Formula 1—synonymous with speed, adrenaline, glamour, and… money? It’s no secret that F1 is one of the most expensive sports in the world. Teams collectively spend over a billion dollars each year to develop their cars. With such high stakes, it’s easy to think that hard work and talent are the only things that matter – but are they? As thrilling as the sport may be, F1 has long been criticised for the role money plays in determining who gets a seat, and where this will lead the driver. As the VCARB CEO said, “All
drivers in F1 today deserve a seat – unfortunately, there are only 20 seats and the decisions are very complex,” but not all decisions are based purely on merit. Moreover, some of the most talented drivers of their generation were overlooked by the best teams due to their origins or the number of fans, resulting in lost opportunities to make history. One of the best examples of this is, maybe, Montoya, or Fernando Alonso. Montoya has 7 race wins at his name in just 6-year-long career, some said that he, at least, had to be World Champion, but both engine failures, and a short career ended this dream. However, the reason of his retirement, as he said, is that he “me aburrí de la Fórmula 1 de la politiquería en elmomento,”, which translates to “I’m tired of Formula1, and its politics in this moment”.

However, it is fair to understand that the sport’s financial demands mean that smaller teams often rely on wealthy backers and sponsorship deals, especially when talented drivers who they nurture often join better, faster teams, leaving them behind. Some drivers make it to F1 through incredible skill and per-
sistence. Others, however, benefit from family wealth and connections. Take Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi, and Nikita Mazepin—all sons of billionaires. Dmitry Mazepin, Nikita’s father, owns Uralkali, which became a major sponsor of the Haas F1 Team during his son’s time there. Nicholas Latifi

raced with the help of Sofina Foods, owned by his father, Michael Latifi, which funded Williams Racing.

And perhaps the most extreme case is Lawrence Stroll, Lance’s father—who outright purchased a team (now knownas Aston Martin) to secure his son’s place in F1.

On the other side, we have drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Franco Colapinto, and Oscar Piastri—talents who had to fight their way to the top. Coming from middle or working-class families, their journeys were filled with obstacles. Starting from karting, they had to impress sponsors just to afford entry into junior categories, such as Formula 4. Most families couldn’t keep up with the costs, forcing them to make enormous sacrifices—some even sold their homes.