The back-of-the-grid Formula 1 teams have been nothing more than easy retirement policies for ageing drivers. Although they bring in the experience of "been there, done that”, their value as drivers is open to argument.

The main motive behind roping in these drivers, it seems, is to attract attention and thus the sponsors. To say that their results have been poor is an understatement. While some teams keep languishing at the bottom, some even cease to exist.

To list such drivers who have been superb at their best but are now stretching it a bit too far is quite sad. Everybody has good days but when these guys just settle for getting round safely then it is probably time to call it a day. Being remembered as the driver who won certain races in 10 years is better than dragging out a career for 15 years and failing to win anything else.

It is time the constructors looked beyond the has-beens and gave a chance to younger drivers. It may involve some risk initially but they are likely to have longer associations with these teams and take them forward. Here are three who should be given the chop...

Jarno Trulli made his Formula 1 debut at the 1997 Australian GP with Minardi. After just seven races he replaced Olivier Panis at Prost and finished fourth in Germany to announce his arrival. He had a happy time at Renault, totalling 33 and 46 points to end 8th and 6th in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He continued his run, tallying 43 points and finishing 7th in the drivers’ championship for Toyota in 2005. He hit a dull note in 2006 and another in 2007 to finish with eight points in 17 races. The car may not be that compliant but he seems to have lost his touch.

Rubens Barrichello is a name to be revered in my book. He accepted and stuck to the challenge of driving alongside Michael Schumacher. Had it been some other person, the attention poured on Schumi could have easily led to an Alonso versus Hamilton-like situation. It is extremely painful to mention Barrichello's name in this article but all fairytales have to come to an end and better if they do on a high.

Rubens started with Jordan in 1993, then moved to Stewart but the maximum points he could score was 21. The move to Ferrari in 2000 kick started a golden period for Rubens. He gathered 62 points in the first season at Ferrari, a career high 114 in 2004 and finished 4th or above for five continuous seasons. 2005 didn’t prove to be good for Ferrari and Barrichello disappointed with 38 points in 19 races. He moved to Honda in 2006, and in 2007 he was unable to get amongst the points in 17 races – 10th was his best finish.

Mentioning David Coulthard’s name here gives almost as much displeasure as Barrichello's, but his exit from F1 seems long overdue. Starting with Williams in 1994 and moving to McLaren in 1996 through till 2003, Coulthard had a ball at Formula 1, winning 13 races and finishing inside the top three for five seasons. Just 24 points in 18 races and the championship standing of 10th forced his move from McLaren after the 2004 season. Another company looking for names and another driver looking for a retirement policy,

Red Bull and Coulthard came together. With 24 points in 2005, he tried to defy critics but 14 points in each of the next two seasons and six from nine races this season saw him announce this as his last season at F1.