“We Want 20 of the Best”: Pay Drivers Under Threat as F1 Surges With Strong Talent

There has been a lot of talk about how F1 has become a ‘Billionaire Boys Club’. But despite all this, the sport is heading towards the golden period in its history, according to F1 Managing Director Ross Brawn.

Brawn mentioned that the level of talent is unbelievable at the pinnacle of motorsport right now. He revealed the younger generation of drivers will take the sport to higher levels. The former Ferrari team principal stated that in the coming years, there will be no place for drivers who buy their way into the sport.

F1 MD calls out the pay drivers while acknowledging the talent in the sport

Ross revealed that there is a pool of young drivers in the sport who are quite talented. He mentioned that to get an opportunity to drive a Formula One car, one has to have the same level of skill to match the grid.

“We’ve been blessed with great young drivers and we want 20 of the best drivers in Formula 1. We don’t want drivers who have bought their way in. In my time, this is the strongest the sport has been in depth. I don’t think Formula 1 has ever been as strong as it is now,” said the F1 Managing Director.

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The pay drivers in Formula One have come under a lot of scrutiny in the past. Many fans and drivers on the grid have called them out for buying their way into the sport. 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton even called F1 a billionaire’s boys’ club in 2021.

Lewis Hamilton addresses the sport as the Billionaire Boys Club

The Mercedes driver mentioned a driver like him will never make it into the sport right now because of the financial aspect. In 2021, the grid had 3 F1 drivers who were sons of billionaires and underperformed. This led to Hamilton addressing the issue.

“We live in a time where this sport has become a billionaire boys’ club. 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.”

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“We have to work to change that and make this an accessible sport, for the rich and for people with more humble origins,” said the 7-time world champion.

But do you think Brawn’s claims of F1 heading into the golden era are correct?