IT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH NATIONALITY! Opinions on the Recent Super License Rule Changes 

I distinctly remember the FIA saying regarding the Herta situation "Sorry, but we can't make any exceptions" Huh

Totally agree with Aidan. The amount of license points given out in Indy Car is a joke and should be changed. However whilst Colton Herta is definitely one the fastest Indy Car drivers he's by no means one of the very best. Imo the likes of Dixon, Palou and Newgarden are just more complete allround drivers than Herta and I'd love to see one of them giving it a go in a competitive car in F1. On another note: Kimi Antonelli is driving for Prema this year and his F2 teammate is a young man called Oliver Bearman who already has one Grand Prix under his belt, actually did really well in his one off appearance and Antonelli so far is beating him more often than not in F2. He's also doing this in his rookie year whilst Bearman has already had a full season in F2 last year. It's also remarkable how consistent and clean Antonelli has always been throughout his junior career. He hardly ever makes mistakes and gets the best result possible almost every time. So yes, he deserves a super license and if Williams wants Sargent out, I think Antonelli will do at least what Sargent has been doing so far this year although probably with less carnage and destruction given his impressively clean record so far.

If wec and imsa get along, f1 and indy should.

I think the main issue with the super license in regards to Indy car is the depth of talent in Indy car is much deeper than in F2 or the European feeder series. Finishing 7th in a non Penske or Ganassi car is pretty damn good. Right now Herta is 7th in the IC standings ahead of Rossi, Ericsson and Grosjean all ex F1 guys plus Fittipaldi. Also he's ahead of Rosenqvist who finished 3rd in FE and Super Formula and a gaggle of ex Euro feeder series guys Ferrucci, Lundgaard, and Armstrong. I don't think finishing 7th in F2 would have you beating better drivers than that group, yet you get double the points for it. The IC field is more experienced and mature than the Euro feeder series, I think IC drivers should get at least a few more points than they currently do. They can still give more weight to F2 if they want. None of this absolves Herta in all of this as he's been far too mistake prone

It has all to do with money, sponsorships and politics. Nothing new for FIA.

We are forgetting that Herta raced in Europe. He won multiple races in British F2, F3, and Euroformula. All before going to Indy lights. That's got to count for something.

Colton Herta can do things in IndyCar that most won't try. It results in some wild looking highlights, and some really amateur looking crashes. I think if he had been given a shot a few years back when he had more buzz, he'd probably do okay in F1. But years of meandering around IndyCar, trying way too hard to stand out, have made him look a bit weak. At the end of the day, I understand why F1's direct feeder series gets preferential treatment in terms of earning a super license. But I also see that imbalance hasn't brought a lot of new talent in. I don't really know what's going on in F1 right now, but I can't remember a time where it has felt as closed off as it currently does. The teams are just trading drivers back and forth, and there are no teams dropping out and no new ones coming in.

I think the real crux is that IndyCar should probably have more super license points over some of the European feeder systems

I swear every time I watch one of Aidan's videos it makes me wonder if he is a secret Canadian... Blue Jays Hats, Tim Hortons cups like I am so confused.

I really think that cutting back on testing time is causing the most issues with drivers being able to make the transition.

The problem with Indycar is twofold: Indycar's points payout is pathetically low, and it's also much harder to score those points than than in F2. As much as F1 fans like to dunk on it, Indycar is still a proper destination series and its mainstays are some of the best in the world. The talent in F2 simply cannot be as deep when the reigning champion is banned from competing and the entire grid turns over every few years. If you want to prove yourself as an open wheel driver outside of F1, that's where you do it. But when you've got guys like Scott Dixon, Will Power, Josef Newgarden, etc to go up against year after year, even a generational talent is gonna have a hard time getting those 40 points. Also worth noting Herta would not currently have enough points under the F2 payout, but back in 2022 when they denied him, he was coming off of championship finishes of 7th, 3rd, and 5th. That 3rd place alone would have qualified him if Indycar and F2 paid out equal points.

Here’s the problem with comparing formula 2 to INDYCAR. In formula 2 every year the champion is required to leave the series if you took all the former champions out of INDYCAR Hetra would definitely finished high enough in the points over the last three years to get the super license points, when you have a series that kicks out its best people every year you’re no longer having the best people in it whereas INDYCAR still has the best drivers every year.

