How Have F1 Junior Programmes Fared In 2021?

With 2021 now at an end, it is time to reflect on how well each F1 junior programme has fared across the season.

Only seven F1 teams currently operate junior programmes with 2021 seeing a year of various successes for some teams, whereas other teams have seen solid progress with their young talent.

McLaren though only have one member on their driver programme – Ugo Ugochukwu who spent the season in karting competitions and will graduate to British F4 next season, leaving six teams to take an in-depth look at in terms of junior programme fortunes of this year.

 

Mercedes

Driver	Series	Position
George Russell	F1	15th
Andrea Antonelli	Italian F4	10th
Paul Aron	FRECA	3rd
Frederik Vesti	F3	4th

2021 has been relatively quiet for Mercedes with positive progress for three of their four junior youngsters throughout the season.

George Russell though is the biggest highlight because he has just continued to improve his single lap and race pace performance, which paid off with points in Hungary and a maiden podium in Belgium on top of four Q3 appearances as he now graduates to Mercedes for 2022 season.

Paul Aron and Frederik Vesti meanwhile have enjoyed incredible consistency but just lacked the regular points finishes needed to fight for the title in FRECA and F3 respectively, so will be looking to continue their development as they prepare for moves into F3 and F2 respectively next season.

Andrea Antonelli meanwhile dominated the OK Class of CIK-FIA Karting European Championship to clinch the title, before stepping up to Italian F4 for the final three rounds, where he seemed to steadily find his feet with three podiums in the final round which is a positive heading into 2022.

Progression therefore feels like the theme summing up 2021 for Mercedes’ junior drivers but I can’t wait to see where they go in 2022 given the potential on display and future prosperity to strive for.

 

Red Bull

Driver	Series	Position
Juri Vips	F2	6th
Liam Lawson	F2	9th
Jehan Daruvala	F2	7th
Jak Crawford	F3	13th
Jonny Edgar	F3	18th
Ayumu Iwasa	F3	12th
Jack Doohan	F3	2nd
Dennis Hauger	F3	1st

Looking back on 2021, Red Bull really should consider this season as one of progress for their youth because Juri Vips and Liam Lawson have settled well in F2 alongside an improved Jehan Daruvala, with the trio collecting five wins plus nine other podiums between them in total.

Lawson in particular was the only proper rookie after Vips made some guest appearances in 2020 yet he burst onto the scene with a win and third place in two of the three opening races, even though five retirements cost him a higher championship placing overall.

F3 meanwhile was like a mixed bag because Jak Crawford, Jonny Edgar and Ayumu Iwasa hardly set the series alight in their rookie seasons, whilst Dennis Hauger and Jack Doohan dominated the season up top despite not being full junior members.

Iwasa was the best of the three Red Bull junior rookies in F3 this season with stronger consistency than Crawford, although the pair were let down by a weaker Hitech GP than usual so I hope that the pair can improve along with Edgar who just lacked consistency.

Hauger meanwhile managed to turn a difficult 2020 around into a strong title winning campaign through a switch to PREMA, which certainly paid off because he was simply the most consistent even though he did struggle in the second races within four of seven race weekends.

Doohan meanwhile just lacked the podium and points consistency despite a valiant F3 title challenge but his raw talent is evident, especially given how well he adapted to F2 with MP Motorsport in December to beat some of the full-season drivers with seven points.

Continuous support and finding the ideal car placings in 2022 will therefore be crucial to giving this generation of Red Bull juniors a chance of flourishing next season, given the potential within these eight drivers if given a proper chance in the right environments.

 

Ferrari

Driver	Series	Position
Mick Schumacher	F1	19th
Marcus Armstrong	F2	13th
Robert Shwartzman	F2	2nd
Arthur Leclerc	F3	10th
Maya Weug	Italian F4	35th
Dino Beganovic	FRECA	13th

2021 hasn’t exactly been a vintage year for Ferrari’s Driver Academy with only Robert Shwartzman performing well with a strong F2 campaign for PREMA, as he finished vice-champion despite being outclassed all season by teammate – Oscar Piastri.

Armstrong meanwhile has been dealt numerous pieces of rotten luck which has again masked his potential this season, yet hopefully Ferrari will still stick with him and find him a competitive car next season because 2022 surely is make or break for his chances of reaching F1.

Speaking of F1, Mick Schumacher has been held back by an uncompetitive Haas this season due to their early focus on the new 2022 car, so he doesn’t deserve much judgement because he has done a solid job nevertheless but he needs to improve next season.

Arthur Leclerc meanwhile has done a solid job in F3 this season but like Schumacher, he needs a huge developmental step next season, if he is to stand any prospect of a future Ferrari drive in F1.

Maya Weug and Dino Beganovic meanwhile has simply lacked consistency and speed this season so it will be interesting to how they develop next season.

