Sporting Bygones: Tall order of F1 not enough to deter natural talent of Wilson

A picture of Formula 1 drivers is never going to resemble the annual photoshoot for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Michael Schumacher is only a slight fellow, though granted, you wouldn’t want to meet him in a darkened alley.

Sebastien Vettel is a small chap and even Lewis Hamilton is of average height.

Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso all hold their own in the height stakes, yet none of them are what you’d describe as strapping six footers.

So it is little wonder that Justin Wilson, at 6ft 4ins, stood little chance of forging a career in Formula 1.

The Sheffield driver did manage one full season in motor sport’s elite class in 2003, and the main picture shows him understandably beaming with pride on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix of that year.

But even then, Minardi, the team for whom he signed, had to design the car around his 193cm frame.

And even his debut around the famous street circuit of Albert Park, Melbourne, came a year later than anticipated, with his size putting prospective F1 teams off the thought of, in 2002, hiring a driver who had made a habit of winning in the support classes.

And for the record, the beanpole in the back row of the above picture is Ireland’s Ralf Firman, who also lasted only one season with Jordan.

But height wasn’t the only hurdle Wilson faced.

He was also short of funding.

For no matter the talent of a racing driver, he will always be beaten to a race seat by a driver who brings more sponsorship to a team.

The debate over pay-drivers may not rage as fervently in the pitlane as the return of the KERS button or the merits of Bernie Ecclestone’s artificial rain storm idea.

But to the punter who watches the action from the comfort of their own armchair every Sunday this summer, it is hard to fathom how Nico Hulkenburg can produce admirably in his debut year last term – breaking the dominance of the top teams by earning Williams their first pole position for five years in Brazil – yet lose his seat to Venezuelan rookie Pastor Maldonado.

The hard facts are that Maldonado brings vast sums of money from the state-owned Venezuelan oil company, while Hulkenburg – who won 22 points through seven top-10 finishes – brought nothing, so is out on his ear.

For the smaller teams, pay-drivers are crucial, as Yorkshire-based Marussia Virgin Racing will testify with Jerome d’Ambrosio winning their second seat at the expense of Lucas di Grassi because the finances the Belgian rookie brings outweigh what the Brazilian offered and helps the Dinnington team develop their car.

Wilson had nothing, so along with his management team, came up with the unique idea of selling shares in himself to raise the required £1.2m to earn a seat with Minardi.

Such was the belief in the Yorkshireman’s talent, the scheme was over-subscribed – 900 people bought a minimum £500 share in Wilson – and the Harthill-born driver belatedly earned his shot at the big time.

His debut was not as exciting as he would have liked as a mechanical failure forced his retirement from the Australian Grand Prix of 2003 and he would have to wait five races before earning his first finish, an 11th place that would be his highest finish for the back-markers in his 11 races with the team.

A series of impressive results in mid-season saw Wilson snapped up by Jaguar as a replacement for Antonio Pizzonia, and after being dogged by reliability issues in his opening three races with the famous green marque, Wilson earned his one and only F1 world championship point with an eighth-place finish at the penultimate grand prix of the season, in the United States.

Lack of funding and his height counted against Wilson retaining his seat as Jaguar required a pay-driver to help them progress in 2004.

So Wilson found himself on Formula 1’s scrap heap.

Money talks in the richest sport in the world, sometimes drowning out the cries of talent.

Undeterred, Wilson headed to the place where he had enjoyed his finest hour in F1, to the United States.

And the land of opportunity has welcomed him with open arms.

Wilson initially signed for Mi-Jack Conquest Racing in the ChampCar Series and finished 11th in his rookie season.

In four years in the series, Wilson finished runner-up in the championship twice and gained four wins, his first coming in Toronto in 2005.

The ChampCar series merged with the Indy racing League in 2008 and Wilson moved to the reigning champions, Newman/Haas/Lanigan for the IndyCar’s inaugural campaign.

Success has continued to come for this naturally-talented driver, who has earned two wins in three years.

Wilson now races for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing and opened the 2011 season last night in St Petersburg, Florida. The 32-year-old also competes in 24-hour races and made his debut at the famous Le Mans race in 2004.

He has also had considerable success in the annual Daytona 24-hour race.

Too tall and too skint for F1, Wilson has proved there is life beyond the richest paddock in the world.