The Alternative F1 2024 grid: What if every team could only use academy graduates?

A week off from races gives us a perfect chance to ask some hypothetical questions, so what if the F1 2024 grid was only made up of academy graduates?

A common complaint with F1 is it is impossible for young drivers to break through. But say there was a new rule dictating that a driver must have come through the academy, which team would be the strongest?

The alternative F1 2024 grid made of academy graduates

Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda

Red Bull are arguably the team with the the healthiest academy programme, having produced eight drivers who would go on to race for their first team so they are not short of options in this hypothetical scenario.

Max Verstappen is an obvious choice having joined the academy in 2014 but the second seat is more open to debate.

Sergio Perez did not come through Red Bull’s ranks, meaning that the choice will probably be between Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.

There are arguments to be made for either driver but given his performances over the last couple of seasons, Tsunoda should be the one to get the nod.

Carlos Sainz is also a contender but given Red Bull tend to prefer having one lead driver, we have put his future as being elsewhere.

Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez

As obvious a pick as Max Verstappen was for Red Bull, Charles Leclerc is for Ferrari.

The Monegasque remains Ferrari’s star pupil and could well be the first academy driver to win the world title for the Italian outfit.

As for the second seat, many moons ago Sergio Perez was actually made a Ferrari academy member at the same time he joined Sauber in October 2010.

Checo’s link with Ferrari may be looser than others on this list, but he was with the Italians from 2010 to 2012.

Since then, he has developed into a fine driver and although he is going through a rough patch, he would make an able deputy alongside Leclerc.

McLaren: Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris

What a pairing this would be, eh? The driver many see as heir to the British crown alongside the incumbent.

Lewis Hamilton is by far the most successful product of the McLaren academy, but while he did win the title in 2008 for the Woking team the majority of his success has come elsewhere.

Under these rules, Hamilton would have stayed at the MTC and 2024 would be his 18th season in McLaren’s colours.

Since 2019, he would have had Lando Norris as his team-mate.

And while Norris has had some experienced drivers to learn from in reality, Hamilton would be on a different level to that.

Could the relationship bring out the best of them? Could it end in disaster? Sadly that question will forever go unanswered.

Mercedes: George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli

This lineup may well prove to be the real deal come next year as Mercedes look to solve their post-Hamilton future.

George Russell is an obvious name having landed himself a place in the Mercedes academy thanks to a hopeful email, but Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a driver who has been talked about long before this season.

The Italian has been billed as a huge talent and it will surely only be a matter of time before he makes it onto the F1 grid.

Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich and Jessica Hawkins

Aston Martin’s driver academy is the youngest on the grid, so naturally there has not been a huge amount of talent to have come out of it so far.

Of the four drivers linked to the academy, 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich is an obvious selection but the choice for the second seat would be between either Jessica Hawkins or Zak Crawford.

Given her run outs in an F1 car, we are going to give Hawkins the nod this time.

RB: Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson

If we are saying Carlos Sainz misses out on the Red Bull seat as he has done in real life, then a seat at RB seems assured – which is bad news for Daniel Ricciardo.

With Sainz providing the seniority that Red Bull perhaps feel they need at RB, Liam Lawson could be promoted up having impressed during the F1 2023 season.

Sainz and Lawson then would make a very strong lineup for a team which has ambitions far higher than where they currently are.

Haas: Pietro Fittipaldi and Oliver Bearman

We have had to bend the rules a little when it comes to Haas, simply because they do not have a young drivers academy.

In fact, the only driver with academy in their title is Chloe Chambers, who drives for the Haas-branded car in F1 Academy.

Given their relationship with Ferrari, Haas have become somewhat of a proving ground for potential Ferrari drivers and in the past having taken on the likes of Mick Schumacher from the Ferrari factory line.

On that front, Oliver Bearman seems an obvious contender given his performance for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier this year and this is a move that could even come to pass in real life if reports are to be believed.

But while Haas do not have an official driver academy, they have supported drivers in the past most notably Pietro Fittipaldi.

In 2019, the Brazilian was named as Haas’ test driver and continues to serve in that role today.

He has also participated in two free practice sessions and even raced during the F1 2020 season, stepping in for Romain Grosjean after his Bahrain fiery accident.

At 27, he still has plenty of time on his side and is a very experienced driver having competed in IndyCar as well.

Alpine: Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan

The one that got away returns for Alpine as Oscar Piastri is back following his 2020/21 stint in their academy.

Having moved to McLaren in 2022, Piastri has shown himself to be an outstanding talent and would be a great driver to lead the Alpine team.

In terms of the second seat, Alpine has a choice. They could go for an F1 veteran in Grosjean but the Frenchman has been out of the sport for a while now.

Zhou Guanyu is another option, having been with Alpine from 2019 to 2021, but his performances with Sauber have not been too noteworthy.

So we are going to be bold and go for Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan, who could well get the seat next year following Esteban Ocon’s departure.

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Williams: Lance Stroll and Logan Sargeant

Ooft.

For a team that has existed as long as Williams has, there is not exactly an abundance of talent to have emerged from Grove.

Williams’ driver academy began in 2016 but only four drivers from there have ever raced in F1.

Of those, it is Lance Stroll who has the most experience and is the best driver, while the likes of Jack Aitken and Nicholas Latifi have both seen their F1 chances come and go.

But current driver Logan Sargeant is a graduate of the Williams academy and maybe without someone like Sainz able to replace him, he may feel less pressure and therefore produce better performances.

That is a big if but given the other candidates, this is probably Williams’ best option.

Sauber: Theo Pourchaire and Zane Maloney

Sauber have had plenty of drivers come through their academy but not many have made it up the motorsport ladder.

They have yet to produce an F1 driver meaning their best talent is reigning F2 champion Theo Pourchaire who could well get the seat in the future.

In that scenario, he is a sensible choice but it gets tough when it comes to filling that second seat.

Zane Maloney is third in the F2 championship currently but even if it would be too soon for a move up to F1, he is the best choice Sauber have.

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