New segment! In this, I'll look out the drivers who maybe deserved longer in F1 for one reason or another, whether it be pure entertainment, pure pace or purely...something else. Enjoy this first one!
Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr made his F1 debut in 2015 for a Sauber team nowhere near the peak of it's powers as that year saw them finish 8th in the standings, only above the failed McLaren-Honda experiment and the Marussia-Ferrari team that became Manor Racing in 2016.
With a decent junior career behind him, Nasr came to F1 initially as a test and reserve for Williams in 2014 as he raced in GP2 for the established Carlin team, which saw him take part in 3 test and 5 free practices for the Grove team.
📸 Nasr in testing action at Bahrain with Williams.
His junior career contained several series he competed in:
Single seater debut: 2008 Formula BMW Americas at Interlagos, finished P5 and P8
Saw off the attentions of Dani Juncadella, and Robin Frijns to win Formula BMW Europe title in dominant fashion, 2009
Moved to raced at F3 level with Raikkonen-Robertson Racing im British F3 in 2010
Won British F3 title, seeing off the likes of Kevin Magnussen and Jack Harvey, 2011
Started first of 3 years in GP2, 2012 through 2014 with DAMS and Carlin, with a best finish of third, just behind Jolyon Palmer and Stoffel Vandoorne
In 2015, Nasr was picked up by Sauber for their new driver line up alongside Marcus Ericsson, replacing the experienced Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez at the Hinwil outfit.
📸 Sutil(right) vacated Sauber at the end of 2014.
Nasr impressed on debut in Australia, securing a P5 finish behind the Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari and compatriot Felipe Massa for Williams, while finishing ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Force India's Nico Hulkenberg in a race of high attrition.
📸 Nasr took P5 at the 2015 Australian GP, taking Sauber's first points since Brazil 2013.
Throughout the season he'd pick up points on 5 more occasions, including a sixth place at Sochi, and scoring 27 out of 36 points the Sauber team's points, outperforming teammate Ericsson.
Sadly for Nasr, his likely most memorable moment will be being passed by a 17 year old Max Verstappen around the outside of Blanchimont at Spa.
📸 Verstappen lurking behind Nasr.
His second season bore less fruit for the Brazilian as he scored Sauber's only two points - again beating Ericsson - of the season at a rain soaked, red flag and safety car stoppage ridden race at Interlagos, again a race in which Max Verstappen stole the show for Red Bull, as he helped Sauber to finish above Manor and condemn Manor to bankruptcy, by a point.
Ironically, Nasr was due to swap seats with Manor's Pascal Wehrlein for 2017, but when Manor pulled out of F1, Nasr, through some fault of his own, while also through no fault of his own, was left without a race seat.
📸 Pascal Wehrlein replaced Nasr, but was another driver perhaps not given the chance to prove himself in F1.
Since his F1 departure, Nasr has spent the majority of his career in sportscars, winning two IMSA titles, one in 2018 and the second in 2021, beating drivers like Alex Rossi, Kevin Magnussen, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya's cars to the championship trophy.
📸 Nasr celebrates his IMSA title.
He also had a short but ultimately unsuccessful stint in Formula E with the GEOX Dragon team in 2019, racing three times and failing to take points in any, retiring twice as he partnered Jose Maria Lopez in Max Gunther's absence.
Ultimately, I believe Felipe Nasr had a lot more to offer in F1 but ironically, was the maker of his own downfall. Do you think Nasr should have been in F1 longer?
📸 Image credits: Sky Sports, Felipe Nasr, Formula Motorsport Limited, IMSA.
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