It’s called silly season.
This May, the most historic team in the sport chose not to renew the contract of the third most successful driver in history, citing that he was, ‘cracking under pressure’. In reality though, he had been repeatedly backstabbed, mistreated, and badmouthed about mistakes outside his control by his own team in a way that attempted to frame him as the bad guy. Another driver, Daniel Ricciardo, chose to leave the Renault team after only completing a rare single season with them, moving to the rising McLaren. Red Bull racing’s junior and senior teams are jostling for the best pairings, with new rumors rising each week regarding demotions, promotions, or drops. Nothing is certain. Two pieces of news appeared on Twitter in October. that took this season from silly to ridiculous. First, the Haas team, the only American-based team in the sport, announced that it was dropping BOTH of its drivers, with no official word as to who would replace them. Those drivers posted heartfelt farewells on social media, but it felt bittersweet. Both of them have been vilified by the media and by the recent docu-series Drive to Survive on Netflix, not to mention by their own team boss, Guenther Steiner, who has not been shy about expressing his displeasure in the drivers’ performance.
Second, the sport’s governing body, the FIA, announced that they were reducing the number of super license points needed for a driver to compete in F1. A super license — as dramatic as it sounds — is simply a record of the amount of points a driver (usually in Formula 2, but includes other championships) must score to be eligible to race in Formula 1. Initially, the amount needed was 40, but it has been dropped to 30. The FIA says that this is because of the COVID-19’s shortening of the season.
This opens the door to more drivers than ever — regardless of if they are prepared or skilled enough for this rise. The positives? The barrier to entry is lowered, so that drivers with less backing may have the opportunity to join F1. The negatives? The barrier to entry is lowered to let inexperienced yet well-funded drivers make a leap they would not have qualified for before.
But such is the superpower that is money. This sport runs on money — as all other sports do. But unlike others, there is an element of being able to buy your way in, whether or not you necessarily have the complete talent and skills to occupy that decision. Case in point: Lance Stroll. The Canadian has received a massive amount of flack from those in and outside of the sport because he has been able to achieve his spot in F1 more through the dollar bills lining his father’s pockets than by his own personal skill. His father is Lawrence Stroll, a billionaire, who has since invested heavily in the sport — he has quite literally BOUGHT A TEAM. An entire team. This goes to show how far money can go to put you where you want. This is a part of the sport, with all its positives and negatives. Yes, Mr. Stroll did save the wallowing Force India team — a group characterized for being small but mighty — renaming it as Racing Point. But in promoting his son to a seat on that team in 2020, he knocked out a very accomplished driver who was forced to leave the sport entirely. It is easy to understand the controversy there.
With Haas, money is likely a primary motivator in their decision to drop Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Because another billionaire buyer has entered the ring with intentions to buy a team: Dmitry Mazepin — who just so happens to have a son racing in Formula 2 right now. Haas has had a rough season, and considering both F1’s wildly expensive cost of admission and owner Gene Haas’ success in other racing series, it isn’t a massive surprise that he has considered leaving/selling. All parties have denied that there are any plans for Mazepin Senior to buy the team, but rumors usually have a sprig of truth in them. Mazepin’s son, Nikita, is rumored to have signed a two-year deal with Haas starting next year. Who he will be partnering is still up in the air — possibly Mick Schumacher or Callum Ilott, both of whom were slotted to test F1 cars during a rained-out practice session in Germany earlier this month. A tweet in response to the Super License change.The big caveat here is this: Mazepin is ranked 6th in the F2 championship, more than 50 points off Schumacher’s lead in 1st. Behind him is Ilott in 2nd. The logical progression of steps would make it rational to assume or predict that Schumacher would be the next to get a seat in F1. After all, he is the best in F2 currently. If not him, Ilott would be a good choice, as has proven himself worthy of the promotion.
So what is pushing Mazepin in front of them? Easy. Money. Talent must always be linked with money — sheer talent alone, unless prodigious and record-breaking, is only a single component of what is necessary to succeed in motorsport, not just F1.
This is not a new situation. Last year, the winner of F2, Nick de Vries, was not able to obtain a seat in F1 and moved to Formula E, the all-electric racing series. The driver who came in second, Nicholas Latifi, was promoted instead of him, to Williams. The reason? Money. Latifi’s father is the owner of Sofina Foods, a $800+ million grocer, as well as a heavy investor in Lavazza Coffee and the McLaren Group (yes, connected to the F1 team). While Nicholas is a strong driver, and proved that in his F2 races, he has been outraced entirely by his younger yet more experienced teammate at Williams, George Russell. But it was revealed this month that Russell is at risk of being dropped in favor of signing Sergio Perez, who was leaving Racing Point. Latifi is reportedly not being considered for losing his spot. The reason? I don’t need to say it. Latifi’s current backing and sponsorship of the floundering Williams team makes him indispensable. Russell, on the other hand, is not as vital to their survival.
Latifi, like Stroll, is automatically valued more than other drivers because of his financial backing. This is not to say that both don’t have great talent — one cannot reach F1 without strong skills — but money tints the glasses a little rosier for teams looking for monetary assistance. After all, Formula 1 is a business. It needs to make money to survive. When a single front wing on an F1 car costs nearly $300,000 and a steering wheel at close to $100,000, nothing comes freely, or for that matter, cheaply. But this practice, however necessary it is, comes at a price that is not monetary. No, sport is not fair, nor is life, but a driver’s talent should be valued much more beyond the sponsorship or revenue they provide.
Because talent can fuel that money. Here’s how. When Ferrari announced they were dropping Sebastian Vettel, a four-time World Champion, Formula One’s stock fell 4.5%. It did not recover fully when his replacement in Carlos Sainz Jr. was reported — it was a nearly $90 million loss. Later in the season, when news broke that Vettel was signing with Racing Point — next year to be rebranded as Aston Martin — the British brand’s stocks clocked in with an $80 million increase in value.
The fall (left), the rise (right)
Make of this example what you will, but I believe it goes to show that money can only buy so much. It can buy teams and seats and sponsors, but it cannot ultimately buy talent or results for most.
All I know is that a man with no manager, no agent and no social media let his results speak for themselves. He did not use his money to prove his worth.
You cannot buy this type of respect.