The REAL COST of becoming an F1 driver will shock you!

[@extra-dry]

Roger Penski is probably one of the most successful, racing owners in the sport. One of the best quotes attributed to him is, "The way to make a small fortune racing, is to start with a big one",

[@dannyd7714]

The real quote is from Eddie Jordan. "To become a Millionaire in F1, is to start as a Billionaire"

[@extra-dry]

I think Junior Johnson said the same the thing. It seems they all agree. It's expensive....

[@576103]

The actual, original quote came from a Time magazine interview with Florida racing legend Briggs Cunningham, long before any of those others copied it….

[@bradhaines3142]

sounds like a farming quote

[@bluewombat]

That same saying goes for musicians too, how to become a millionaire as a musician? Start of as a billionaire 🤣

[@davek8386]

I was lucky enough to start motorcycle racing once I started working at 14. I put every cent into racing and my parents put A LOT more in to make it happen. We had instant success but were spending $15k-$20k a year if I didn't crash too much. The next step up to 600s would have cost us about $100k a year... we tried to make it happen but it instantly started straining my parents marriage. My parents provided everything we needed but motorsport was a huge burden, even when I was covering 80% of costs and some amazing sponsors. So at 18 I told them it wasn't worth it and my career was over. Family's more important than anything but I won't lie, it hurt to even watch motorsport for about a year.

[@mikeguarino9287]

I've been club racing bikes the last 7 years (I started at 30) and have seen this story play out multiple times. Seriously talented kids who can't get "the break". It sucks to see.

[@ronbelanger4113]

Can say you tried, that is worth the most!

[@davek8386]

EDIT: that $15-20k was after buying the bike, trailer, spares, gear ect. And I'm in my 30s now, still racing bikes as often as I can and loving it! Yes, motorsport is expensive but you don't need to spend big $$$$ to have heaps of fun with other badass humans 🤘 small capacity bike/car racing is the best.

[@Skobutny37]

Same here with Motocross

[@aferny762]

You probably pushed back their retirement a few decades lmao. But nah this shit is sad. Sport for millionaires

[@Ojgville4l]

The saddest part is that this means professional drivers aren't the best drivers in the world, just the best among people that can afford it.

[@TheOfficialRandomGuy]

They also have to be marketable too. So it’s not even that broad

[@EdBolian]

I am glad Rob could shed some light on how this works. Very misunderstood aspect of automotive culture.

[@dyingearth]

And then there's the legendary paid driver Yuki Ide. Legendary doesn't even start to cover his achievement.

[@davelangford2439]

It's pretty well understood by motorsport fans. It's been this way for years and years, particularly in F1. 'Pay Drivers' have been been a thing for a long time

[@AndreKlebleyev]

@@davelangford2439these types of videos are obviously becoming more popular with the Liberty media generation

[@aswimming37]

Ed do you remember doing that 2 seater ride at Iowa speedway in 2019?

[@rhyswilliams4893]

​@@davelangford2439even the good drivers are "pay drivers" its either their sponsors pay or their parents.

[@Cybersamurai79]

As someone in the business, extremely accurate video. I'd argue its probably even a bit more ruthless then portrayed.

[@bobbybishop5662]

Yes and really underhanded things happen alot , the higher up the chain the more .

[@NickMcMillenGT]

I greatly appreciate Ed for putting this video out and to Rob as well for shedding some light on the reality of motorsports. I was incredibly fortunate to win Nissan's GT Academy competition back in 2013 (which Rob mentions right at the end) since I knew it was my only chance to potentially get to the top level of motorsport. I went on to race professionally in GT3 and GT4 for a couple years and was slated to race the LMP1 car at some point until its unfortunate demise. Right at the beginning of 2016, I got a letter in the mail saying that Nissan was pulling all funding out of 95% of their racing programs and I was left with nothing. I tried for a solid 3 years to get sponsors, find seats, anything I could get my hands on. Everyone wanted money for a seat and talent was basically thrown out the window. To race GT4 in IMSA was minimum $250k a seat, GT3 $800k a seat, and I think prototypes somewhere close to $2m. Europe was a bit cheaper at about $300k-$500k to race Blancpain (now GT World Challenge). I was never able to put that kind of funding together because sponsors just could not see how they would get their ROI. I love motorsports and am incredibly lucky to have had my 2-3 years of racing, but man is it hard to stay in it. You really do have to bring A LOT of money to the table in almost every case and the chances of a very wealthy gentleman driver coming along to pay for your seat at that level is like Rob said, playing the lottery. Out of about 20 of us GT Academy winners, only 2 are actively racing right now, and even those two have not had consistent racing careers since about 2016 or are really competing at a professional level anymore. I'm now working on a program called Racing Prodigy using my experiences (and a few others in the racing world) to build a sustainable program that will put sim racers into real race cars but with the support they need to continue racing. So much love for the racing world, but we've got to shake things up a bit to help create a better environment and system to get people behind the wheel!

