Look How Bad You Are

That's the nickname of long-time Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer, picked up after his two appalling races in place of the injured Felipe Massa at Valencia and Spa-Francorchamps.

And I really feel sorry for him.

Perhaps I always have a soft spot for underdogs (and being a Michael Schumacher-hater), I was thrilled to see Schumi decided not to make a comeback and instead let Badoer fill Massa's seat.

It was in 1999 when Badoer last raced in Formula One, with the (un)forgettable Minardi team. When he retired from a strong fourth place during the final laps of the European Grand Prix at Nürburgring that year, racing fans all over the world remember how he sobbed inconsolably at the side of his car, knowing that his best chance of scoring his first ever point in Formula One was gone.

But then it wasn't.

His second chance came 10 years later, as a replacement for the injured Massa at this year's European Grand Prix at Valencia, a street circuit where he had never raced before. This, however, proved to be an inopportune moment for him. Before the race, many thought that Badoer, mostly because of Ferrari's strong performance in recent races, would at least bring the car near the top of the grid or even finish in the points. However, he managed to qualify last (nearly two seconds adrift of the second-to-last driver Jaime Alguersuari, a rookie himself in just his second race) and went on to spin a handful of times during the race. A 17th-placed finish was the best he could muster.

With the next race at Spa just seven days away, Ferrari decided to stay put and give Badoer one more chance to prove his worth. But he once again qualified last (half a second slower than another rookie, Romain Grosjean, also in his second race) and was the last car on the lead lap in the race. His teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, fared just a little better by getting to celebrate on the top step of the podium ...

Not surprisingly, Badoer got the axe after the race, and was replaced by Giancarlo Fisichella, the hero at Spa. While Badoer complained that the negative reports by the press (plus the nickname) was the main reason behind his dismissal, and vowed that he would do better on the third race back, sadly this would likely be the last we would hear from him, as he has just started his journey into oblivion.

Sometimes fate can be unforgivingly cruel to the nicest people. Had Badoer not made a comeback and had these two nightmarish races, the thing we all will remember about him is his crying on that rainy day in Nürburgring in 1999.

Now, he's got a nickname that will stick with him forever.