Richard Verschoor has given his opinion on the difficulty young drivers are facing to break into Formula 1 and race at the highest level.
Moving up from Formula 2 into F1 has become increasingly difficult in recent times with just 20 cars on the grid.
Since the championship was renamed from GP2 Series to Formula 2 in 2017, every champion stepped up to Formula 1 including Charles Leclerc and George Russell until 2022.
This run of successful junior drivers graduating to F1 has since stalled, with the previous couple of FIA F2 champions failing to find a seat in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Richard Verschoor says the F2 champion must move up to Formula 1
The two most recent Formula 2 champions, Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire, have both landed roles as a reserve driver for Formula 1 teams.
But despite having their foot in the door with teams at the highest level, they have both been overlooked by their teams, Aston Martin and Sauber.
Verschoor told the Paddockpraat podcast that experienced drivers are vital when helping to develop a team, but the FIA F2 champion should have an opportunity in Formula 1.
When asked whether there should be more chances for rookies in F1, he said: “That is a bit ambiguous. On the one hand, of course, I think so certainly in my position.
“But on the other hand, for example, looking at [Nico] Hulkenberg, it does pull a team up a bit. So, you see that experience is also very much important for such a team. But, actually, you should just say, ‘Ok, the one who wins in Formula 2, they must get a seat in Formula 1′.”
Richard Verschoor suggests an F1 team purely for young drivers
Oscar Piastri cruised to the FIA Formula 2 title in 2021 but failed to find a seat in F1 for the following year, settling for a reserve driver role at Alpine before joining McLaren for 2023.
F2 and FIA F3, in particular, have drivers with links to Formula 1 teams. But even for the most talented competitors, options for progression remain limited.
An 11th team has been spoken about for years with Andretti particularly pushing to join Formula 1, but that project continues to encounter a multitude of obstacles.
Verschoor therefore suggests Formula 1 should add an extra team on the grid solely for young drivers from the junior categories to gain experience.
He added: “It’s very strange that, for example, Pourchaire did not go through [to F1] last year [and] Piastri did not go through right away.
“I think that’s crazy. If there’s so much good talent around, then you should support that. You would almost say that Formula 1 [should] create a team where you are just a rookie, where you just use two rookies per year from Formula 2 or Formula 3, if necessary.”