[@benzina5917]

Wow what a fantastic and sobering comment. Thank you for taking the time to share it and for being so open about your journey. Congratulations on your racing success and I wish you all the best in your Racing Prodigy program.

[@JolteonRacer]

A bit sad to see what happened to most of the GT Academy drivers, but godspeed to you. I hope you're able to continue Racing Prodigy and bring it worldwide, maybe? Cheers

[@thatracinglife]

I came to make a similar comment as another GT Academy winner, Nick pretty much covered it though! Come hang out one of these days Nick!

[@shanehayden726]

Are you the one they are making a movie about lol?

[@flexinclouds]

Its sad it has to be that way, where its so expensive, and almost entirely pay-to-play.. opposed to going off talent. I hope your plans help make racing more accessible though. Im a huge car nut, and had always wanted to be car designer, engineer, or race in IMSA, WEC etc. But I started developing severe health issues & chronic pain a few yrs back in highschool.. And certainly put off my dreams. So now Im just trying to become independently successful/wealthy so i can buy the cars i want, and then just take them to track days😅👍

[@ColtAlabama]

I was talking with a guy whose son has the same driving coach Lando Norris had and according to him the coach said the only difference between his son and Lando was Landos 45 million dollar endowment. His son was racing that weekend in the Porsche supercups.

[@josephcote7702]

"LANDOS 45 MILLION DOLLAR ENDOWMENT" FUCK

[@delphipascal]

Lando's dad financed the recent McLaren/Merc engine

[@MywaytoF1]

Do you actually know what it means to drive the Porsche Supercup ? They just let promising future drivers or F1 drivers occupie a seat

[@dyingearth]

@@delphipascal No. The only related thing Adam Norris had in F1 is that most team seem to like using his electric scooters to get around the paddock. He had ZERO input in McLaren technical side. Hell, McLaren reupped Norris's last year and paying him $20 million per year until 2025. Enough to force him to relocate to Monaco for tax purpose.

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

"Lance is daddy cash1!11!111!1!" So is every other F1 driver except maybe Ocon and Hamilton. For Pérez, it's Carlos Slim. Name any other F1 driver that didn't have money in the family

[@mrpenn4613]

I don't remember who said the quote but this always stuck with me: "The best racing driver is some farmer in a far off corner of the world, the problem is he's never driven a car".

[@rohnnyjotten3985]

He did leave the farm and did drive a car, his name was Jim Clark and he was from Scotland, a country with a population of about 4m people and he was the best to EVER do it, he won in everything he drove and often in the same week, F1, F2, Sports Cars, Indy Cars even The British Touring Cars Championship, done it all, won it all.

[@bowebevonius]

Having seen and been rather closely involved with a driver the step just below F1 (who then drove F1) I can say that this video is very accurate. After having spent 4 years on “the inside” I realized how little I knew before despite being very interested in motorsports. Reaching the top is almost impossible and being rich from that trip up the ladder is virtually impossible. This was more possible in the 70’s but with the downside that so many died trying on the race tracks. Racing is not fair moneywize, you could be the greatest talent on earth but without prior money and/or massive sponsor backing you will never reach F1.

[@SFL240SX]

EXCELLENT Video! Spoke the truth about racing as a career all while not being snobby. Stories coming from people with a humble background not born into money are a LOT more relatable to the average person.

