6 Mid-Season F1 2016 Driver Changes We’d Make

We placed Stoffel Vandoorne at No.1 in our ‘Best Young Racing Drivers Not In F1 Right Now’ list for very good reason. The Belgian racer has been part of McLaren’s driver programme for several years and took the GP2 title in 2016, dominating the season.

However, there were no spaces left on the grid for 2016, with McLaren opting to retain Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Vandoorne has been promoted to the team’s reserve driver role and is currently racing in the Japanese Super Formula series to keep his racing skills sharp.

He has an F1 start under his belt after replacing the injured Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this season, performing well and finishing 10th. Rio Haryanto hasn’t had the best of starts to his F1 career at Manor, being largely out-qualified and out-paced by his team-mate Pascal Wehrlein.

There are also some question marks over whether Haryanto will complete the season. McLaren worked hard to try and find a space for Vandoorne for this year and failed, but if there was one driver that deserves to be on the grid, it’s definitely him.

Jolyon Palmer does have a good racing CV, having won the 2014 GP2 title and spent 2015 as a reserve driver at Lotus before being given a race seat when the team became Renault. The French manufacturer’s return to F1 hasn’t been particularly smooth but Palmer hasn’t exactly set the world alight either, especially when compared to his team-mate Kevin Magnussen.

Esteban Ocon is one of the brightest young talents out there but like Vandoorne, there weren’t any spaces on the F1 grid for him. He won the FIA European Formula 3 and GP3 titles at his first attempt and joined the Mercedes junior programme, but is currently on loan as Renault’s reserve driver. He also races in the DTM series.

Swapping out Palmer for Ocon is something that has been rumoured already and would be a good fit – Ocon is a bright young talent, highly rated and it certainly wouldn’t hurt for Renault to have a French driver in its line-up. Palmer needs to step it up a notch if he wants a long-term future in F1.

Sauber has gone through some tough times recently, but announced a new owner earlier this week. Things are looking up but the lack of car development still can’t hide the ‘meh’ pace of Marcus Ericsson.

Sauber doesn’t really have many ties to young drivers, so I’ve gone for someone that has impressed immensely so far this year – Antonio Giovinazzi. Maybe a new owner and fresh, young rookie driver would breathe new life into the Swiss team? After a difficult start Giovinazzi has hit his stride in GP2, winning two races so far and currently holding P2 in the championship.

There’s a long way to go but this racer is showing some serious speed and talent. The Italian has picked up some strong results in Formula 3 over the years too, so the results are no fluke. It might be an odd choice but Giovinazzi has showcased his potential and would be a good fit for a recovering team like Sauber.

The Haas F1 team has enjoyed a positive start to its first season in the series, but Esteban Gutierrez hasn’t had much luck. He’s failed to score a point so far, partly due to reliability issues and also because he’s been lacking in pace compared to team-mate Romain Grosjean.

So why not bring in a young rookie who has recent experience with F1 cars? Charles Leclerc is currently lighting up the GP3 world after a strong stint in F3. If there’s someone who could do a ‘Max Verstappen’ and get fast-tracked up to F1, it’s him.

Leclerc has already impressed Ferrari and is in the team’s young driver academy, and is also a development driver for Haas – he recently tested for both F1 outfits. Leclerc fully deserves a shot at racing in the pinnacle of single-seaters, it would be great to see him move up to F1 with Haas.

This one’s pretty controversial. Kimi Raikkonen has already signed for another season with Ferrari but his performances over the last few years haven’t been particularly good. They’ve been a little underwhelming, really.

While the laid-back vibe at Red Bull Racing suits Daniel Ricciardo, the Aussie would be a really good fit for Ferrari and has already performed strongly against Sebastian Vettel when they were team mates in 2014. I rate Ricciardo highly and it would be mega to see him racing in red at the Prancing Horse.

There’s a good reason behind this one. It may seem pretty cruel given Daniil Kvyat’s demotion from Red Bull to Toro Rosso after the Russian GP, but his performances so far still haven’t been great and his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. is regularly matching and beating him.

Something’s not really working here, and it’s a big shame as Kvyat had such a good debut season. I didn’t rate Jean-Eric Vergne particularly highly during his time at Toro Rosso but the more I think about it, the more I feel he was pushed out of F1 far too early. He is certainly one of the most talented young drivers not racing in the series at the moment.

Vergne is currently racing in the Formula E championship and had a feisty but frustrating season with DS Virgin Racing. He had to contend with a heavier car but scored several podiums. There’s a bit of a break until FE returns, so there’s a gap in his schedule for now.

And before anyone says it: no, I would not swap anyone for Pastor Maldonado…