I know Ferrari as a practice does not bring on rookie drivers but a thought struck me this morning, has Ferrari ever had a rookie driver? I can't think of any. Do Ferrari fans feel that's a policy that should/could be revisited given their struggles with the number two slot?
I just can't help feel that part of the situation at Ferrari has to do with the conscious decision to not bring on (clearly talented) drivers because they feel they aren't ready.
An Historical ResponseEnzo would go all out to hire who he thought were the best and deliberately pit them against each other to determine who would be the #1. He copped a lot of criticism for not declaring a #1 driver at the start of each season. Some people claimed that pressure from Enzo directly lead to the deaths of some of his drivers. Enzo hired both experienced and rookie F1 drivers. Look at '59. His driver line-up was Hill and Gurney (new to F1) along side Behra and Brooks (experienced guys) and also Allison who I think had competed in 58. Lauda wasn't a rookie when he joined Ferrari, but he wasn't a proven quantity either. Enzo hired him because Clay said he was really fast.
My Thoughts on the Current teamFerrari has the FDA (Ferrari Driver Acadamy) with some really talented young guys. Perez (an ex FDA driver) and Jules are better known but Marchiello is a huge talent and well worth a watch in the GP2s. Then there's a really young Canadian, Lance Stroll who I think is a very exciting prospect and is currently a long way ahead in the F4 championship. I think Jules looks well placed to replace Kimi. Although it was very interesting to see Fernando heaping praise on Dan recently.