[@rhyswilliams4893]

Tbf thats why i love Hamilton... his dad did the same job as mine does and he did it...his/ my family are far from rich but he managed to get to the absolute top of the sport.

[@BlueTrane2028]

He started 10 years late, I started like 30, lol. Lemons is fine. As he said, you pay for the noise and the memories and I've got a bunch of that so far.

Josh Revell made a really good video a couple of years ago and the total cost amounted to something like 30 million if you were paying everything out of pocket that that you were progressing in the fastest way possible. Of course it lowers once you're in an academy.

[@Archangel3083]

I had dreams of being a professional driver but quickly found that just going to track days and being around the community was more than enough.

[@zTheBigFishz]

When I was 40 in 1998, I started racing RMax karts. Sealed motor (125cc 2stroke, 30hp), spec tires ,spec gas, a CRG chassis, kart stand, racing suit, helmet, gloves, spares, DAQ, tools, trailer, etc....the initial investment was ~15K. I raced for about 10 yrs until the crash of 2008 when lots of tracks went out of business. I would say my yearly costs were roughly 3-5k per year. I went to the Nationals in Denton, TX finished mid pack, so I was decent but not great. I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 60K to race for plastic trophies over those ten yrs. However, it was the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on.

[@TheWisdom3]

You can buy knickers with zippers.

[@tomauto15]

Denton TX will find the heroes around T1. Great little track for that sized kart. I'm a local and it's ruthlessly tough. The whole Texas Karting scene blew me away from all the K1, Dallas Karting Complex and Speedzone dad's showing up with their various Semi loads of brand new 4 man teams of karts, tires, every spare part known to the sport. Yeah it's a sealed motor but it changes every year. Keep up or leave. They have to be spending literally all the money they make on rentals to keep their various outfits running.

[@zTheBigFishz]

@@tomauto15 One of the seat stays snapped in the banked turn. Had to take it to an aerospace welding shop to get it fixed. Still made the race though. My success, such as it was, came from lots of testing. Tire pressures, wheel base changes, axle stiffness, etc. I put in thousands of laps at my home track in Decatur, AL.

[@HTOP1982]

Have a look into LO206. Sealed engine. Spec clutch. Spec carb. Can run on 2 stroke chassis with small changes to the frame. Tyres last 500+ laps. About 10% slower than a Rotax Max/Evo 125.

[@AKK5I]

Extremely informative, humbling and harsh but true video

[@TCWaves]

Yea my dreams got shattered young too with this knowledge. Growing up one of my best friends was a member of a F1 racing family. We met because my dad worked for his dad. I was taken along on a few races and even got into cart racing myself for a bit, but I learned real quick that I just didn’t have a shot with the kind of money my family had to go any higher. Add to that my friend was a way way better driver than me, but I sleep well at night, knowing I could hand build a better race car than he ever could and I am happy for that passion and talent.

[@vracaze]

Yeah but know that there is much more people who can build a much better car than you could ever.

[@OldLien1]

I have been around Motorsport for years and at one time made a living working in it. and I can tell you everything this man has said is 100% right.

[@Aadilf1]

@@Gino_567 haha pretty sure he was just trying to brag lmao

[@Yourmission9]

“Daddy, I want to become an F1 racer when I grow up” Dad after watching this video and seeing the cost involved “hell no son”

[@ronbelanger4113]

Aerodynamicist courses then!

[@WildBillJr]

I really like this guy. He tells a great story. Clean.

[@ptpracing]

This is why I have a simulator. I dont have the money, skill or time for real racing but the simulator is available anytime Ive got the time. I raced for a while and travel alone costs a small fortune.

[@littleroller]

“So your telling me there’s a chance”

[@pistonburner6448]

I know many F1 drivers and also families who have supported F1 drivers, and really many drivers simply get a "career-supporting" sponsor who takes a risk on them early on. That sponsor (or several) then supports them with funding and by helping them raise money all along their careers. Those companies have usually already sponsored several other drivers so they also have really good connections. Most F1 drivers get their countrymen, companies from their country to sponsor them as well as FIA officials from their country have helped them with the "insider info", connections and helped them in other ways simply due to patriotism. Those networks are decades old and consist of a large number of individuals in the industry and in potential sponsor companies. Essentially there are several layers of sponsorhood. A driver doesn't have to have family money, just a sponsor who then helps them get sponsors and advance in their career. That original sponsor is taking a risk on many drivers and they then get a healthy return on their investment whenever one of those drivers makes it.