11:08 I think Loeb was a bit different, RB wanted to put him in race with little to no preparation, most of his career he had been doing time trials not circuit racing (though he'd done very well in LM), He himself expected to be a second of the pace

Unfortunately for Herta, his last two seasons mean he doesn't even qualify for a practice super licence at the moment which means McLaren, for example, couldn't even use him for one of their "rookie only please" practice sessions

Why is the car licence even on the books? The skills needed to drive a washing machine with wheels are quite different to a prototype race car.

Is there any correlation between Adrian watching and Herta being in the wall, not watching and not being in the wall? Perhaps that should be part of the super licence requirement considerations.

I completely agree with Jenson on that, why should anyone have to pay more for access to the same thing just because they were more successful at it last time? It’s like having to pay extra for the online experience in the next COD game because your K.D. Is too high Also the drivers license requirement is a bit stupid IMO. I don’t see how knowing what road signs mean, who has priority at a mini-roundabout or how to safely pass a horse shows your competency in a race car

When do the FIA keep to their own rules. They make them up as they go along, or apply them to certain drivers/teams and ignore them for others. If a rookie driver takes part in a test, as O'Ward has done for example, and proved themselves up to speed, what's the problem with giving them a licence. I can understand if they are seconds off the pace, or throw the car off the road at each corner, but drivers who can match the current F1 drivers in the same car should be welcomed onto the grid. Enough with all this, "You don't have enough super licence points, cause you race in a series that doesn't give you many points, but we'll just put on this blindfold to do one of the F1 bosses a favour by letting their driver onto the grid, just because we've made the decision they're good enough, when they don't have the points or are too young". It's total bullshit!!!!!

In perspective, former F1 and F2 drivers can’t even acquire enough points in Indycar. Only 1 former F1/F2 driver is in the top 12. Those guys are career pros and it’s incredibly difficult for a young driver to break through. And those top guys aren’t leaving Indycar. Herta has to out point Dixon, Power, and Newgarden who are 3 of the greatest Indycar drivers of all-time. And now is challenged by Palou and O’Ward. Brutal.

One correction: They can test 2022 car from this year, as it's 2 years older than the current cars

I believe at the time of asking, Herta's Indycar finishes were actually 3rd-5th-7th (2019-2022), which would have had him on 32 points. This is due to the COVID-19 stipulation where it was top 3 of the previous 4 seasons if 2021 was involved. He could've gotten a few extra bonus points from doing FP runs for McLaren in 2022 as well. This still would have had him short on points, but it would have had him MUCH closer.

I can understand the Herta argument i am pretty certain Pato had the same issue and now has the super license. I think the main issue was that indy lights season where there weren't enough cars running so they didn't grant the super license points. Should indycar get more super license points sure, will the FIA they wont. Lastly i am pretty certain the plan for F2 for Kimi was 2 seasons, so i felt it was weird how media said he would dominate considering how strong most the field this year is.

I've been saying that at the time Herta rumors... Herta is NOT an F1 material.

indy car driveqrs would be a prime candidate for some sort of post season young drivers test

So did the FIA just forget that Antonelli does not have an actual drivers licence?

Interesting point in regards to minimum age for drivers license. In some US states and Puerto Rico the minimum age is 16.

Max was a bit young, but he'd still had twice the race starts that Kimi Raikkonen did

F1 is a business. its not about fairness and finding out who is really the best driver.... ITS ABSURD that indycar drivers have difficulty racing in F1. drivers like dixon, power, palau and scotty mac would be very competive (in a good car) in F1. F1 basically does want indycar drivers coming into F1 and beating their drivers that come through their F1 feeder system.

Well put. That's the point about Herta, he's not an Indycar frontrunner when it comes to the championship positions. (And consistency is what matters when it comes to a safety issue such as licensing.) Contrary to what a vocal part of the internet have been shouting, he could qualify for a superlicense by just finishing in towards the top of the championship. He doesn't need to win it, or even finish in the top 3 every year. Just finishing top 3 once and a couple of strong years outside top 3 would do it. Even a single 2nd, or 3rd plus a couple of years in the top 6, would put him close enough that a case could be made for an exemption (or he could earn the extra points driving an F1 car in free practice, if a team really wanted him). As for Antonelli... yet again the FIA makes a rule for good reason and as soon as it's tested for the first time they fold. Just like stewards ceasing to even investigate incidents certain drivers are involved in as soon as they get close to enough penalty points for a race ban. Why even bother having the rule... First rule of doing anything with children (& racing drivers) is never ever make threats unless you're prepared to follow through on them. Once they see you fold, your authority is gone for good. Far from being an exception, I'd say Max Verstappen's conduct in F1 has been an example of why the rule was needed. He surely would have matured much faster with a couple more years racing F3/F2 or similar before entering F1. An age restriction may actually be to the benefit of young drivers long-term careers.

