The problem of high costs in the junior categories was recently raised by Lewis Hamilton, who told the Spanish newspaper AS that Formula 1 had become a “billionaire boys club”.
He added, “If I were to start over from a working class family, it would be impossible for me to be here today because the other boys would have a lot more money.
“We have to work to change that and make this sport an accessible sport for the rich and for people of humble origins.”
Vettel agrees that things are now out of control and reckons that if he started his career now, it would be very difficult for him to climb the corporate ladder.
“There is no quick fix, but ultimately the costs are too high,” explains the Aston Martin driver.
“To be honest, when I look back on my early days, the cost was lower, but still high.
“I mean, I was very lucky. I had [backer] Mr. Gerhard Noack took care of me, the same man who also looked after Michael [Schumacher] when he started, probably 20 years before I was a little kid.
“It was very, very expensive back then, so I think Michael needed help and I was in need because I couldn’t afford it. I think in the first season we played in very young go-karts we somehow managed to do half on our own and then we were very lucky to find people to support and help us.
Liam Lawson, Hitech Grand Prix and Juri Vips, Hitech Grand Prix at the start of the race
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“I think the world has changed since then. I think the sponsorship has changed. And the willingness to invest money in young talent and motorsport has probably also changed. In short, it has always been difficult.
“I don’t think it will be a quick fix, but there are certain things that could be addressed in an attempt to make the sport more accessible to all kinds of backgrounds and all children. It’s an expensive hobby no matter how you look at it. But it has certainly gotten wild in the last few years and has become much too expensive. “
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff recently said that the stakeholders must do more so that racing does not just become a domain of the rich.
“I think we can make popular sports more affordable so that children who have no financial background can actually do well in the junior formulas,” he said.
“All the big Formula 1 teams [need to be] being able to identify these kids rather than making it so expensive that a good go-kart season costs $ 250,000, an F4 season costs 500,000 pounds, and an F3 season costs $ 1 million.
“That is completely absurd [and] has to stop because we want access. I think we need to give kids who are interested in karting the opportunity to race for much more affordable budgets. “
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