Why drivers need life beyond F1

In recent weeks, several things have happened that are now rare in Formula 1 circles.

First, an active F1 driver has completed a deal to race for a major manufacturer in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Nico Hulkenberg will drive the third Porsche 919 Hybrid at Le Mans, and potentially also (subject to the Korean Grand Prix's fate) in the Spa 6 Hours that precedes it, on top of his Force India F1 commitments.

The last time an active F1 driver raced at Le Mans was Sebastian Bourdais back in 2009, but there are relatively few examples of this happening over the past 25 years.

Secondly, a driver with an illustrious career in grand prix racing behind him - Rubens Barrichello - won a significant championship in Brazil's V8 Stock Car series.

Few F1 refugees succeed elsewhere, with Fisichella's LMS triumph an exception © LAT

Thirdly, Toro Rosso refugee Jean-Eric Vergne washed up in Formula E, putting in a great performance in Uruguay to come close to a debut victory.

Prior to that, other than Alain Prost's Andros Trophy ice racing crowns, you can only point to Giancarlo Fisichella's 2011 Le Mans Series GTE Pro title in recent years for examples of F1-race-winning drivers going on to win major titles elsewhere.

Hulkenberg, Barrichello and Vergne are in very different points in their careers, but united in that they have been frustrated by F1.

Barrichello enjoyed a successful career at the top level, winning 11 races and finishing as high as second in the world championship.

But his time at Ferrari, when he was number two to Michael Schumacher, clearly still rankles. His determination to continue in F1, chasing drives long after he lost his Williams seat, is admirable, if ultimately pointless, but surely that sense of unfinished business is the driving force behind his success in Brazil.

As for Hulkenberg, he made his F1 debut almost five years ago, has consistently driven well in midfield machinery yet missed out on a place in the big league.

He was keen on making the chance with Porsche happen, and it could be that he sees a successful career with a manufacturer in sportscars as a viable alternative to F1.

Vergne was the Formula E pacesetter on his debut © LAT

After all, old rival Mark Webber is well-paid and with a long-term Porsche deal. The same could be very appealing to a driver like Hulkenberg, who should take to sportscars well, provided he has the necessary time to adapt and get used to dealing with traffic.

Vergne has expressed his frustration at his treatment by F1. His high points have been excellent, although consistency has not always been as good as it should be even once his terrible bad luck is taken into account.

But he's a driver who, in the times of plenty, would very likely still be employed in F1. Now, he has had to seek alternative options, with his Formula E outings for Michael Andretti's team a potential waypoint on his way to IndyCar.

And it's not just those three. In recent months, amid uncertainty about his McLaren future, Jenson Button admitted to having had his eyes opened as to potential racing avenues outside of F1.

Previously, he had talked down the idea of competing at Le Mans but he changed his tune as he referred several times to having a better appreciation for the other options that are out there.

It was a similar story with old team-mate Barrichello. When in F1, he ruled out ever racing in IndyCar on the grounds of safety. Yet when his grand prix career ended, he washed up doing just that, performing well in his rookie season but unable to make the finances work to continue.

That's an example of how things can change for drivers. AUTOSPORT has been compiling its top 50 drivers of 2014 in recent weeks, with reviewing previous editions part of the task.

What stands out is how many drivers' fortunes ebb and flow. This year, 27 drivers who made the list last year did not retain their place. A look back over the years reveals many drivers whose star shone brightly before fading, sometimes leaving them in completely different industries.

Jim Clark found time to race in British touring cars at Oulton Park around winning the 1965 F1 title © LAT

Inevitably, when F1 drivers head elsewhere, it's tempting to talk up the alternatives as having the advantage over F1. But for all of that talk, F1 still remains the destination of choice for professional drivers.

That is unlikely to change. It doesn't mean that there aren't skilled levels and great teams in other categories, far from it, but interest in the top level is disproportionately high.

Just as the average football fan is more likely to be interested in top-level leagues, rather than the fourth or fifth tier, it's the same in motor-racing.

But there are categories that are doing well. The thriving World Endurance Championship plays host arguably to more genuinely professional drivers than F1 does. And as Mark Webber's fortunes have proved, the best drivers in that series are seriously good practitioners.

This is the other thing that it's important to note. While there was once a time when F1 aces raced all over the place - Formula 2, Can-Am, sportscars and, famously in the case of Jim Clark, the British Touring Car Championship, that's not the case now.

While it's a shame, it's also a recognition of the increasing specialisation of these categories.

The DTM is a case in point. It's an excellent championship, full of professional drivers and manufacturers, but plenty of star names have struggled to settle in there over the years.

Frentzen's three-year DTM stint was not successful © XPB

While Jean Alesi and Mika Hakkinen both emerged as race-winners in the DTM, the likes of Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard and Heinz-Harald Frentzen failed to do so.

And why should they? After all, it's a category full of specialists like Mattias Ekstrom, who started in the DTM back in 2001, and highly-motivated young guns like dominant 2014 champion Marco Wittmann and new Mercedes F1 reserve Pascal Wehrlein.

It's the same with IndyCar. Barrichello did a pretty good job in a team - KV Racing - that is not one of the elite squads, but his rookie performances were not enough to dislodge drivers who have been there and done that for a decade or more.

With more F1 seats occupied by drivers with funding, drivers of the calibre to land and keep F1 seats could find themselves having to look elsewhere more often.

The question is whether those who do get cast out of F1 really buy into the need to focus their efforts in other categories. Vergne's brilliance on his Formula E debut was the exception, not the norm, a fine performance in a series only three races old. Repeating that trick elsewhere is not easy, no matter how good you are.

As for someone like Hulkenberg, he is a driver in an interesting position. While Webber headed to Porsche at a time when his F1 career was naturally winding down, Hulkenberg has many years ahead of him.

But if he does well - in itself no easy challenge - and he faces a choice between a long-term, well-paid deal for WEC compared to a professional, but less well-paid, short-term deal in the F1 midfield, perhaps things won't be so clear cut?

That's why F1 drivers, be they aspiring, on the up or on the slide, need alternatives.

And for those of us watching, the chance to see the best of the best pitched against hugely skilled and specialised performers, many of which were F1 calibre but never had the chance to race there, is irresistible.