[Keith Collantine]

Moto GP Andrea Dovizioso will be racing for Audi in the upcoming DTM round at Misano as a guest driver. Crossovers such as these have obvious appeal and interest from fans and race promoters alike. Fernando Alonso’s sojourn to Indianapolis during his 2017 F1 campaign is another great example.

But finding room for guest drivers in F1 races is tricky due to the strict rules on two-car teams entering each race. Fiddling with that formula to add an extra driver would raise complicated further questions. If a team was to run a third car, would it be eligible for constructors’ championship points, and would that be fair to teams who couldn’t necessarily afford to do the same?

And what if a team used the opportunity to run a third car to influence the drivers’ championship fight? Mercedes could bring an extra car at a race where they expect to be particularly strong to reduce Ferrari’s chances of getting a car on the podium.

I can understand the appeal of having guest drivers in F1. But I can’t help but think the problems it could create make it a non-starter. Am I wrong? Is there a more imaginative solution? Over to you…

[Ben Needham]

Hi Keith,

I started a similar topic a while back because the idea has always intrigued me: https://www.racefans.net/groups/f1/forum/topic/how-could-f1-implement-guest-drivers/

I suggested each team getting a “joker” or two to use throughout the season if they wished. Some teams might use this for marketing purposes… eg: Toro Rosso-Honda running a Japanese driver in Suzuka, or McLaren bringing back Alonso for a one off Spanish GP (if it still exists!). Some might use it for an extra influx of cash, such as Williams running Sirotkin or Mazepin for a fee. Others would likely use it to test out other drivers against their current ones and tactically in the World Championship, such as Ocon at Mercedes or something like that.

I love the idea and would be very keen to see it happen; another layer of intrigue on the weekend when there’s an extra Ferrari or Mercedes throwing a spanner in the works.

[Scottie]

Yeah I can’t help but think the invited drivers would be either too inexperienced to effectively run the car and be competitive, given all the systems integrated in the drivetrains and hydraulic elements, let alone being acclimatized to see how many cars are approaching to lap them.

The inevitable clashes with other competitive drivers will place their own reputations at stake, along with creating instances of doubt over the Champion of a close season where the result has been effected in one way or another.

With cars running not as efficiently as they could be, and likely crashes, the cost of running these cars would negate any benefit any mid-field team might gain from it, and F1 will be viewed perhaps as a less-than-elite sport it deserves.

[Author]

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