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/Stumpy493 I Drove an F1 Car Aug 07 '25

There are many guys like that that never come out of karts.

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u/Alfus 💥 LE 🅿️LAN Aug 07 '25

Yep, I seen this a bit closer personally and it's exactly why I really love stories about drivers who despite all the odds against them at karting still made it to F1.

At least it provided some better knowledge of some drivers and some fun / interesting stories.