Four Formula One Drivers That Never Had That Star Quality

by Roy Brindley, 27 May 2022

On the back of a thrilling 2021 season, the smash-hit Drive to Survive Netflix documentary series, and a nail-biting unfolding 2022 face-off between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, Formula One is enjoying unprecedented popularity.

But, for every star driver, race winner, potential champion, and world champion there has been plenty of slow and outright poor drivers. Below we have listed what we believe to be four of the worst drivers that have found themselves a place within the top echelon of motorsport during the past decade.

Nikita Mazepin (right) was out-qualified 19-0 by his teammate Mick Schumacer (left) during the 2021 season. ©GettyImage

Nikita Mazepin

This Russian driver with a billionaire father had just one year in Formula One. It was with the Haas team during 2021 when it had produced an exceptionally slow car. Therein, Mazepin did well to finish 14th in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It was his career best race result, but only 16 cars completed the contest.

During the season teammate Mick Schumacher finished ahead of Mazepin with alarming regularity. He also out-qualified him in all of the 19 races they both contested. There was often more than a second between the pair in qualifying sessions.

But neither factor made the 22-year-old stand out as much as his Formula One career record of producing 22 spins in 21 races! His first spin in Formula One came at the third corner of the very first race he contested. From that day on he was known by the moniker ‘Mazaspin’.

His other claim to fame was his willing ability to block faster cars that were attempting to lap him or complete a clean qualifying lap. By the time Mazepin’s only season in Formula One was complete he had upset at least half of his 19 rivals. Several had described him as an ‘idiot’ …and that was the kindest term used over team radio during the heat of battle!

Jolyon Palmer

In 1998 Formula Palmer Audi was launched. It was a one-make class of open-wheel formula racing founded by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer.

Until its closure in 2010, around 300 individual drivers raced in the series that often had 20 races in a season. Only two drivers progressed from it into Formula One: Justin Wilson – who raced for Minardi and Jaguar in 2003 – and Jonathan Palmer’s son, Jolyon Palmer.

Palmer’s race seat lasted just over a season and a half until his Renault team replaced him with Carlos Sainz. His departure followed a string of disappointing results in 2017. At the time, teammate Nico Hulkenberg had netted six points finishes, Palmer had claimed just one.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and Palmer’s short-lived career in Formula One did show he was a fantastic talker. Resultantly, he now has a flourishing career as a broadcaster and columnist for the BBC and the official Formula One website.

Max Chilton

Chilton’s father netted £77 million and gained an outrageously high-paying chairman’s role when selling his insurance company to Aon PLC in 2008. Unquestionably some of those funds were used to secure 22-year-old Max Chilton a race seat in perennial backmarker team, Marussia, in 2013.

The driver had already gained experience in the British Formula 3 Championship where 62 race starts resulted in a single race victory. 64 subsequent starts in the GP2 Series yielded just two race victories.

Formula One brought about no improvement in fortunes. He may have completed every race he started in his rookie season, but Chilton also circulated the field in last position most of the time.

By the season’s conclusion, he had finished behind his teammate, Jules Bianchi, 14 times in the 16 races his French rival completed a full race distance. Chilton was also out-qualified by him 17 times.

Chilton left Formula One 16 races into the 2014 season when his team went into administration. A career in the American IndyCar series followed. But, by the time he retired from motorsport in 2021, he had failed to secure a podium finish in 85 IndyCar starts.

Mark Webber

Many would say it is inconceivable a driver with nine race wins makes this list, but Mark Webber took part in 217 races during his career. 77 of those race starts came in a Red Bull car that was vastly superior to its rivals.

However, in 2013, teammate Sebastian Vettel out-qualified the Australian in 17 of the season’s 19 races. Webber did not make up the deficit on Sunday afternoons. He failed to win a race during the year, it was a season that saw Vettel score 13 times.

Two years beforehand, Webber won a single race during the season. It came in the curtain-closing Brazilian Grand Prix when Vettel moved aside to gift the race to his teammate. In the preceding 18 races, Vettel had won 11 times and finished ahead of Webber 17 times.

Relatively speaking, 2012 was an even more embarrassing year for Webber. Ten podium finishes or race wins made Sebastian Vettel a World Champion for a third consecutive year. Webber finished a lowly sixth in the championship standings.