Ferrari though are set to welcome three new members in 2022 – Ollie Bearman, Rafael Camara and Laura Camps Torras, of which Bearman instantly looks the stand-out future star who should give current members a decent fight for their future placings in the Academy.

 

Alpine

Driver	Series	Position
Christian Lundgaard	F2	12th
Oscar Piastri	F2	1st
Guanyu Zhou	F2	3rd
Caio Collet	F3	9th
Victor Martins	F3	5th

As 2021 draws to a close, Alpine have plenty of reasons to celebrate because their junior drivers have all been impressive throughout the year.

Focusing solely on F2, Alpine have enjoyed immense success with 23 podiums in total amassed by Christian Lundgaard, Oscar Piastri and Guanyu Zhou, of which the latter pair picking up 10 race victories between them which represents strong progress within the Academy.

Lundgaard meanwhile endured a frustrating campaign but can take heart from a strong IndyCar debut in Indianapolis, underlining his talent is still present if not for poor car performance and Alpine should be proud of their part in his overall progress.

Piastri meanwhile has simply raised his game with another consistent campaign to eventually clinch a dominant title, complete with five consecutive pole positions but I am intrigued how his position as Alpine F1 Reserve Driver next season will impact his upward progress.

Zhou matured further in his racecraft but a mid-season dip and overall weaker consistency compared to Piastri cost him the title, yet he is graduating to F1 next season with Alfa Romeo so I will be interested to see how Alpine’s nurturing benefits him next season.

F3 meanwhile has also brought strong fortunes with Victor Martins enjoying a fantastic rookie season as he often fought with the frontrunners, which resulted in five podiums and one victory en route to fifth and the best rookie overall of the campaign.

Caio Collet meanwhile hadn’t produced high consistency compared to Martins but he can take heart from his overall campaign, especially with top five finishes in six of the last seven races to finish ninth overall, so there is improvement to be found next season for the Brazilian.

Alpine therefore can look back on 2021 with joy because there is a lot of future prosperity within their junior set-up, even if Zhou is switching to Alfa Romeo because if he surprises in F1 then he one day could end up back at Alpine in their F1 seat.

 

Alfa Romeo (known as Sauber Junior Team)

Driver	Series	Position
Theo Pourchaire	F2	5th
Juan Manuel Correa	F3	21st

Alfa Romeo have enjoyed contrastable results for their two junior drivers competing in F2 and F3 seasons, although there are positives to take from 2021.

Starting with Theo Pourchaire, well he has just punched above his weight for a second consecutive season because he has just shown strong consistency to finish fifth in his rookie F2 season, whilst continuing to show strong maturity and raw speed in his driving style for a 18 year-old.

Pourchaire also has experienced the world of pain at times following two separate accidents, yet showed resilience as he quickly bounced straight back at the next rounds in Silverstone and Abu Dhabi from a broken wrist and heavy bruising respectively.

On that note, Alfa Romeo have a future star on their hands and hopefully he can fight for the title next season as he continues with ART GP in F2.

Juan Manuel Correa meanwhile endured a frustrating return to full-time racing this season as he lacked consistency in a move back to F3, although he is still continuing to recover from his serious accident in 2019 Belgian F2 round so patience is a virtue in his development.

We mustn’t forget though that it is testament to Correa’s determination that he is back racing when he could of chose to retire and walk away from motorsport given severity of his injuries, so there is the mental as well as physical performance to handle in his development and recovery.

Alfa Romeo therefore have two drivers developing at different paces to each other which isn’t surprising given Correa’s circumstances, of which they’re doing a great job in managing because patience is key in different ways to the development of Pourchaire and Correa.

 

Williams

Driver	Series	Position
Jack Aitken	GT Endurance	19th
Roy Nissany	F2	16th
Logan Sargeant	F3	7th
Jamie Chadwick	W Series	1st
	Extreme E	10th

2021 has been a mixed bag for Williams Academy because whilst Roy Nissany has been fairly poor yet inconsistent in F2, there is joy to be found elsewhere with Jamie Chadwick winning a second W Series title after a tough all-British title fight which went to the very final race of the season.

Chadwick also finished tenth in the inaugural season of Extreme E despite missing two rounds due to her W Series commitments, which actually isn’t too bad and shows that she has potential to further improve if she can do a full season in 2022.

Logan Sargeant meanwhile did a cracking job for Charouz in F3 compared to his teammates as he brought home a heavy bulk of the team’s points, prior to joining Williams Academy in October ahead of an unexpected F2 debut as he did a solid job in Saudi Arabia for HWA Racelab.

Jack Aitken though was unlucky with injury during his season as he got to grips with the world of GT cars but he did a steady job as a replacement driver for HWA Racelab, even though points eluded his grasp in his nine races for the team.

Dan Ticktum left the Academy during the summer but during his opening four rounds of F2 season whilst a member of Williams Academy, Ticktum showed strong consistency which he maintained across the entire season even after his exit so will be a loss given his on-track talent.