A former Red Bull junior driver with a questionable reputation of both on and off-track antics has taken a swipe at the current crop of F1 drivers, claiming there are several on the grid undeserving of their seat.
Daniel Ticktum, who was famously banned from motorsport for deliberately crashing into an opponent under safety car in a junior category in 2015, joined the Formula E grid for 2021 after failing to make it to Formula 1 despite moderate success in feeder categories.
"I think pretty much every [Formula E] driver bar a couple could easily be in Formula 1," Ticktum told The Independent.
READ MORE: Lions star dazzles legends with 'unbelievable' goal
READ MORE: Robinson swipes NRL over hip-drop furore
READ MORE: 'Horrible break' thwarts stunning Smith near-ace
"Obviously, a lot of them have been there and should have been for longer. When you get to this level, we're all let's say above 99 per cent of the most talented, but if someone turns up who's 98.7 per cent with ($18.7 million), then that helps, and they can probably do more or less as good a job as the guy that he's booted out."
A common complaint about Formula 1 is a common requirement among the smaller teams – where many young drivers make their debuts – that a driver must bring budget with them.
Lance Stroll has for all intents and purposes a rolling contract with Aston Martin, as his billionaire father Lawrence owns the team.
F1's other well-known pay driver – although now off the grid – was Nikita Mazepin, who's father Dmitry is a Russian oligarch, who funded Nikita's racing career through his fertiliser company Uralkali.
Mazepin was forced off the grid before the commencement of the 2022 season after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ticktum said he believed there were several in Formula E who deserved seats in F1.
"I feel like Formula E is one of the only categories in the world where all drivers are paid as real professionals and the fact that we're all paid speaks for itself really.
"There's a fair few Formula 1 drivers who I don't think should be there, and I think there are other drivers in Formula E who should be there instead.
"When I qualify near the back or make a small mistake, it's like 'well I'm at the back, but I'm at the back by half a tenth or whatever'. We're all so close, so it's not as demeaning if you finish in the back of Formula E, compared to another category."
After a more or less amicable split from the Red Bull junior program at the end of 2019, Ticktum joined the equivalent program with Williams for 2020.
He was let go front that too in 2021 after making jibes at Nicholas Latifi, who was at the time one of the teams race drivers, during a gaming livestream.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.