Last week's news that Pascal Wehrlein has secured a place on the Formula 1 grid is a shot in the arm for grand prix racing. To have the reigning DTM champion make the move up to the so-called pinnacle of motorsport is exactly what should be happening.
It means there will be three rookies on the grid, with his new team-mate Rio Haryanto, a GP2 race winner, and 2014 GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer making his debut with Renault. And there is also a foot in the door for reigning GP3 champion Esteban Ocon who takes up a Renault reserve role.
There will always be a long list of drivers talented enough to compete in F1 who never even come close. Only a fraction can make it, but that is the same at the top level of any sport.