rpm.espn.com: Justin Wilson

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Thursday, February 20

Justin Wilson
By Dan Knutson
ESPN.com

Team: McLaren
Nationality: Great Britian

Justin Wilson
Wilson

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Poles
Podium
Best finish

2002 Did not race in F1. Finished fourth in the Telefonica World Series with two wins.

2002 Recap
The Good: Unable to find an F1 ride despite winning the 2001 Formula 3000 championship (with three wins), Justin Wilson competed in the Telefonica World Series, a single-seater category based mostly in Spain. He won two races and finished fourth in the points. He had a good chance of driving in CART for Newman-Haas in 2003 but opted for F1 and Minardi instead.

Season Highlight: Getting the call from Minardi to sub for Alex Yoong in two F1 races only to have his hopes crushed. (See Season Lowlight.) For real highlights, go back to 2001 when Wilson won the F3000 championship setting new records for podiums (10 in 12 starts), points (71, six more than the previous record held by Juan Pablo Montoya) and championship winning margins (32 points.)

The Bad: Wilson is 6' 3". And that's a major handicap in F1 where the car designers love jockey-sized drivers. Wilson simply can't fit, at least legally, in most F1 cars.

Season Lowlight: When Minardi decided to "rest" Yoong for two races last year, the first driver the team called was Wilson. Unfortunately, Wilson couldn't fit in properly in the car and therefore couldn't make his F1 debut. Wilson says it was the lowest point in his career.

Key Stat: Wilson's height: 6' 3".

2003 Outlook
What needs to be done: Wilson needs to show that he is so talented that other F1 teams will be willing to hire him despite his height and, like Minardi did this season, make a car that he can fit in comfortably and legally.

Prediction: With the potent 2002 Ford Cosworth power plant, this year's Minardi will be one of the best cars the team has ever produced. But Minardi's perennial problem -- lack of sponsorship -- will hamper both the team and Wilson.

Your Take
Share your thoughts on Wilson's prospects for his first season in F1.

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