t met a certain benchmark in a reasonably specified period, he should vacate the seat for someone better to come in.

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How does the restricted nature of the sport harm F1?

Formula 1 has always been targeted for its elite nature and restrictive entry. While the sport doesn’t have much diversity, it doesn’t even have a free entry for the talent either. Only 20 drivers in this world of 8 billion humans make it to the top. While making it there seems magical for some, one still tends to wonder if F1 is pushing the envelope to do its best to bring in new talent.

A maximum of 26 cars can be on the grid for a race. That means we are still 6 short of the upper limit. 6 more seats at the apex means no champion would have to wait like the recent lot of F2 champions. But are the authorities even trying? One tends to wonder why Andretti’s bid was rejected and why do we not have more players coming in when the sport has finally become global and so profitable. F1 finally has the opportunity to make itself relatable and accessible. While FIA is trying to make Karting cheaper to cater to the former, the talk of accessibility needs to take center stage now. We need more teams and seats in Formula 1 to safeguard the sport and ride on the momentum it is gaining.

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