Quote:
Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist
I would agree, the sums of money involved could be very persuasive. But these guys are very ego-driven and it seems a bit feeble to battle all the way to F1 and then say "I'll just sit back now and take the money."
Massa got his day in the sun after several years of brown-nosing Schumacher. Irvine and Barrichello never did get a proper shot at being a No 1 in a competitive team (ignoring the time when Schumacher broke his leg). Kimi has been right to the top of the tree, he's still got the speed yet he finds himself in a role where he just has to ensure Vettel gets as many points as possible and Hamilton as few as possible. I find it hard to believe he's doing it for the money as he walked away from a F1 salary once before when he fancied rallying instead, though I'll admit I can't think of another plausible explanation.  |
Think most of these guys are realistic enough to admit that there is nothing that can be done with most of the cars on the grid, so collect the money, do as you are told and live a long, happy and prosperous life. There is no possible reward for dragging most of the cars on the grid around.
Barrichello and Irvine were never the best of the best, and yet they made very good livings out of F1 and got good results even if they paid second fiddle to Schumacher. They would never have beaten him consistently in an equal car anyway.