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ERSTWHILE Michael Schumacher nemesis Damon Hill won a Formula One
World Championship in 1996, one short of equaling his father
Graham’s record of two, accomplished almost three decades earlier.
For his part, the colorful Jacques Villeneuve, successfully fending
off Schumacher to win the 1997 F1 crown (remember ‘Jerezgate?’),
fulfilled what his more illustrious father and Ferrari legend,
Gilles, tragically failed to do in his time.
Fast forward to the present F1 season and now we
have Nelson Piquet Jr. and Kazuki Nakajima joining this select F1
father-and-son club, burdened with pressure to live up to some
weighty expectations.
On the grid, they’ll find two-year veteran
Nico Rosberg whose father, Keke, was world champion in 1982. The
young Rosberg, who’s in his third season with the famed Williams
team, is determined to carve out his own reputation in the most
unforgiving and dangerous of sports.
Among the new batch of F1 spawns, Piquet Jr. has
the largest legacy to live up to. That’s because his father
captured three world titles in 1981, 1983 and 1987. And as if that
isn’t enough pressure, the 22-year-old Brazilian starts his debut
season as teammate to double world champion Fernando Alonso at
Renault.
But the young Piquet insists that having a
racing pedigree isn’t necessarily an advantage.
“By the time you get to Formula One, I don’t
think it’s reputation that counts,” he said. “If you have made
it this far, then it’s because you have talent and the potential
to do the job. I think that is what people within the team judge you
on, not a name or a reputation. They know the times, they can see
the work you do, and that is what decides whether you fail or
succeed.”
According to Piquet, “A famous name may create
attention in the outside world, but I am my own person and
determined to succeed on my own merits, not thanks to my father’s
achievements.”
Meanwhile, Nakajima is the son of Satoru
Nakajima, who raced in almost 80 grands prix from 1987 to 1991 and
was one of the first Japanese drivers to hold down a regular place
in the world championship.
The young Nakajima took part in the last race of
the 2007 season at Interlagos, having replaced Alexander Wurz at
Williams. It was a memorable occasion for the 23-year-old from Aichi
who finished 10th after starting in 19th place despite having run
over members of his pit crew during an over-enthusiastic pit stop.
Already, Nakajima had to fight off allegations
that his drive was secured due to Williams’ partnership with
Toyota.
“I believe the drive had come from my
performances,” he said.
Among the young drivers, Rosberg, who finished
ninth in the 2007 series, has to contend with the presence of his
father in every single race. That’s because the elder Rosberg is a
commentator for a German TV outfit that covers F1.
-- Brian Afuang with reports from AFP
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