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Rookie drivers making their mark in Formula One

One calls milk his favorite drink. Another has a champion's blood running through his veins. A third has put Poland on the Formula One map. And the fourth is trying to put the US back on the Formula One map.

Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Scott Speed are the young drivers to watch in Formula One as the season draws to a conclusion.

"What is important in Formula One now is that the young drivers arrive," said Flavio Briatore, the boss of Renault's Formula One team. "I hope that in this group of young drivers coming into Formula One that we can find a star for the future."

"There are several young guys in the pipeline," said Mario Theissen, head of the BMW-Sauber team. "I think it is a very healthy development to take new guys into Formula One."

In 1991, Briatore jumped at the chance to take a 22-year-old German driver to Benetton after he made an impression at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix for the Jordan team. Then in 2002, he took a 20-year-old Spaniard to test at Renault and moved him up to race driver the next year.

Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso have won the last six Formula One driving titles, with Schumacher taking five at Ferrari after two at Benetton. Alonso won last year for Renault.

Now Theissen is hoping to match that feat with 19-year-old Vettel and 22-year-old Kubica.

"They said on German television I am the next German driver to be able to do something," said Vettel, who turned 19 in July, looks about 14 and said his favorite libation is "full-fat milk."

"For me I don't really care about it because I am enjoying it," Vettel said. "I have quite a tough program this year and do not worry about next year."

Vettel has been enjoying beating his elders. At the Turkish Grand Prix in August, he became the youngest at 19 years and 53 days to participate in a Grand Prix weekend by being the test driver for BMW in Friday practice. He posted the top time, eclipsing several veteran drivers.

Vettel won 18 times in 20 races in the German BMW championship in 2004. What happened the other two times?

"I came in second and third," Vettel said almost apologetically.

He was hired after BMW-Sauber dropped Jacques Villeneuve and Kubica became a race driver.

Kubica moved up to the starting role after Friday testing earlier in the season. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, he became the first Polish driver to start a race in Formula One history. He finished seventh, only to be disqualified because of an underweight car, but he redeemed himself at the Italian Grand Prix two races later, coming in third.
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