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The real threat young drivers pose

The sport's old guard is getting jumpy about the new generation of exuberant racer, but it's their speed that should be the main worry, reckons JONATHAN NOBLE

Not many people agree with Felipe Massa that he was an entirely innocent party in that first-corner crash at the German Grand Prix. However, I do agree - although for entirely different reasons - with his sentiments that F1's top drivers had better be keeping an eye out for the young rising stars right now.

Massa may be talking about youthful exuberance causing a few too many first-lap crashes - although have there really been that many this season? But Hockenheim marked another step in a generation change that is going on right now.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.