[@dyingearth]

One of the recent case is Mercedes F1 driver George Russell. Russell's family isn't rich, but he show very early promise, and Mercedes development team saw the potential in him and signed and developed him through his junior ladders. When he destroyed the field in F2 and promoted up to F1 there wasn't a seat for him for 3 years until Valtteri Bottas went over to Alpha Romeo.

[@pistonburner6448]

@@dyingearth Yes, and you mentioned another right there: Valtteri Bottas. VERY far from having a wealthy family. And before him? Kimi Räikkönen...I believe their family didn't even have an inside toilet when he began his career. The same happens in many countries: Marcus Ericsson from Sweden, Perez wouldn't have been anywhere without support from Telmex, Robert Kubica was supported by sponsors, etc...

[@Hypersonik]

This is by far and away the best descriptor of racing...full stop (Or 'period' as you yanks say!). I raced gearbox karts and the money was nuts. Not really for the series I raced in (Think about $15-20k a year-ish), but the 6 year olds. Want to win at 6 years old? You'll need $140k/year to do so. And that's just in the UK, forget international. There's a club in the UK called 750 Motor Club. Their brand is affordable racing. I can tell you right now that in every series they run, there are cars north of $150,000. Until the rules of racing states that 'Any person can buy your car for '$X' you will find out that whatever talent you have is thwarted by someone's chequebook!

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

​@@drsrsv8884cheque is how we spell it 🇮🇪🇨🇦🇬🇧🇭🇲🇳🇿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇳🇳🇺🇲🇸🇰🇾🇯🇪🇭🇰🇬🇮🇫🇰🇫🇯🇩🇬🇧🇲🇦🇨🇦🇮 Just because one country 🇺🇸 can't spell, does not mean you need to correct us.

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

@@drsrsv8884 "Patrick, he speaks American English." "What does that mean?" "It means he's scared of a few extra letters" "Oh no! Aluminium! Colour! Autumn!" "Stop it Patrick, you're scaring him!"

[@-._.-._.-Sully-._.-._.-]

I was fortunate enough to have some experience in the world of Motorsport and I started at the prime age of 5 years old. Originally my dad want to get me into karting but the state I lived in didn’t have any karting series at all to start out in so I instead picked up motocross. I picked it up very quickly and after my first full season I was able to find a full bike sponsor from a small company out of California called PRC that was making race bikes to compete with the Cobras, the top race bikes in the first serious race category which is the 50cc 2-stroke class. It was going great and I ended up getting selected to compete in the KTM junior supercross challenge where they took up and coming kids and let them race on the supercross track in between the main heats for the event. Unfortunately there were bad storms that completely flooded the track and even though the supercross event was able to proceed after some delays, the KTM junior race was cancelled so I missed out on probably my best chance at proving myself on the big stage. I was given an ultimatum where if I wanted to continue I would need to leave public school and travel year round if I wanted to go to the next level. This was around the time that the 2008 recession hit and financial security was a big deal. Even then I knew that only the best of the best got paid anything worth giving up you education for and even then it wasn’t really that much compared to nearly every other professional athlete. So I decided to quit and move on to normal school sponsored sports. I did everything from pole vaulting to football to wrestling etc. excelling at nearly every one of them and even completing at a national level for wrestling. I decided not to pursue any of those sports at the college level because the ones I was best at had very little career potential after college and I also wanted to pursue a career in medicine. But looking back on it, I feel it was actually because not a single sport I competed in after motocross could bring the same levels of excitement that it brought. Not even close. Now I’m 23 finishing up my biomedical sciences degree and getting ready to apply to medical school. I’m in my prime and I feel like it’s going to waste with my nose in a book. I’m trying to get in as much thrilling activity as I can with getting into snowboarding a lot these past 5 years and still ride motorcycles occasionally (just trails though as I ride with my dad and don’t have my own bike anymore). Also just got a full on DD sim racing setup for a new experience but I’m fairly sure I’m having an extremely early mid life crisis. 😂

