Bruno Senna F1 race debut

[JNWRF01]

sure - but unlike his uncle -Bruno had very little experience before starting racing cars - and I guess he is prob the highest profile single seater racer since Jacques Villeneuve/Damon HIll who had little/no karting background. That considered, I think the guy is doing a pretty good job...

[foreversideways]

Thats as maybe but a good enough job for a F1 test, i somehow don't think so.

[strider]

I beg to differ. In overall terms, an F1 test is nothing special these days. It's how the driver deals with the test and what happens afterwards that matters.

[Icebaby]

Senna has done enough in a short pace of time to have shot at an F1 test, for sure he has the right connections and im sure for some it would be a fitting tribute to have Bruno there when we were robbed of Ayrton.

[Bononi]

It's worth reading this thread from the very first page.

[foreversideways]

Done enough, i can list 20 drivers who would qualify for an F1 test over and above BS and what's more i am sure Ayrton would have expected more of him before this was on offer. It was never handed to him on a plate despite his talent.

[maximus]

Despite the fact that BS should be top of the GP2 championship through no fault of his own? Name 20 drivers that deserve it more.

I personally think that Senna is the best GP2 driver so far this season and that alone qualifies him for a test. People such as Carroll also deserve it, but I think using that against Senna is unfair.

[Born Racer]

I reckon Bruno has a lot of potential. As was touched on above, his lack of karting experience only makes his current exploits more impressive.

[Icebaby]

Originally Posted by maximus

Despite the fact that BS should be top of the GP2 championship through no fault of his own? Name 20 drivers that deserve it more.

I personally think that Senna is the best GP2 driver so far this season and that alone qualifies him for a test. People such as Carroll also deserve it, but I think using that against Senna is unfair.

Agree Senna is the top GP2 driver this season and had bad luck played its part he would walking it now to the title, no F1 team manager is going to jepodise his position by running Senna for the wrong reasons or offering him a drive, whether he needs one more year in GP2 is a fair argument.

A test role in F1 and another season in Gp2 would be a good compromise for 09.

[spider]

He certainly is running a lot stronger than i thought he would. Last year in a fairly-competitive Arden car he won a race in his first few races, and now this season, in a truely front-running team, he is right up there and could be leading the Championship.

Bruno hasn't leaned on his name as much as he could have done. He's up there battling with the Grosjean's and Pantano's, drivers who would be seen as 'authentic' talents. He outpaced both at Magny Cours.

Adam Carroll arguably deserves a shot at the big time, but I wouldn't cry for him too much, he's making a living from the sport. Motorsport is a money-orientated activity, and shock/horror sponsors will get a fair bit of exposure from backing Senna as fans will be more interested in him than of a lesser-name.

He's working hard at it. He's not acting like a playboy. He's doing a top job and yes, he's earned this test, on merit.

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by Mystery

Oh dear. Two GP2 wins out of 39 starts is enough if your name fits then - yet someone like Adam Carroll can't find a drive. Sad state of affairs really.

To be fair to Senna this is his second full season of GP2, yes he raced in GP2 Asia but that isnt the main GP2 series and it runs on entirely different circuits and uses a different car. The fact that Senna is now 2nd in the GP2 Championship in his debut year to me speaks volumes, yes he is at the moment behind Pantano in the points but he isnt far behind him now and could well go on to take the GP2 championship this year.

As for Adam Carroll, yes we all know he is a good driver and undoubtedly quick but he is now in what, his 4th year of GP2? And whilst he hasnt had the best of teams he has never finished near the top of the Championship (I mean top 4). Maybe he just hasnt had the right team and the right people around him, I dont know. What I do know is that Carroll isnt unique, there are lots of drivers both past and present who deserve a chance in F1 but probably wont get one, or who have hit F1 at the wrong angle and are now in sportscars or tin tops. Thats life.

[Mystery]

Yeah I don't dispute that - there's many others more deserving than Adam probably too. But I do object to the fact that a name alone seems to be worth something. To be fair though his name is what it is and he certainly trades far less on it (if at all) that other - the Andrettis and Rahals of this world could take note.

[strider]

Bruno himself is playing down the rumours today - http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headline...01101956.shtml

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by Mystery

Yeah I don't dispute that - there's many others more deserving than Adam probably too. But I do object to the fact that a name alone seems to be worth something. To be fair though his name is what it is and he certainly trades far less on it (if at all) that other - the Andrettis and Rahals of this world could take note.

Oh I agree he certainly does trade on his families name, but then so would most others if they thought it would give them a advantage of some sort, especially if they have some talent to back it up. Rosberg and Piquet being perfect recent examples of people with famous relatives which has undoubtedly helped (and argueably hindered at times) them during their careers.

Senna may well be near the sharp end of the championship at the moment due to the fact he has money behind him, which helped him get into a top team for this year but to be fair his results have been good enough to justify his place at Isport I think. It's a shame Carroll has never really had a big enough budget to get into a top team for a entire season, if he had then perhaps he may well have made it into F1 by now.