During the past few weeks there has been much discussion about who will be driving the second Ferrari next year. As we all know, defending (and soon to be redefending) world champion Michael Schumacher will be the team's number one (literally as well as figuratively) driver, and, Eddie Irvine will be number two. But, until the recent signing of Irvine, several possibilities had been rumored, one of whom was Nicola Larini. Huh? Characters such as this raise the issue of the role of the second driver.

Several years ago there was a very popular book on the market entitled The Peter Principle. The thesis of this book was that people rise to their level of incompetence. That is, people get promoted from one job level to another on the basis of their distinguished performance, but are finally promoted to a job for which they are not suited, and here they languish until retirement. Reflect, if you will, on some career military officers you might have known. How often have you heard of someone who reached the rank of major in five years only to hold that rank for the next decade and a half? You get the picture. Now, think about F1. Almost every driver taking the track at this week's Grand Prix of Europe distinguished himself at every level in the lower formulae. But among this group of past winners there are some pretty lackluster performers. Hold that thought...and, don't forget Nicola Larini.

American football is a strange sport in many respects, and one of the strangest aspects of the game rests with the backup quarterback. [For non-Americans a bit of a primer might be needed so all you provincial paisanos of mine bear with me a minute while I educate the masses on other parts of this big ball of dirt.] American football is a land-acquisition game in which each team has several players, only eleven of which are on the field at one time. There are two squads, one for offense and one for defense. The offensive team possesses the ball and tries to move it to the other end of the field where it scores. The defensive team tries to keep the other team's offensive unit from scoring and it tries to get the ball. Most players are big and dumb, but nearly every quarterback--the leader of the offensive squad--is quick and smart. Quarterbacks are the stars of the show, but they are also vulnerable to injury as they handle the ball on every play. To protect itself, each team has at least one backup quarterback. I trust you haven't forgotten Nicola Larini.

Backup quarterbacks come in at least three varieties. First, there are the rising star rookies, unproven but with lots of prospect. They learn by watching the master and filling-in when needed or when their team is so far ahead that they can't do any damage. Does David Couthard leap to mind as an F1 parallel? Second, there are some players who are good enough to be retained by lesser teams, and consider themselves lucky if they ever get to play on (but they will never lead) a championship calibre team. Does Martin Brundle mean anything to you? Third, there are the aging "old pros" who have lost their star status, if they ever had it, but are too good to get rid of. They have maturity which can help temper the first-string quarterback, who might have ascended to the position only recently. And, they are invaluable in the worst of times. Does the name Gerhard Berger ring a bell?

But where does this leave Nicola Larini? Well, Larini has proven himself more than once. Like nearly all F1 drivers he worked his way up through the ranks, being a consistent winner in lesser formulae. He broke into F1 with the Coloni team in 1987, drove for Osella in '88 and '89, Ligier in 1990, and Modena in 1991, before driving twice late in the 1992 season for Ferrari. Since then, he has tested for Ferrari and raced for the team a time or two, while winning again in various saloon car series. He ain't no Michael Schumacher, but he ain't bad either. He is, however, yet an additional piece of evidence that proves the Peter Principle. Futhermore, he may well be the epitome of backup drivers. Larini posseses qualities of all three types of backup quarterbacks, but does not fit any one category exclusively. Does he merit the second Ferrari seat. Perhaps. Could he do much with it? Perhaps not. But, Larini really isn't the issue here. The real issue here is ALL the Larinis in F1.

Year in and year out there is dialog about who will be driving for which teams next year, or even next week. In an article a few issue back I commented that there wasn't much of a silly season this year. I maintain this position but now think that it may be due to rumors of driver changes spanning the entire calendar. Also, the rumor mill invariably involves the number two drivers. The three or four big names fill the number one seats quickly and definitively. The issue then revolves around who will be the number one pilots for the lesser teams and the number two pilots for the better teams.

Jacques Villeneuve, a hot shoe rookie; Eddie Irvine, a very good driver, but one who may never be a consistent winner; and Gerhard Berger, a seasoned veteran and winner would rather be number two on a championship team than the number one driver on a midfield or backmarker team. Reubens Barichello and Heinz-Harold Frentzen, of course, have opted otherwise. In many ways, these five drivers are very unlike Nicola Larini. However, each has certain Larini-like characteristics. Of the five, only Villeneuve has a real chance of becoming a star. If Damon Hill could do it, surely Villeneuve can, and with the same team! The other four will help fill the field. Every so often one of them might win, but probably only when all the real stars are eliminated in shunts or breakdowns, a la Johnny Herbert. Conclusion: Formula One is comprised of the world's best drivers. However, all but a few look like back-up quarterbacks due to the Peter Principle.