[@Aubrey2004-j4k]

Hey man! Good for you. What a nice experience ❤

[@-._.-._.-Sully-._.-._.-]

@@Aubrey2004-j4k I’m surprised anyone actually read that short essay of a comment lol. It was definitely a unique experience that I was very blessed to have had at all but I do wonder how differently it could’ve turned out if I started in karting instead of motocross. Especially considering at the time my dad worked for Mercedes corporate and if it weren’t for my mom I would’ve been born in Stuttgart, Germany where there are plenty of karting and formula feeder series I could’ve completed in. Instead my mom convinced my dad to move from Manhattan Beach in LA to Alabama since that’s where she’s from and Mercedes was okay with that because they had just opened up their Alabama plant so my dad was based out of there and just traveled to Germany instead. Bothers me to this day but it’s all in the past and never something I had control over so there’s nothing I could’ve done about it besides ramble my grievances to strangers on the internet.

[@TheBitcoinLambo]

He's not wrong. $300,000 for a national level gokarting season is real. Hardcore gokarting gets closer to half a mil per year.

[@BlacqueJacqueShellacque_]

I get frustrated when people say Lance Stroll's father "bought" his way to F1. Obviously the billions of dollars didn't hurt, but it's not like Lance isn't immensely talented and worked extremely hard to make it where he is. I'm sure there are other billionaires kids that didn't even get close to F1 simply because they ran out of talent.

[@oussamabendakir1453]

he is still not good enough, people will say it's the car but drivers matter more than people think the gap between him and alonso (or max and checo) is a reality of a big gap in talent

[@alastairlewis1520]

I have been a motorsport mechanic for many years, primarily in the feeder formulas. This is a very consise description of how it works... Probably because they dont want to believe it, but this is very difficult to explain to aspiring drivers 😂

[@22448824]

They don’t want to believe it is the correct answer.

[@angelovargas3925]

You almost can’t allow yourself to believe it, to a point. The barrier to entry is so massive and so agonizing, that if you really believe all of it, not even the best drivers would feel adequate enough to attempt it. I definitely think there is some dillusion required to be a pro driver.

[@Roald94]

@@angelovargas3925 i think someone said at some point that you kinda need a "fuck you" attitude for that. in a way being stuborn makes up for that.

[@sleserginekolog1]

That is very accurate. About 10 yrs ago i was stationed in germany, so i was at the nurburgring every weekend, doing may laps. I was eventually offered to do some pro stuff, which was a great honor, but u have to pay for ur seat - like car rental (if u good, teams will let u race their car, but u pay a fee for the rental) , gas, tires, etc… which was about $30k for 24h race, in a lower class car split between 3 ppl (like a golf). Thats 1 race. Plus, u need international racing license, which in germany is tricky to get, cause u have to speak ze german (they did a course once a year in english) - and thats another $5-7k. Then, if you race, and you win in your class (highly unlikely), u might get a sponsor for the next race, who will pay 50% of ur fees on the next race… so first few years, ur likely to race out of pocket, and if u do well, u might race for free for next few years, then if u do well, u might make some little money (if sponsors are there). So if u think ur a great driver - put ur money where your mouth is. I didnt, i chose a stable job, and do track days for fun… though not as much as i used to :(

[@ChrisMoreweb]

I learned this same lesson in my early 20s in Formula Ford where I sunk all of my money and time into racing outside of my tech career. After blowing an engine, other competitors said "just have your crew put in a spare engine". I had no spare anything. All I had was me. I was a first generation college graduate and my family were factory workers. I stlll race today, but only autocross since it's all the time/money that I can put into it with family/kids/work. It was a difficult lesson to learn when you had hopes and dreams. Though, I stlll love it.

[@trivedimalhar]

F1 commentators love to point out oh Hamilton, Ocon were able to make it to F1 with a little financial support but Rob paints the most realistic picture.

[@VINwiki]

Can you think of a shortcut?

[@lukesmith8934]

Sleep your way to the top baby

[@dyingearth]

3 Recent cases, Lance Stroll (father owns the team), Nicholas Latifi (father wrote very large sponsorship check to struggling Williams) and Lando Norris (whose wealthy father actually never have to pay McLaren to race, as it was McLaren that signed him up to be their driver after his very success junior careers).

