Becoming a race car driver is difficult. Becoming a Formula 1 driver is even more difficult. Winning a Formula 1 championship is difficult still. But what does it take to win seven Formula 1 championships? Well, there are only 2 of those people in the whole wide world, so you can imagine. While it is unfortunate that we have lost the presence of one of them, we still have Lewis Hamilton around. And the British driver has spoken about what it takes to achieve what he has achieved.

If you think about it, you have to be in the top 20 best drivers in the world to just race in Formula 1. Even if you consider a modest number of ten thousand talented drivers wanting to make it to Formula 1 someday, only 0.2% of those will do so. You’d probably have a better chance of winning the lottery if you tried hard enough. But then once you get there, staying in top form for extended periods, like a decade or so, in a dangerous and cutthroat sport is a brutally tough challenge.

Lewis Hamilton says every race week is a tough test for the drivers

While being naturally talented is paramount, it is only a small part of a multi-variable equation. Insider politics, strict regulations, and paying drivers with deep pockets are only a few other challenges one needs to overcome to get into Formula 1. Then there’s the aspect of physical fitness. Being so strong to be able to deal with 4 to 6 g-forces on almost every corner is no walk in the park.

And even when you stay on top of everything that is expected of you, you may never find yourself in a competitive car that’s able to fight for championships. Who knows how many championship-caliber drivers never even got the chance to fight for the title? So yeah, winning seven world championships requires a lot to go just right at the right time.

Lewis would never have been able to achieve what he did if he hadn’t made the call to switch to Mercedes in 2013. So when Lewis says that television only shows part of reality, we get that.

Talking about the amount of work and energy it goes into becoming a world champion, Lewis Hamilton said as per Wall Street Italia magazine, “It takes a lot of work and a lot of sacrifices. What people see when they turn on the television is only part of reality, behind the scenes is all the work we do with the team’s engineers. We study everything meticulously. It’s a lot similar to what a student does to take an important exam: you have to study really, every week is like an exam for us.“

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With such a slim chance of making it to Formula 1, is it possible for just anyone to reach the pinnacle of motorsports?

Yes, anyone can aspire and eventually end up racing in F1

Although it is almost next to impossible, the door to Formula 1 is technically open to anyone who wishes to pursue this goal. However, the journey to the pinnacle of motorsport requires you to be a special kind of person—someone with talent, the finances to support a career in racing until you get sponsored, and a good amount of time. Starting early in life is the most crucial thing. If you look at F1 drivers on the current grid or even from the past, most of them started with karting at a very early age, even before they were 8 or 10 years old.

The goal is to get into karting leagues as early as possible. After that, you need to advance to Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, and eventually Formula 1. However, getting into Formula 1 has its specific requirements. You need to be at least 18 years old, you need 40 points or more towards a racing Superlicense, and you also need a minimum of 300 hours of drive time in an F1 car. That’s exactly what it takes to knock on the door of Formula 1. Life beyond that is even more difficult.

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Every once in a while it’s good to have a perspective about the lives of the drivers we admire and care so much about.