They made this big of a deal over Stefano Modena. Erm...

Personal take here. If people want to make the points system "fair", then to make it "fair", then the requirement to leave F2 once you win the F2 Championship need to be lifted. As a side note, as an Australian, I am mad in how the S5000 open wheel series has/had been managed. For me the S5000 series could have been a good filler series for the open wheel fans in Australia, New Zealand, and South East Asia. The reason I am mentioning this because for me if the S5000 series could have been a 3rd option long with F2 ans Indy for drivers to gain to 40 points needed to get the super licence as well as serving as an awesome hold over for any drivers that aged out of F1, and or, could never "cut it" to be in F1 in the same way as Indy is. Not saying that Indy is inferior to F1, I am just saying that as a driver, it seems to me that Indy as a series have the room to allow the drivers to last longer as a professional open wheel driver.

Thank you for the clarity on this issue.

Indycar should get more super license points than F2.They cars are harder and the competition is more fierce

The issue is the Indy field has reverted back to being stronger than F2 overall but the points don’t reflect it Jenson Button recently said almost exactly that.

Proof the the US needs more go karts!

With Nolan Segal not able to qualify for the Indy 500 and turn around and win Le Mans, maybe we need an IndyCar super license and you would need to win back to back F1 championships to get into IndyCar.

What is a super license? A license with Superman's picture.

Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

I don't see why the top drivers should have to pay more for their renewal. If you had an excelklent season why would they want to try and potentially push you out of the sport? If anything it sounds like it gives a weird incentive for smaller teams to try and game the system and not earn as many points as they actually deserve.

If I'm remembering right, I think Colton had the 40 points with his 2nd place finish from his year in Indy Lights. The Indy Lights field only had 9 cars that year and the FIA said the field wasn't big enough and those points dont count.

In some ways it’s understandable why the FIA has a bias against American racing. If not for anything else, it disturbs their idea of how drivers should approach their racing careers. However, the FIA need to hold their hand up in admitting that the motorsport ladder in the way that it is- is no longer sufficient for the sheer quality and quantity of drivers coming out of Lower Formula. In a way, motorsport in general would benefit massively from a rethink of a global racing strategy- including somewhere the cohesion of European, American and Japanese racing.

It seems like the FIA has always had to juggle wearing several hats. As such, I don’t think they have ever been a cohesive organisation in all the years that I’ve watched motorsport- even in the years of Jean Todt.

There's too many drivers competing for too little seats. F1 drivers are supposed to be "old" and talented and there should be at least 24 divers on the grid, but 12+ teams. F2 winners should be allowed to stay and only be kicked out after 3 championships and only drivers out of the top 3 can be picked for F1.

Oh boy, it's a mess. Btw, I've heard from others that Kimi is only being given the superlicence for a few FP runs with Williams. This, however, clashes with the rumour that Sainz has been offered a 4 year contract there. It could be that Merc is using Williams as a cover for something?

the cynic in me says its because F1 sees the 'next big thing' in Antonelli and business overrrules, well, rules. edit: I actually managed to get here before the bots 😂

Herta can beat all the grandpas in Indy and get the points. FWIW Scott Dixon can get a SL and he is not interested in F1.

To me this seems a bit absurd, especially with the (at least, popularly held belief) results from Max's immaturity and crashing were a big part of that age limit rising, as well as just... legal issues and such. Having children in the cars was worrying. From what I understood, it was never a question that young men and women COULD be fast, as max was for certain quick, it was about the mind, body, and mental state all being mature enough to handle it - among a plethora of other issues. So, moving that rule aside because Antonelli could be fast enough misses the entire point of why the rule was ever added.

Can't deny it's oddly suspicious we have this drama going on in tandem with the Andretti drama. The FIA's always had a dicey track record (pun intended), not exactly surprised they're pulling all these stunts

The FIA taketh. The FIA giveth. Praise be the FIA!

It's funny how Colton's developed into kind of the opposite of his father, who was very good, but also very careful and never a wrecker. In his day Bryan was criticized for not being bold enough, and I remember Chip Ganassi questioning his "commitment", which is racing code for "courage". If you could combine Bryan & Colton, you might have the perfect driver, or at least one who could compete for championships. Bryan should take Colton in hand and teach him the old racing maxim: to finish first, first you have to finish.

