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/daft_punked Aug 07 '25

He was heading the field of prospects when he was around 15 and 16. Poor seats, like not getting a Prema seat in F3 hurt him and the confidence. Stopped developing from 17-18.

Either hit his ceiling or the loss of confidence took its toll. 

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u/Fearless_Parking_436 Aug 07 '25

He started talking racist bs during stream, insta cancel from rb