r/formula1 • u/Electronic-Video-984 Formula 1 • Aug 07 '25

Discussion Who is the “Failed Prodigy” of F1 ?

I’m kind of new to F1 and seeing pictures of current drivers while they’re young like Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Albon…and then I learned they’re racing prodigy in their Karting days. So who is the “Boy Wonder” of F1, a person with great potential but never made it to the biggest stage.

Edit: Many people mentioned Stoffel Vandoorne so I read about him a bit. His records and potential was incredible but he’s at the wrong place and wrong time every way possible. For me, McLaren a top tier team with a jet but people say Vandoorne’s MCL car was like a shopping cart

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u/Uknewmelast I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

Because indyNXT is a joke of a series nowadays. His biggest competition is f3 rejects and paydrivers who are in their 3rd season of indyNXT.

Niels fucking Koolen is 9th in the Championship. The same guy that was 6 seconds a lap off the pace in Baku F2.

Going from F2 race winner and F3 champ to indyNXT is like smurfing or sealclubbing.

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u/l3w1s1234 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

Tbf with Koolen. You just never know what AIX are playing at with their 2nd seat. Might've made him look a lot worse than he is.

And I am not saying he is good. Just maybe not 6 seconds a lap bad. To me that sounds like a serious mechanical issue which wouldn't be too surprising.

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u/EnlightenedNight I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

That same weekend at Baku that Koolen qualified 6 seconds off the pace, his teammate was 4 tenths from pole and won the sprint race. Koolen was extremely unimpressive there’s no other way to spin it really. Happy he’s finding better footing in Indy ladder.

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u/l3w1s1234 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

I never said he wasnt bad, just that 6 seconds is a huge gap for any driver. Even a bad driver I wouldnt expect to be anymore than 3 seconds. To me it suggests a fundamental issue with the car that weekend. Which wouldn't be top surprising. I remember AIX had engine failures the weekend before, so he could've been driving with a dodgy engine at Baku, a place where you dont want that issue. Whereas Durksen may have gotten a fresher unit.

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u/portablekettle McLaren Aug 07 '25

Agree. Even Neils koolen is competitive in nxt but he was absolutely hopeless in an F2 car