Herta didn't got his points because he's not as good as Ganassi drivers at saving fuel

Everyone is making driver comparisons by performance and nationality, that's not what the Superlicense is serving. It's been carefully structured to protect the financial stability of F1 ladder (F2 etc.) Indycar points allocation is atrocious and insulting when you consider the challenges of driving the car compared to any Open wheel car in Europe. It's not a technological advanced as F1 but it's every bit a difficult to drive because it takes more physicality to handle. I'm not talking g-forces which every F1 fan likes to brag about, I'm talking about driving a very heavy car with no power steering and doing it for almost twice the amount distance. Indycar races are like endurance races compared to F1. Indycar races on much rougher venues where pavement is quite brutal for a open-wheel car. F2 does not have 10-20 yr veteran drivers competing against young upstarts, so the level of competition is significantly steeper in Indycar. Hence Colton Herta's performance struggles. Despite the common knowledge that Indycar is spec, there is indeed a proverbial food chain of teams. Penske and Ganassi dominate the series. McLaren is knocking and Andretti is right behind them. If Colton Herta was driving for either Penske or Ganassi he would have won the championship multiple times. To reiterate, this is not about competitive performance of the driver, instead this is about preserving F2 status as the primary gateway to F1. For example if Andrea Kimi Antonelli came from Indy NXT or Indycar, he would more than likely not get the exception to join F1. Simply because he's not a F2, F3 prospect.

"Also the first driver born in the 90s to compete in F1" Me, born in the late 80s, disintegrating into dust: "I don't feel so good.."

Didn't Herta already test with McLaren once? At Barcelona? And if memory serves correctly McLaren weren't too pleased with what they saw. Or was it someone else?

The requirement for having a driver's license is stupid. Driving a vehicle on public roads has no bearing on one's ability to drive a racecar around a track, especially for these guys who have spent their entire lives racing before ever getting to that age. They will have massively more experience and skill than the average teenager taking their driver's test. It's completely irrelevant and I have no idea why that's included in the rule.

Okay hear me out, Indy car is a harder and more difficult series than f2. They should have the same points for the license. That wouldn’t promote drivers going through the fia’s feeder series. Costing them millions and giving it to say Indy car because the points would be the same. Mind you no driver would do that because obviously Indy car is the harder series to get 40 super license points out of even with the f2s points replacing Indy’s current ones.

Herta would have the points if he was driving for Penske or Ganassi

Excellent video, essentially how I've felt about this as well. There's a vast difference between making an exception for someone who hasn't met the performance criteria, and making it for someone who has well exceeded that criteria and only slightly falls short on a different criteria that's close to being met and completely out of that individual's control. It isn't like he just turned 17 and is going to be starting races from now til his 18th birthday under this exception. At most he'll get a few practice sessions, then he'll be 18 and none of this will matter anymore anyway.

So bizarre that drivers need a regular driving licence. Not exactly doing three point turns are they?

I think some circuits can make an f1 driver look better than what they are too. Mika Salo was on the podium at Monza in a ferrari in 1999 and Nick De Vries scored points on his debut with Williams at Monza. But neither were in f1 for very long afterwards.

Well to be fair, Herta is ok but if I wanted some Indycar driver to race in f1 it would be someone else because I think there are better drivers than him. But I agree that Indycar should give more points for Super licence

F1 is not the pinnacle of motor sport. If it was it would be more open to competition. It really is just a European championship.

It is weird to see that, because of Max Verstappen they increased the age to 18 in first place......

F1 doesn’t want an American driver, they want American dollars. They’re too elitist. First the Andretti fiasco and now this. You can't tell me that Herta wouldn't be better than Logan or Stroll.

2:16 Ricardo Rodriguez later shortened his name to Rico and ended up having a successful career as a "dictator removal specialist" (I'm not sure what his actual title was, but I think it involved a lot of grappling hooks.)

The Stroll situation was over alcohol sponsorship

Colton Herta is an amazingly talented driver, but he's his own worst enemy with his temperament. He makes way too many mistakes trying to pass or crashing in the lead.

USA - I got my learners permit at 15, regular license at 16 and CDL at 22. I've been driving since I was 9!!!

