8 Of The Best Young Racing Drivers Not In F1 Right Now

1. Stoffel Vandoorne

The McLaren reserve driver has been forced to wait for a seat to open up in F1 despite dominating the GP2 feeder series last year, winning seven races and finishing 160 points clear of his nearest rival.

It was only his second season in the highly competitive series, but with Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso remaining at McLaren, the other seats quickly filled up. Vandoorne will instead keep race craft sharp in the Super Formula championship in Japan, which many feel is the series that comes closest to F1 in terms of performance.

2. Alexander Rossi

Rossi has been on the fringes of F1 for a while but has never got a proper chance to prove himself. Sure, he got five races with backmarkers Manor in 2015, but it was always going to be difficult to show off his talent while battling at the rear of the field.

The American finished second in GP2 last season, winning three times, but despite confident signs, he failed to snap up one of Manor’s 2016 seats and has been left on the sidelines. A young driver with clear speed, Rossi will have to wait until 2017 to see if he can return to the F1 grid.

3. Esteban Ocon

Ocon won the FIA European Formula 3 title in his rookie season back in 2014, but while his rival Max Verstappen moved up to F1, the Frenchman had to move across to the GP3 series. Yet again, he won in his debut campaign and joined the Mercedes young driver scheme.

But a lack of space has meant he has had to settle for the reserve driver role at the Renault F1 outfit. Maybe next year he will get his chance?

4. Jean-Eric Vergne

I know, I know: Vergne raced in F1 for three seasons already, but he proved to be pretty handy in a Toro Rosso and a very good match for Daniel Ricciardo. He was dropped for 2015 in favour of Carlos Sainz Jr and Max Verstappen, but he is almost certainly one of the most talented young drivers not on the grid at the moment.

He was a Ferrari F1 test driver last year and was linked to a Haas F1 drive, but has found a new home in Formula E.

5. Oliver Rowland

Could this be the next British F1 driver? Rowland claimed the Formula Renault 3.5 title with some ease in 2015 and also impressed with several GP2 outings towards the end of the year.

The Racing Steps Foundation-backed racer also made his Formula E debut earlier in 2016 at the Punda del Este ePrix. Unsurprisingly after such a strong season, Rowland has joined Renault’s young driver programme and will race in a full season of GP2, but will have to wait for a shot at F1.

6. Alex Lynn

The Briton impressed in FIA European F3 in 2013, before winning the GP3 title as a Red Bull junior driver in the following season – and in his first attempt too. His rapid rise up the ladder meant GP2 was next up and he debuted last year, winning two races and finishing sixth overall.

It was a slightly inconsistent season, but he did well as a rookie and also worked hard in his development driver role at Williams F1, having cut ties with Red Bull. He remains at front-running DAMS in 2016 and will certainly be in contention for the title and possible F1 options beyond that.

7. Josef Newgarden

The American driver is currently proving his worth in the IndyCar series and won two races last year, for a career-best seventh in the championship. It was a break-through season for Newgarden and it was unsurprising when he was linked to a Haas F1 seat.

That would have been quite a signing! But the team chose Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez, while Newgarden will continue happily in IndyCar with Ed Carpenter Racing. He spends his time going around in circles, but I’m convinced he would do well in F1 if he did ever make the switch.

8. Robin Frijns

The 24-year-old is a driver who deserved a lot more. Having won the FR3.5 championship in his first season back in 2012, made sporadic outings in GP2 in the following season, winning once and scoring a further podium. He was a test and reserve driver for Sauber during 2013 and Caterham in 2014, but a seat failed to materialise. The Dutchman looked elsewhere for drives and is now racing for Amlin Andretti in Formula E, scoring a podium in only his second race.

What other young drivers would you like to see in F1? Let us know in the comments!