First a short, then a long(er) expansion on the subject.
Recently on the Formula For Success podcast, Eddie Jordan explained why Yuki Tsunoda is still with the team formerly known as Alpha Tauri. He recalls a similar situation when he was running his team and how that played-out. Give it a watch.
The bottom line is he who has the gold makes the rules. In Jordan’s case, Honda was providing engines to them and wanted a Japanese driver (Takuma Sato) with the team. This meant that Heinz-Harald Frentzen (HFF) was cut from the team, despite winning two races for them in 1999. Ironically, Sato was only with Jordan for one season before moving over to BAR-Honda in 2003.
Since Honda is still in a partnership with Red Bull Racing, they will have some sway when it comes to drivers. RBR is much better-funded that Jordan was but they still need to keep one of their key stakeholders happy. Tsunoda is likely to have a seat in F1 as long as Honda is involved and there isn’t another, better Japanese driver. That is why he may end up driving for Aston-Martin in the near future since Honda will supply that team beginning in 2026.
Tsunoda isn’t unique either. When you think about it, where would Lance Stroll be without his father’s backing? Also, Zhou Guanyu is (ostensibly) well-backed and was retained by the team for 2024 despite not really making noticeable improvement. Even Sergio Perez is a well-funded driver who has seen his F1 career extend considerably due to the support of Carlos Slim. This is denigrate any of the drivers or their abilities, but it meant to explain why they remain on the grid despite other capable drivers being on the sidelines.
Financial backing, marketability, nationality, language, and other factors play a role in who drives where. Back when F1 was awash in tobacco money Marlboro, Camel, Mild Seven, Imperial Tobacco, and others would do their best to place their drivers in competitive teams. In some cases, that’s why some teams were able to stay afloat and remain in the sport. Talent and ability matter but having a hefty personal sponsorship portfolio can often trump that.
What we have also seen recently is relatively few new drivers getting race seats. Teams are looking for experience since the stakes are so high. A well-backed driver who is competent like Tsunoda or Perez is likely going to have a fairly long career. So if you can get in and bring money, once you obtain experience you are in good shape. That’s part of the reason why talented drivers like Felipe Drugovich and Théo Pourchaire are not racing right now. Plus, with only ten teams; there are only twenty seats available…
It’s a tough situation because as a fan, you wonder who could step up and be competitive. Some like Nyck DeVries and Mick Schumacher were decent but not quite good enough, but could drivers like Frederik Vesti do better? You can almost bet that Jack Doohan (Alpine), Oliver Bearman (Ferrari), and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) will get drives within the next two years though. Still, I like to see drivers cycle through the series to keep things dynamic. In another short, EJ discusses that as well.
So as the 2024 “Silly Season” continues, keep the Golden Rule in mind. It may help explain why certain moves take place, even if they seem baffling at first glance.