[@bassfan71]

As someone who's interested in motorsports at the grassroots level. I knew this was the reality but it's sobering to hear from someone who has years of experience in the discipline. Hard to imagine the level of cash the families of F1 drivers have to support them. My heart goes out to the thousands of talented drivers who couldn't make it due to the costs.

[@memsybabe]

That, I think, is why people make such a fuss over Lewis Hamilton. As far as I know, his father was just a working Joe who saw some potential in his kid so got 5 jobs and earned just enough to scrape Lewis through a few different formulas, until McLaren noticed him, and took him in. And the rest is history... Such amazing commitment by his father.

[@citoante]

Except it wasn't like that. Lewis was never poor. Did his dad work at Mcdonalds and the later washed cars in thee afternoon and parked cars in the evening? Or was Anthony actually a very successful accountant that was making 6 figures? Lewis wasn't rich but he wasn't poor either and his dad managed to sponsor all of his carting career. They were only poor compared to really rich kids racing but they were richer than most regular people. Idk why people are exaggerating and forcing this rags to riches story where Lewis was dirt poor and his dad managed to sponsor his early motorsport career by working 5 jobs simultaneously. Gimmie a break.

[@ericmin832]

@@citoante Bro no one said he was dirt poor. Hamilton and his family probably lived a mediocre middle class life, idfk. The important takeaway is that he was significantly less fortunate than his colleagues, and he and his family had to work so much harder than the rest to get Hamilton the same opportunities. Even with his relatively more difficult start to his career, he managed 7 championships. If that's not something to go insane about, idk what is man. Same goes for Shumacher and Ocon

[@jeremywentworth1833]

I'm English and can tell you Anthony Hamilton worked 4 jobs to help pay for Lewis's racing until at 14 Maclaren noticed and started picking up the bills. Lewis was brought up living with his mum until 13 when due to karting he went to live with his Dad. He was brought up on council Estates in Stevenage. There is the odd TV program etc with Hamilton going back to the council Estates he grew up in and the comprehensive school he went to. I'm not a Lewis fan but I'm a big F1 fan and English he certainly didn't have it easy. Until he started making money both his parents still lived in the same council houses in Stevenage. If it wasn't for Maclaren he may not have got to the Grid as by all accounts his dad was working 20 hour days and jobs at the weekend. Lando Norris.was privately educated and his father is a multi millionaire worth into the Hundreds of millions completely the opposite of Hamilton. Riccardo left Australia at 13 to live with Italian relatives his father in Australia was a mechanic he wasn't from money either but was with the Red bull academy same with George Russell but Mercedes academy. Carlos Sainz was with the Red bull academy but obviously his father is was a multimillionaire.Rally Driver .

[@SDK2006b]

@@citoante- the Hamilton family were poor. LH had to sell his PlayStation games console to buy a new helmet.

[@citoante]

@@SDK2006b such a poor boy.

[@gummbyandpokey]

In motorsport you need money, talent and luck to make it

[@PRegan-om7jm]

This was the Wiki story that we all needed!!!

[@rayisland23]

I owned midget's for many years. I spent every dime I could get my hands on to update my equipment. We had fast cars and won a bunch of races. None of the driver's had any aspirations of climbing the ladder to other divisions. We had a great time alot of amazing stories. Now that I'm retired I spend my time and money restoring vintage racecars

[@nickmaclachlan5178]

Whatever racing series you are in, from grass roots upwards, there's always someone who has more money to waste than everyone else, and he's never the most talented driver there. Sad that money has to win in most cases in Motorsport.

[@Kevin-xi6ts]

They’re called “ little people” and you can’t own them. That’s just sick!!!

[@nickmaclachlan5178]

@@Kevin-xi6ts You never heard of "Dwarf Tossing"? How you supposed to compete at any sort of level if you don't own at least half a dozen of 'em?

[@briandavis55]

Gran Turismo lets me race all the cars I want on all the tracks I want for $60. I'd say the trade off is worth it. I can spectate any real race I want.

