| This year's debutants can only be called young additions only partially: 27-year-old Ralph Ferman and Cristiano da Matta, who will turn 30 in September, should be classified more likely as the middle generation of riders who have already managed to gain a foothold in the “royal” racing. In contrast, 24-year-old Justin Wilson and Antonio Pizzonia, at 22, belong to the generation of drivers who have the immediate future of Formula 1.
Antonio Pizzonia , the youngest of the quartet of debutants, in childhood, like any Brazilian boy, preferred football. In his hometown of Manaus, lost in the Amazon jungle, there was not a single karting track. Antonio learned to drive by helping his father operate a tractor on his own farm. An incident helped the boy discover his talent: a family friend, a former racer, gave his father a kart. And once he tried to ride it, young Pizzonia realized that racing was his calling. Over the course of several years, competing in various Brazilian karting championships, Antonio gained fame as the most talented karting driver since Ayrton Senna. To continue his further career, it was necessary to go to Europe. And after spending a year in one of the best racing schools in the USA, 17-year-old Pizzonia began to conquer the prestigious British Formulas.
After winning Formula Renault, Antonio was first noticed by the managers of the “queen of motorsport”. It was from Formula Renault that his peer Kimi Raikkonen came to the “big circus”, but Pizzonia was immediately unlucky - there was only enough sponsorship money for the British Formula 3. Then there was Formula 3000, and in 2001 he worked as a test driver at Williams. The Brazilian got a real chance to join the elite motorsport team in the summer of 2002, when Jaguar began looking for replacements for its unsuccessful pilots. Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber took part in the tests, but Antonio cleared all questions by showing the absolute best lap on the track in Barcelona. The ability to drive fast behind the wheel of an unfamiliar car is one of the main manifestations of racing talent. If events develop successfully, the updated Jaguar and the young driver will move forward together.
Justin Wilson is famous more for his height of over 180, and only then are his successes and merits remembered. Being tall is simply a problem for F1 drivers. Let us at least remember the talented Austrian Alexander Wurz, who was not fully developed. But Justin, having won the international Formula 3000 championship in 2001, could not complain about the lack of offers. At first Eddie Jordan, who had been looking for a British pilot a year ago, wanted to see him. But, despite successfully passing the tests, the team still preferred the richer Takuma Sato to Wilson. When Alex Yong was sent on leave last August after three failed qualifications, Justin could have taken his temporary place at Minardi, but the car was too small for him - Anthony Davidson started in Belgium and Hungary. But still, justice prevailed, and Minardi, seduced by Wilson’s racing talents and his sponsorship contribution, built a new car, taking into account the growth of the newcomer.
This team has long established itself as a launching pad for young riders. But their careers developed differently. Some (Fisichella, Trulli, Webber), having shown talent, went for promotions, others (Tuero, Marques, Yong) disappeared into obscurity. What will be the fate of the lanky Englishman?
In a loose interpretation, the surname of Jordan team recruit Ralph Ferman is consonant with the phrase “strong guy” (Firman - firm man). And in this case, the driver’s surname can be called telling, because before becoming a Formula 1 pilot, he fully experienced the whims of racing Fortune. The son of one of the tycoons of the British motorsport industry (Ralph Ferman Sr.'s company is one of the world's largest manufacturers of racing chassis) had a direct path to motorsport. Having met many famous F1 drivers and managers as a child (including future boss Eddie Jordan), Ralph quickly mastered the intricacies of karting and junior Formula. In the Formula 3 championship, he defeated such stars of today as Christiano da Matta, Juan Pablo Montoya, and at the end of the 1996 season, he took part in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix and there, on the most difficult city track, defeated Nick Heidfeld , Jarno Trulli and Pedro de la Rosa.
But then there was a long break in the European racing career. The father was fundamentally against investing his own money in his son’s career, and Ralph decided to leave his homeland to compete in Japan, where strong racers from Europe have the opportunity to earn good money. Returning turned out to be not so easy. Playing for weak teams, Ferman lost his authority. Only the victory in the 2002 Formula Nippon championship sparked interest in the driver, and Jordan signed a three-year contract with Ralph Ferman. And although the prospects for both the driver and the team still look vague, everyone hopes for the best. “If Ralph succeeds (and I'm sure he will) then his Anglo-Irish heritage will solve our problems with sponsors,” believes Eddie Jordan.
From whom we should expect a surprise is the eldest of these four debutants, Cristiano da Matta. Although Toyota finished last in the Constructors' Championship in 2002, we can say that Da Matta was very lucky with the team in which he would make his Formula 1 debut. The enormous prospects of the youngest stable, with its so far modest achievements, will protect Christiano from psychological pressure for some time. “They say that Schumacher is the best, but how do I know how much better he is than me if in Formula 1 everyone has different technology?” - the Brazilian, accustomed to performing in the almost mono-formula “Champ Car” series, justifies himself in advance. However, Christiano is not afraid to face the truth. “I have already achieved success in auto racing, won many championships, and I came to Formula 1 to win another one. Giving my best is the only thing I can do for this. If it doesn’t work out, then I don’t belong here. I'll go home to ride a bike or find another racing series. Only one thing can upset me: the understanding that someone can drive faster than me.” Dmitry SITNIK
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