Should these drivers be racing in F1?

Though he shouldn't 'technically' qualify for this list since he did start an F1 race in 2014, the fact it lasted only a lap means we're going to quietly declare this as 'does not count'. Even so, many in the know regard Andre Lotterer as one of the best drivers not to be racing in F1 and it is frustrating his short but sweet stint with Caterham didn't reveal what the German driver was capable of. Having plied his recent single-seater trade in Japan and shared glory as part of Audi's Le Mans winning line-up, Lotterer has quietly racked up some impressive success worthy of an F1 chance and is considered one of the best to have ever gotten behind the wheel of an LMP1 car. If only he was given a proper chance (and not in an unreliable Caterham!)

He was Formula Renault Eurocup 2.0 and Formula Renault 3.5 Champion in back-to-back years, a GP2 race winner in his second race weekend, a Formula E podium winner and a GT champion... Robert Frijns has won an awful lot for a 25 year-old that has never come particularly close to an F1 drive. Sauber and Caterham briefly showed an interest at one stage but the Dutchman's F1 dreams have stalled since his bank balance - alas - doesn't match his impressive trophy cabinet. He could have been Holland's next 'orange' hope before a certainn Max Verstappen

A double F3 Euroseries runner-up, Marco Wittmann's career has sidelined into the DTM since and has proven himself as a driver F1 teams should be keeping an eye on. At 27, Wittmann is already a two-time champion for BMW, a rate of success in just four seasons that puts other DTM-to-F1 drivers like Paul di Resta and Pascal Wehrlein to shame. Indeed, one could imagine similar success in Mercedes machinery might we have given him a push towards the upper echelons sooner but BMW isn't necessarily a bad place to be either...

As Marcus Ericsson prepares to begin his fourth season in F1, Swedish motorsport fans should certainly be aware that there is another impressive junior knocking on the door of F1 in Felix Rosenqvist. The European F3 champion in 2015, Rosenqvist's career has stuttered as a result of to insignificant funding, but fine (if sporadic) turns in Indy Lights, DTM and most recently Formula E have caught the eye...

In 2004, Scott Dixon - already an IndyCar champion at 23 - was invited by Williams-BMW to test its car in consideration for a Villeneuve/Montoya-style switch from the American open wheel scene to F1. Incredibly, the Kiwi lapped just a few tenths off Ralf Schumacher's pace but It wasn't enough to convince Williams of hiring Dixon. He has since gone and shown what F1 has missed out on by winning the Indy Car Series three more times (including an Indy 500 win), has won the Daytona 24 Hours twice and taken podiums at Le Mans.

Similar to Andre Lotterer, Neel Jani's success has grown on the fringes of F1 - despite his Red Bull backing - and has largely won races in every championship he has ever competed in. And just like Lotterer, he is proving himself to be one of the finest sportscar drivers to have tackled LMP1 machinery and has certainly established himself as the quick hand in Porsche's impressive LMP1 line up. A former STR tester, Jani could have been in that F1 car but for the equally impressive alumni already on Red Bull's books at that time.

We suspect this 'will' happen soon enough, but Antonio Giovinazzi gave glimmers of some exciting talent in 2016... and Max Verstappen has proven that audacity on a race track can carry you far! Interestingly, it wasn't form anyone was particularly expecting after relatively middling years in F3 (where he raced against Verstappen), but in a competitve GP2 car he was fast out of the box and very nearly walked away with the title. Quite why he wasn't being highlighted by F1 teams earlier left everyone else surprised, but there is potentially a fairytale story brewing given he has just signed on as Ferrari's new test driver.

Another driver that we suspect will get his shot sooner rather than later, Pierre Gasly will now attempt to reach F1 via Japan. Though some questioned Gasly's credentials after an indifferent beginning to life in GP2, by the second half of the 2016 season he largely the dominant party. Frustratingly for him and despite doing everything Red Bull asked of him , Gasly's anticipated F1 career is 'on hold' but he has least shown he'd be an exciting addition if and when he does make it.

Well... who wouldn't want to see how he stacks up?