Obviously, Herta doesn't have the "SL" points that are "APPARENTLY" necessary to get onto the grid. But I don't think that is the fundamental issue in this situation. The issue is that the FiA ignored their "rules" for the 17-year-old, and yet they were adamant that Herta hadn't shown that he had the abilities to be in F1. Which is absolutely hogwash. The points system was only made for paid driver reasons. The FiA knows full well that Colton Herta is not some scrub that would make a fool of himself. So yeah, not allowing him the chance like they have for Antonelli is really unfortunate and stupid on their part.

Herta has loads of talent, what he DOESN'T have is loads of patience. I think he would compare well in a test, once he's got warmed up. BUT, I don't think he will do well in a race, too impatient, would rack up quite a damage bill. Same with Ferucci. Only US driver who is young enough and has the right skill/patience mix, I think, for F1 is Kirkwood.

Just curious, have you ever tried to get into live motorsport broadcasting? You clearly have the passion and work ethic to make it a succes. And that voice is just begging for a live mic.

Fernado alonso may have a point when he said the FIA look at drivers nationality when making decisions 😂

The point system just needs reworked. Ideally any series past the jnr ladder should be awardingbthe same as F2. So like Indycar, WEC, FE, SF etc. Give these series the same as the highest level jnr category as these series have talent involved above that. SL should just say your good enough to adapt to an F1 car and most drivers in these series can.

Its simple. 17 and the ability to set a minimum time in an F1 car, over a given number of laps. 3-5 laps? A team could "sponsor" a candidate. They wont want to risk a multimillion dollar car unless they think the candidate is capable of the task. Add maybe minimum set times in the sim for a set of 3-4 tracks around the world. Time is the most objective measure.

What's the logic in charging extra for getting points? Shouldn't you be given a DISCOUNT for good performance?

The fact that IndyCar gives out less points then F2 despite the longer season, in faster cars, against a field that has more experience then F1's, shows it's meant for nothing more then to make F2 a requirement into getting into F1 despite it producing no champions, in fact half the drivers in F1 who've entered since it started never went to it.

What’s the point of being an IndyCar driver wanting to race in F1? They’re just gonna run mid-pack anyway while you can be very competitive in IndyCar (besides Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya). Yes I’m more on the IndyCar side, but there’s like 2-3 and sometimes even 4 competitive teams. As for Kimi, he obviously needs more time in Formula 2. It would be smart to give him another year in F2 so he can learn from his mistakes from this year.

It has everything to do with Nationality Aidan.

Off the top of my head idea for allowing those without enough points to attempt to test their way in to F1: a flat starting fee ($100,000 USD or something similar) PLUS a fee for **each point** your are short of the minimum 40 Super License Points ($25,000 or whatever the FIA feels like).

On Sebastian Loeb - so, to preface this, I have a love-hate relationship with Loeb. On the one hand - he is, without doubt, the greatest Rally Driver, ever. No argument, No exceptions. He went up against some absolute titans of Rally and once he found his groove, he was unstoppable. Which also made Rally boring (for me) to watch - hence the hate part. So, I am not a Loeb fan, but I respect his ability - him getting a super license, despite his clear ability - would have been silly. Rally is not F1, different surface and *completely* different set of racing parameters. Now, do I think Loeb would have sucked? No, I think given some preparation time, he would end up being on comparable to a midfield driver or better... But the idea that he would have slotted in seemlessly is silly with just how different Rally is from F1. That said, I wanted to see him race in F1...

I'd say regardles of percived talent everyone should wait until they're 18 to get behind the wheel of an F1, besides the danger you gotta consider the maturity and responsability (and legal liability and stuff) that it takes to drive on one of those Also, the point system realllly needs an overhaul, I'd say anyone should need around 50-60 to get the super license, and just distribute points a bit better, 40 for 1st in F2 still should be as high as it gets, so you need at least 2 years in there to qualify (I know that means changing the "winner is banned" rule, unless you had a couple from the previous series, if you're winner back to back and keep it consisten enough to get that many on your first go yea you totaly deserve the licence, and could also mean if you don't quite have enough go get a crack at diferent series, which btw should give better points aswell, that way you prevent upcoming talent to get stuck as reserve drivers and never actualy driving, you diversify diferent series and drivers get experience The fact that Indy gives barely enough is bafling, those cars are very close to F1

Do you feel that the sprint races should be competed by each team submitting 1 car with a member of their driver academy? This could then be a separate "championship" for the drivers but the points also count for the constructors title across the whole season?

