(Motorsport-Total.com) – Several Formula 1 drivers have criticized the rising costs in karting and warned about the consequences for young talent. Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Alex Albon, and Esteban Ocon see the danger that fewer and fewer talents from ordinary backgrounds will make it to the top class.
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The trigger was the question in a press round whether karting is still the best way into Formula 1 or whether simulators now represent an alternative due to lower costs.
Lewis Hamilton explains that he has not dealt with the development in detail, but from his point of view, the situation has been going in the wrong direction for years. “There is no responsibility on the part of the people who run these organizations or the sport,” criticizes the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, who himself comes from humble beginnings.
“That should not be allowed”
Hamilton reported about an acquaintance whose eight-year-old son spends more than a million dollars a year on karting. “I remember that my father spent about 20,000 pounds in the first year. For that, he had to refinance the house and max out the credit cards,” explains the Brit.
Today, from his point of view, it is “extremely unlikely, if not impossible,” that someone from ordinary backgrounds can compete with families investing millions. “That should not be allowed,” emphasizes Hamilton. As a result, not the most talented drivers advance, but those with the greatest financial means. In his opinion, the FIA and Formula 1 bear responsibility for this.
Verstappen sees simulators as an important complement
Max Verstappen also views the development critically. The Dutchman emphasizes that karting is still an excellent foundation but speaks of exploding costs. “People pay 10,000 to 12,000 euros for a weekend in the mini class. That is just crazy,” says the four-time Formula 1 world champion.
As a result, many talents without sufficient financial support are already sorted out before the step into formula racing. Therefore, it is important to continue developing outside of karting.
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Verstappen referred to modern simulators, which now offer a high degree of realism. Young drivers can thus already acquire important basics such as braking points, gear shifts, and handling data analysis.
Alex Albon agrees with Verstappen. Ideally, young drivers should do both karting and sim racing. However, due to rising costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to combine both paths. At the same time, he is glad that simulators now offer an additional opportunity to further develop driving skills.
Ocon: “With today’s prices, I wouldn’t be here”
Esteban Ocon was even more explicit. “If I had to start my career today, I wouldn’t be here with the current prices,” explains the Frenchman. The level in sim racing is now enormously high. At times, 100 drivers are within a tenth of a second.
Ocon therefore even considers a mix of about 70 percent simulator training and 30 percent real karting to be sensible. At the same time, he regrets this development. From his point of view, young drivers must still have access to real motorsport at affordable prices. Unfortunately, this is becoming increasingly difficult.
Agreement among the Formula 1 drivers
Thus, there is broad agreement among the four mentioned Formula 1 drivers. Karting is still considered the best school for young talent, but the costs on the way to the top have reached a level that, according to many involved, excludes more and more talents from the path to Formula 1.
A worrying development that, from the drivers’ point of view, could lead in the long term to financial means becoming increasingly more important than actual talent.
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