F1’s pain, USA’s gain: The seven racing talents that F1 teams missed out on

With only 20 total Formula 1 seats and perhaps only a fraction of them available for new talent each year, countless drivers from F1’s junior ladder have instead moved to America to pursue a new kind of racing career.

Today, we’re looking at the talented young racers that are actively competing in an American racing series. These drivers all competed in the Formula 1 ladder program, and many of them were signed to an F1 team’s young driver program, but the timing simply wasn’t right for them to graduate to F1.

Callum Ilott

As a Ferrari Driver Academy member, a former Red Bull Junior Team driver and the runner-up to Mick Schumacher in the 2020 Formula 2 championship, Callum Ilott seemed destined for Formula 1. Sadly, the closest he got was serving as a Scuderia Ferrari test driver and an Alfa Romeo reserve driver.

As will be the case with many of the drivers on this list, Ilott was simply ready to move to F1 at the wrong time. There were no seats available for a rookie, and instead, Ilott had to find his own way forward. That included a full-time drive with Juncos Hollinger Racing’s IndyCar team in 2023, and a part-time role with Arrow McLaren in 2024.

Christian Lundgaard

Danish racer Christian Lundgaard got his start in single seaters in 2017, where he climbed the ladder quickly. He raced in Formula 2 in 2020 and 2021, but his performance was never quite strong enough to warrant him being signed to an F1 team’s junior program. When his 2021 F2 season turned out to be a disastrous one, his shot at Formula 1 was all but over.

Instead, in 2021, Lundgaard moved to America to compete in IndyCar with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He secured an impressive podium in 2022, followed biy his first win at Toronto the following year. Next year, Lundgaard will move to Arrow McLaren, where he will be expected to further hone his talents.

Marcus Armstrong

New Zealand racer Marcus Armstrong got his start in single seaters in 2014 and won his first championship in 2017 Italian Formula 4. It was enough to earn him a spot as a Ferrari Driver Academy racer between 2017 and 2021 — but when he moved to Formula 2, the Ferrari deal fell apart. In 2022, however, Armstrong scored more points in F2 than he had the years prior, and took three wins.

That made him an excellent candidate for IndyCar, and in 2023, Armstrong said goodbye to the F1 ladder and took on a partial race program with Chip Ganassi Racing. His performance was strong enough that he took Rookie of the Year, and he signed full time for 2024.

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Alex Palou

Alex Palou’s career path has gone in countless different directions. The Spaniard got his start on the F1 junior series ladder. He ran GP3 for two years in 2015 and 2016, followed by a few events in World Series Formula V8 3.5 in 2017, and Formula 3 in 2018. He never quite performed well enough to appear on any teams’ radars when it came time to sign junior talent, which brought Palou to Japan in 2019 for Super GT and Super Formula racing.

But in 2020, Palou moved to IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing, where he impressed so quickly that he was signed to Chip Ganassi Racing the next year. Though Palou’s 2022 contract with McLaren caused ample drama for the driver, he has still gone on to win three championships — making him the first Spaniard to do so in an American open-wheel championship — while also qualifying on pole for the 2023 Indy 500.

Theo Pourchaire

Theo Pourchaire looked set to be a shining star in Formula 1. He rocketed through the junior categories with impressive finesse, taking on a role as a Sauber Academy member. His 2023 Formula 2 championship win was fantastic… but there was simply no seat available to Pourchaire in Formula 1.

Instead, Pourchaire committed to Super Formula until Arrow McLaren came calling. He signed with the IndyCar tam for the remainder of 2024, only to lose that ride to Nolan Siegel.

Jack Aitken

Jack Aitken effectively grew up on the path to F1. He was part of both the Williams Driver Academy and the Renault Sport Academy, and as a Williams F1 reserve driver, he replaced George Russell at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix for his single Grand Prix outing.

But a race seat never opened up for him, and in 2023, Williams announced it would be parting ways with Aitken so he could begin focusing on his sportscar career. That year, he moved to the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where he’s currently competing with Whelen Cadillac Racing.

Pato O’Ward

Pato O’Ward is an outlier on this list, since his young racing career has largely been confined to the United States and IndyCar’s ladder program. However, O’Ward has been on the cusp of Formula 1 several times — first as a Red Bull junior, and now as a McLaren driver.

Unfortunately, he first struggled with his superlicense points, and now McLaren’s F1 program is occupied by two exceptional young racers. He’ll likely be sticking it out in IndyCar for the time being.

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