I believe part of the problem is that many of those involved in Formula 1 also have financial interests in a lot of the F2 and F3 teams. This means that when the wealthy parents want to spend a couple of million so that Little Johnny can make it into Formula 1, those involved in the lesser formulas do very well out of it. Hence making it harder to get in without going through the "correct' feeder series. As for the point system itself, I reckon its all bullshit. If you can prove you're fast enough, and have evidence that you can handle yourself safely on a race track, then why not. And for all those who say that the jump to F1 would be too great, Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle both went from 200hp British Formula 3 cars and jumped straight into 1000+hp turbo-charged monsters and they went ok. Obviously some way of giving drivers more opportunity to test in F1 cars would be needed but saying only those going through F3 and F2 are up to it is rubbish. And as for the road licence, I don't know what it's like in your countries but in Australia obtaining a drivers licence just proves that you can pass a test, not that you can actually drive.

Come to think of it, Formula Offroad is technically an open-wheeler, there should be no reason FIA not considering their driver, Icelandic Super license holder is not that weird after all

A better distribution of the super license points for IndyCar (and even Indy NXT) would be a good solution. I would say make points accrued in IndyCar equivalent to F2, and the points accrued in Indy NXT equivalent to F3 or at the very least equivalent to the Americas Formula Regionals.

Feel like the FIA could head off a lot of anger if they divorced the superlicense from driver ability. It’s a license determining whether you are safe enough race in F1 not whether they are good enough. Series that correlate closely as such get more points than series that are at a higher level or have more talent.

Its getting harder to say it's not about nationality with the recent fiasco regarding Andretti. Yes I know that wasn't the FIA. But it was the F1 piggy bank.

I'd think that these kids need a better F1 testing option... F2 isn't quite it. not a full season, but like before the season starts, the FIA provides a mule car testing in Jerez for the rookies?

Hello Aidan: I am astounded by what happened to Sebastian Loeb. Have a lovely day.

A system even a flawed one is better than no system where everyone is depending on likebility. Everyone who has ambitions towards F1 knows what to do. Just go racing in F2 and prove yourself. This was in '22 a big topic and back then Herta had 32 points, stil 8 shy. That is one fifth or 20% of the required amount.

I think it needs some fixing. Like what if a driver won the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship, the FIA World endurance championship in hypercar, won a couple of races in IMSA - but didn't do the full championship, and Pikes peak... In the same year? But had no points before that year because he was in SCCA Trans-Am and some odd series? Well, the historic cars doesn't count at all, Pike's peak isn't a racing series or a special race for these points, and IMSA wasn't a full program. So he is probably far behind on that title. And SCCA Trans-am? So no superlicense and 30 points. I think it can be fixed just by adding a number of series, some with a low points. And increasing a bit some series points. For instance, winning the WRC should give maybe 7 points for a Formula 1 superlicense. Even if I don't think someone winning the WRC would try to move to Formula 3 or Formula 2 to become a Formula 1 driver, that should still count for something in theory. Winning the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship - I don't know how many points that should be, but it should count for something: Let's say 5 points. The SCCA Trans Am is not really a national GT, but that should count for something similar. Etc.

You have Tim Horton's over there in UK?

Fun random fact for you Aidan! Canada has a strange driver's license system that varies from province to province. Most provinces have a class 5/7 system, where your 7 is a learner's permit with some restrictions, and your 5 is the full, unrestricted passenger vehicle license. Most provinces allow you to get a learner's at 16, with Alberta allowing a learner's at 14. Ontario is the weird one. You first get a G1 at 16, with is worthless. You can only drive with a fully licensed driver and you have to have one before a year until you do a driving test and get a G2 class, which is like a learner's permit with some restrictions like not driving on freeways (400 series highways). Then you have to do a 2nd test to get your unrestricted G license.

the thing is back!

The Antonelli hype is already suffocating

When did UK get Timmie's??

In Austria you can also have a full driver's licence by the age of 17, if you 'do L17'. So your map is not fully up to date and it's possible that some more countries need to be included as well.

Plot twist: The FIA just really want Antonelli in F1 because his first name is Kimi. 😂 Before I get flamed to a crisp for this, it would be seemingly just as sound logically on the FIA’s part as all their anti-Andretti nonsense for example. 😝

I agree that Herta is a bad example, however the request was made by Helmut Marko. The FIA should accept his judgment, he isn't some privateer from the 70s trying to race his brother in law. Also the Indycar points should equal F2 points. F2 is designed to train for F1 however it is kids racing kids. You don't see some angry old man that won't let you pass. Think of racing Will Power as training for racing Estabon Ocon.

How about JV, I recall he was the youngest or 2nd youngest then?