With the decision to drop 'third drivers' on Grand Prix Fridays, and the move towards two-day race weekends, one has to wonder what will become of the 'lost generation' of test drivers.

When the third car option was first introduced it was a means not only for smaller teams to get a little more publicity, and thereby additional revenue, but also for drivers to gain exposure, even if, in some cases, they had to pay for the privilege.

Now however, especially in light of the introduction of the control tyre, and therefore less testing, what is on offer for the Anthony Davidsons and Alex Wurz' of this world?

We have already seen that Renault faces a dilemma in placing Heikki Kovalainen in a seat next season, be it in one of its own cars or that of a rival, but what of Paffett, Wurz, Karthikeyan, Doornbos, Zonta and the others?

As drivers rise up through the ranks they have to know that one day there might be room for them at the very pinnacle of motorsport, otherwise what is the incentive?

Having seen drivers such as Davidson and Wurz miss out, young hopefuls may well decide early on that F1 is not the best option and could head to other disciplines where they will be made more welcome, where the career prospects are better, where they get paid to drive race cars.

Although the idea of testing an F1 car at various tracks throughout the year might appeal to some, there are many youngsters out there who would prefer to be racing - which could have long term implications for the sport.