Who should be in F1?
- Laid Back Race Blog Collabs
- Feb 27
- 5 min read
by Topher Smith & Alex Johnston
We realise this is very much a matter of opinion, but there are multiple drivers out there who we believe deserved or still deserve a crack at the big time, Formula 1. Names like Will Power and legends of other series’ like Sebastian Loeb and even motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi, but who else do we think should occupy that list?
Topher’s choices
Felix Rosenqvist
Seriously, how is it that Felix Rosenqvist hasn’t even tested a Formula 1 car?
The Swede has one of the most impressive junior careers I’ve seen. He’s won titles in Formula Renault 2.0 Asia in 2008, both Formula Renault 2.0 Sweden and Formula Renault 2.0 NEZ in 2009, won the Masters of Formula 3 and the Macau Grand Prix twice each, and obilterated the European Formula 3 Championship in 2015 against a field that featured the likes of Formula 1 stars Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Alex Albon, reigning Formula E champion Jake Dennis, and Mahaveer Raghunathan.
Following his 2015 triumph he tested GP2 machinery and looked set to move up to the final step before Formula 1, but ultimately found himself with Mahindra Racing in Formula E and from the offset was a challenger as he won races as a rookie and mounted a title challenge in his sophomore year.
Two full seasons of the all-electric series was enough for Rosenqvist to attract attention from America and Chip Ganassi signed him up for the IndyCar Series in 2019, where once again it didn’t take long for him to become a race winner.
Success has been a bit more difficult to come by for the Swede in recent years, but you take one look at his results on the way up the ladder and it begs the question: how has he not even tested a Formula 1 car?
Nick Cassidy
There is a unique place in history that Nick Cassidy holds and that is that he is the only person to have won the Japanese Triple Crown: Japanese Formula 3, Super Formula and Super GT. Add on top of that two Toyota Racing Series titles and a championship in V8SuperTourers Endurance, plus a two-time Formula E vice champion.
Much like Rosenqvist, it baffles me that Cassidy hasn’t tested F1 machinery but in the New Zealander’s case it’s even more curious as he is a Red Bull athlete. One would have thought with his affiliation and track record that a test would be a mere formality, yet somehow it never happened.
Cassidy is just simply fast in anything he gets into. His karting career was lit up with titles and he’s won races in almost every championship he has ever entered. More recently, he won races in DTM in his first full season and has become a force to be reckoned with in Formula E, where it is expected that 2026 could see him win his first world championship.
There seems to be no signs of Cassidy letting up his form any time soon, and I’ve wondered for a while how Red Bull can still be considering options for its Racing Bulls F1 team when the Kiwi is right there and in the form of his life.
Scott Dixon
Do I really need to explain why Scott Dixon should be in F1? Alright, if you insist.
Six-time IndyCar champion. 58 race wins. 142 podiums. 32 poles. Race wins in 21 consecutive seasons. TWENTY-ONE. The guy has talent and longevity in spades.
Of course there’s no concrete way of discerning whether that would have translated to a hypothetical Formula 1 career, but with those stats one does have to wonder what he could have achieved if Williams had taken him further, the team electing against signing him after a couple of tests because it didn’t want to employ a rookie.
If only they had known how good Dixon would turn out to be…
Alex’s choices
Jake Dennis
Formula E’s current champion gets the nod for me here. Dennis demonstrated his class in Formula E time and time again with Andretti, amassing 23 podiums and seven wins from 79 Formula E starts and has never finished lower than seventh in the overall standings, competing fiercely with names well known to race fans such as Pascal Wehrlein, Stoffel Vandoorne, Oliver Rowland and the aforementioned Nick Cassidy.
He’s made a great career himself so far, winning in multiple series including European F3, GP3, and GT’s as well as sampling other series such as DTM and ELMS.
He’s made himself an asset to Red Bull Racing, having served as a test and development driver since 2018, and figured for the team in FP1 in Abu Dhabi in the 2023 season, and has also had run outs in various other tests. A very useful world champion, imagine that..
Kyle Kirkwood
One of IndyCar’s brightest talents, Kyle Kirkwood is one of the names I’d have tipped previously to join Cadillac’s F1 entry.
Kirkwood’s junior career is something to behold, as he won the title on each step of the ladder up to IndyCar - US F4 in 2017, F3 Americas Championship AND US F2000 National Championship in 2018, IndyPro 2000 Championship in 2019 and Indy Lights(now Indy NXT) in 2021 before stepping to IndyCar in 2022.
In 2023, he switched from AJ Foyt to Andretti Autosport and took two wins for the team in impressive fashion at Long Beach and at Music City, Nashville. Adding to that, he’s also collected wins in the IMSA series in America, showcasing his ability to compete in different cars.
As Alex Palou has dominated in recent seasons, he’s been one of the best opponents to the Spaniard where others have faltered.
Taylor Barnard
This driver is very early in his career, but he’s the real deal. He currently is racing in Formula E, having raced on the ‘traditional’ Formula ladder in Formula 3, then Formula 2 with Jenzer Motorsport, then AIX Racing respectively, teams known for allowing drivers with lesser funding chances and Barnard seized the opportunity.
Since he moved to Formula E, figuring for McLaren and now DS Penske, finishing fourth in his rookie season, and already with two pole positions and five podiums to his name.
He’s only 21, so I sincerely hope the F1 door is not closed for this driver. He’s very, very good.
📸Image credits: NTT IndyCar Series. ABB FIA Formula E, Formula Motorsport Limited.
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