Andre Lotterer made his Formula One debut with the Caterham at the Belgian Grand Prix this season. But than a decade ago, he was on the fast track to F1 as part of former F1 team Jaguar Racing’s driver programme.
Yet it’s that juxtaposition that sums up how much F1 has changed since Lotterer was a then-21-year-old test driver with Jaguar in 2002.
Jaguar was one of a host of manufacturers in F1 at that time, but they departed at the end of the 2004 season. Meanwhile, the Caterham team continues to fight for its future having been through a management change earlier this year and trying to figure out its budget.
As Lotterer enjoys a healthy multi-series motorsport career with Audi in the FIA World Endurance Championship while also still racing single seaters in Super Formula series shows that you can still make it in Motorsport successfully even if you don’t reach Formula One.
In his interview with the media today, Lotterer reflected on the Belgian Grand Prix debut and where he’s at now. Lotterer stated the following about his current situation:-
‘It was a nice thing for me to do F1. It was my target when I was younger, didn’t make it, but I do have a very happy and beautiful career. Audi is the most amazing manufacturer to be with. You can be with them a long time and have a healthy career. They are the most beautiful race cars out there, so I think people envy us racing them.
‘Then on the other side I have the purest and fastest race cars around the corners in the world, in Super Formula. They’re so precise, and you don’t want the race to end. The cars do exactly what you want. The combination of both things, sporting wise, are really good.’
As Lotterer says, his target when he was younger was to reach the pinnacle of Motorsport and that dream is every driver’s ultimate dream without question. But even though he would have been disappointed at the time, it is clear that he now no longer feels that way and is happy with the way his career has panned out and rightly so.
As he rightly points out, he has had a happy and fruitful relationship with Audi and has achieved success with them over the years and still continues to do so. And with the series that he is racing in currently, it is clear that Lotterer is happy with his performances and also with the series he is involved in.
While Lotterer praised F1’s media reach, he was less complementary about the on-track product itself. Lotterer added the following:-
‘F1 is another dimension in terms of media. For people who don’t know that much about racing, many think it’s the only thing.
‘But in terms of racing, F1 isn’t what it used to be anymore. I got to feel that when I did my race. There’s not much grip from the tires and not much downforce in the corners. You can’t go flat out. But it was still a good experience.’
As Lotterer says, Formula One is different in terms of other racing series with regards to the media, but as he rightly says there is much more to it than that such as engines etc. But I would have to agree with Lotterer and say that F1 isn’t what it used to be and many of the recent decisions may have impacted on its appeal for example the V6 engines.
As Lotterer says, Formula One is different in terms of other racing series with regards to the media, but as he rightly says there is much more to it than that such as engines etc. But I would have to agree with Lotterer and say that F1 isn’t what it used to be and many of the recent decisions may have impacted on its appeal for example the V6 engines.
Lotterer, who is now a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi and longtime co-drivers Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler, hailed the Le Mans challenge as a greater annual goal. Lotterer said the following:-
‘Le Mans is a challenge, that gives you so many emotions. Even if you win 3 times, you want to win it again and again. In that sense, it keeps your motivation up, and it’s not wrong. You’re trying to beat Tom’s target of nine wins. It’s a race that can give you that. Driving in Japan, 10 years, I don’t get tired of it.
‘F1 could be another challenge but at 33 years old, you want to go into a good challenge. What I mean by that is that you’re in a team for 2-3 years, well-funded and with everything healthy. But apart from the top 3-4 teams, nobody can offer you that in F1. So 7-8 years ago there were more manufacturers, but now is not the right time.’
As Lotterer says, Le Mans is the ultimate challenge and to win the race three times shows just how talented he really is as a driver and also with the success in the other series he races in shows that he is still performing well in order to achieve what he has achieved and will continue to achieve in his career.
It would seem that Lotterer believes that F1 is a good challenge overall and it is one that appeals to him if he is an team that is a good position with a good car and also the financial backing behind them. As he points out, only the well-funded teams can offer that possibility to a driver and it shows just how times have changed in Formula One in eight years.
Additionally, Lotterer praised the fan-friendly nature of the FIA WEC, and how much more open the paddock is compared to the F1 “piranha club.” Lotterer added the following in the latter stages in his interview:-
‘It’s very fan friendly here, more open, and a lot more people. The F1 paddock is very empty. Just the teams and a few VIPs.
‘For me it was a great experience as a one-off, but a lot of attention around my box. But for sure, if they want to please the fans more, it’s not the ideal way. We’re much more fan friendly here. There’s a much more humble approach.’
From what I gather from what Lotterer has stated in his interview, he believes that the WEC and its fan-friendly atmosphere could be something that Formula One could learn from. And I understand exactly where Lotterer is coming from and I would have to agree with him.
Overall, it would appear that Lotterer enjoyed his experience in Formula One with Caterham in Belgium but he would much prefer to be in the same position where is in his career currently than risk being in the sport for a short time and not having his future secure.
And that is Lotterer’s right. At the end of the day, he is successful in Le Mans, is successful with his other series of racing and has a great relationship with Audi and it would be stupid for Lotterer to give that up, even though many would understand if he did so if he got the call to Formula One.
But I just feel that if Lotterer got the call, he would be tempted for sure but he would need long term security and that cannot be guaranteed in the sport today unlike 8 years ago. This just shows that Lotterer is right to say that Formula One isn’t what it used to be due to how they use the media, how drives are secured with teams and also how the cars perform on the circuit.
But Formula One is the pinnacle of Motorsport and will always be changing and adapting to make sure it stays that way. But it’s open to interpretation what Lotterer has stated about the spor.t Some may feel like Lotterer does and Formula One isn’t what it used to be and some might feel that Formula One has changed for the better.
But the question has to be raised; no matter what changes go into the sport, Formula One will still remain the ultimate dream for any driver racing, but it is up to the individual how badly they want it or if they are prepared to take the calculated risk and race in the sport with no clear indications how long their career will last.
And Lotterer is a driver that is more than capable of racing in Formula One, but he isn’t prepared to gamble on his career that he has built up away from a sport that didn’t want him in the first and that is the decision that he has made and has to gain the respect of everyone who follows and loves Motorsport, it really does.
