Nepo Baby Debate Hits “Purest Meritocracy” F1 as Max Verstappen & Friends Fall Prey to Twitter Trolls

Social media has lately been debating the issue of nepotism in different spheres. It all started with the discussion around Hollywood and soon no industry was spared. Given how many of the F1 drivers come from families of previous motorsport drivers, the pinnacle of motorsport had to come under the scanner sooner rather than later. Even champion Max Verstappen came under scrutiny.

Landing a seat in Formula 1 is no mean feat. Your abilities on the racetrack are never enough. Being an expensive sport, you need strong financial backing either from sponsors or family money to survive. Moreover, you need to have connections with the best in the business to put you in the right place at the right time.

Formula 1 drivers come under fire as “Nepo Baby” debate rages on

Max Verstappen is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen and karting driver Sophie Kumpen. His father had a huge influence on his driving and racing style growing up. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz is the son of former World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz Sr. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen is the son of a former F1 driver and Le Mans winner Jan Magnussen.

Similarly, Mercedes’s third driver and former Haas regular driver Mick Schumacher is the son of arguably the most successful F1 driver ever, Michael Schumacher. As you dig deeper into each driver’s past and familial connections, you find something or the other related to motorsport. However, how much these drivers benefited from their connections is not known.

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Fans did some digging and put many drivers on target.

Former F1 drivers came under the scanner as well, as fans discussed 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg’s parentage. Jacques’ father Gilles was a runner-up in the 1979 season, while Nico’s father Keke was the 1982 champion.

Lance Stroll’s father Lawrence is the owner of the Aston Martin F1 team, the same team he races for.

Kelly Piquet’s appearance on Vogue’s cover story recently angered fans. Many believed actual racers like W series champion Jamie Chadwick should have represented the women of the sport in the fashion magazine.

One fan pointed out the fact that Lewis Hamilton is probably the only driver on the grid with no prior connections to the sport or its personalities. Hamilton has in the past talked about being the only champion in the sport to have come from a working-class background.

What do you think helped F1 drivers land a seat in the pinnacle of motorsport- talent, or connections? Or perhaps a combination of both?

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