Top Line driver nationalities

[chunterer]

I think we've seen a major shift in the number of driver nationalities represented on the single seater ladder over the last few decades.

I'd guess commercilism is to blame but if you take the 70's and 80's for example there were multitudes of North and South American, Swedish, British, Irish and French and Italian drivers coming through.

Nowadays the relative numbers coming through from those countries had dropped alarmingly is that really down to financial issues or are there just a dearth of decent talents coming from there anymore.

Australia, New Zealand South Africa, Spain and Portugal is possibly consistent in that we tend to see 1-3 good drivers coming through every decade or so from each of those countries.

I.E, The Brabhams (Aus),Thackwell (NZ), Scheckters & Van Der Linde (ZA), Campos and Sala (Spain), and Lamy, Chaves (Portugal) of 10- 20 odd years ago is simialr to the likes of Webber, Briscoe, Dixon, Van Der Merwe, Alonso, De La Rosa and arguably Parente etc of today.

Today the traditional providers of drivers have been replace more by Eastern Europe and the Far East

Thoughts please!