Think about it. It is very well possible that Sergio Pérez, Nico Hulkenberg, Alex Albon, Daniil Kvyat, Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean… all very capable racers, drivers who have proved being able to score podiums, points on a regular basis and even a pole position, will be out of a Formula One drive in 2021 (granted, one of them could land the second RBR drive).
It’s a hard business Formula One, and sentiments are seldom influencing team’s decisions. Performance, luck and money dictate the course of a career and one decision made at a certain point (what seems to be the right opportunity) can propel you to glory and at the same time, can ruin your career.
It’s so important to be able to catch the right elevator at a certain point, be supported by the right people, the ones that really are the decision makers in the paddock, and then, be able to perform, to show your talent at exactly the right time.
In modern car racing, there are always a few, either fast or very well funded (or both), up and coming youngsters who are knocking on the doors of F1, and you as an established driver need to convince that your are still the ‘right package’.
If not so, you’ll be left on the sidelines, and there will be (most probably) no second chance. It’s a very hard business, I am telling you.
Picture above: Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon in 2019.
