Current DTM driver Timo Glock confused the internet on Monday, announcing via Instagram that he had been given an offer from a Formula One team. The post has since been revealed to have been a joke, but this post has revealed who the weakest F1 drivers are this season.
While some people suspected that the post was nothing more than a joke from the former Formula One driver, others were quick to jump to conclusions about which driver Glock would be replacing. Even I was thinking about which driver he would replace as I reported about the post on Racing Clothesline on Tuesday afternoon.
In the end, although I would very much be in support of a second chance for Timo Glock, I am quite happy to see that none of the current drivers are being thrust from their respective teams just yet. However, reading the comments on the internet has revealed which two drivers the fans clearly feel are not living up to their full potential at the moment: Lance Stroll and Jolyon Palmer.
These two names may or may not shock you, as you may also feel the same towards these drivers. As a Canadian myself, I am overjoyed to finally see a driver from my home country on the Formula One grid once again, although I can’t deny that his performance so far has been fairly disappointing. Russia was a slight sign of improvement, but we won’t really know until this weekend whether it was a one-off performance or a true sign that the worst is behind him. In my mind though, it isn’t really a shock to see Stroll’s name come up in so many discussions, since the new drivers are often heavily scrutinized by the fans when they first start their Formula One career. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are unworthy of the seat.
However, I was quite shocked to see Palmer’s name brought up so often. In my opinion, I don’t see any really big sign that Palmer is doing a particularly bad job in 2017, let alone a bad enough job that would warrant a driver swap. Sure, Kevin Magnussen scored more points than him in 2016 and Nico Hülkenberg is doing the same this year, but I’m just no seeing why people think Palmer is doing so badly.
Ultimately, I’m glad that none of the current drivers are in jeopardy so far, especially the two drivers who are seemingly considered to be the weakest links in the sport. Although Timo Glock’s post was just a joke, I think that it has highlighted two drivers that will be under tremendous pressure to perform this season.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in any analysis contained within this article are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.
