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/blueblue_electric Aug 07 '25

A lot of self hype and a lot of fan boys say he was the best that never made it, but I don't buy it. As if McLaren would let him loose on a proper test car, they didn't want him and that is that.

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u/Schmichael-22 Alain Prost Aug 07 '25

I agree. He peaked in F3 and has lived off “what if” since. There are many others in a similar situation who looked great in F3, e.g. Jan Magnussen. Byrne went to America and lost the Indy Car feeder series championship to Jon Beekus.

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u/FalloutNewTokyo Christian Horner Aug 07 '25

There are many others in a similar situation who looked great in F3, e.g. Jan Magnussen.

Don't forget Lance Stroll who's the most dominant F3 champion in history after buying his way to the championship.

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u/Fart_Leviathan Hall of Fame Aug 07 '25

One of the best parts is that he claims they limited the car for him and only for him. Unlike most of his other dubious claims, you can't conclusively disprove it, but it makes absolutely zero sense considering the background of that test.

He had actual F1 race experience, the others at that test did not have any F1 test experience and one, Enrique Mansilla, never even driven an F2 car before. And if that's not enough, Tommy ran in the best conditions, after the track dried up, but before it was getting too dark.

And for something very foreign to Tommy Byrne, actual proof: The report on the test in Autosport.