[@damianl3]

Excellent stories. I had raced karts in high school and then formula ford in college. I tested higher open wheel cars and Porsche cup cars but every step up to a higher championship added another 0 to the amount on the check required. I decided it was best to focus on my studies and make motor racing a hobby.

[@Wolfe_No.13]

thats the main thing about racing. im in one of the most entry level F4 series you can imagine, its the race series held by Skip Barber Racing School, and it costs a ton even for something as restrictive as that where we only use one set of tires in a whole weekend XD its honestly impossible to really make money on track and something else has to be done away from JUST sponsors, and you got to throw a ton of money at the sport.

[@Wolfe_No.13]

@@Gino_567 it is all about fun. Karting can be expensive but i joined the game late and never really participated in karting. but the amount of money i see get thrown at it is crazy now. F4 and some national karting programs are the same in price, hell i've seen people spend so much more in karting and lose sight of having fun in the sport

[@zinussan50]

For some, it just cost a billionaire father to get a seat in F1. 😂hehe

[@dyingearth]

Lance Stroll does have some talent. It just require the track to get rained on. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton was personally sponsored by Ron Dennis (McLaren CEO at the time) from a very young age despite his father being just a normal middleclass wage earner. Lando Norris does have a millionaire father that was able to pay for every step of the way through the process. It does help that Norris does have talent.

[@dylannix4289]

Good ol’ Sir Lancelot

[@johnrborowski]

Literally nepo babies

[@Justintrudeauisawackoandahoe]

😂😂😂all of them

[@pistonburner6448]

@@johnrborowski Nope, Lance had to work and get results every step of the way. ALL other F1 drivers also had rich 'daddies', they just weren't their biological daddies. Besides: if you want to give your children good opportunities and not have to serve corporate sponsors for the same financial backing, then work hard and smart (preferably for a few generations). Don't be a deadbeat and your kids will have better opportunities to prove their work ethic and talent. The level of jealous ignorance from simpletons was expected, but still unpleasant to see.

[@Nunyabusiness87]

This was depressing and also informative 🤣🤣🤣… I want my boys to be able to do what I wanted to do which was racing on this level… but you’ve systematically crushed all our dreams… 🤣🤣🤣

[@22448824]

I’m surprised you don’t know this. Anyone who has been karting for any amount of time can see this. But precisely no one lets these stone cold facts prevent them from trying.

[@dashorken]

One of the best insider racing driver interviews I've seen yet! Great stuff! More please!

[@The_Greek1282]

This is great story! Can relate highly, but I decide back when I was 18 that going pro would be way to much of a strain financially on me and my parents. Couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I decided to stay at a grass roots level. Because I would rather be well known locally then globally. To be that local hero ya know.

[@keithskatesk8]

This is pretty true in every single thing in life at different levels meritocracy it is not everything you need and it doesn’t exist at all, you can’t be anything you wanna be as a lot of people try to convince you and tells you.

[@littlejack59]

I knew f1 was expensive but 300k for karting is inanity

[@ShawnDeLaCruz]

That was great. Enjoyed Rob's insight. Thank you.

[@noway_josue28]

Jann Mardenborough raced for the Nissan academy in gran turismo and he raced in the Super GT and in the 24hr of Lemans and now they are making a movie based on his story.

[@TechOttawa]

@1:11 Calabogie Motorsports Park podium shot! My home track and a sweet place to learn how to drive fast!🤙

[@Prison_er]

I grew up watching my father build dirt track cars. He could never drive them because of blindness in one eye. He was a good builder, and he knew how to teach another person to drive a dirt track car like no other. But he spent everything he could spare on this. In my opinion, it's the manufacturers who should foot the bills. Make the sponsorship secondary as the money supply. The manufacturers could put together a fund of a sort that provided allowances for those that performed well , etc. This would have to include the character of a person as well. It would be a good start. This would allow potential sponsors a better look at the available talent, and the character as people as well. Giving the potential sponsors an inside perspective of a driver (or other critical role), may relax the purse strings a bit more. Racing at any level requires genuine commitment.

[@David..]

This guy is remarkably well spoken.

[@dmaxm2498]

Most people that watch racing know that the only people w/ money are the owners/sponsors. If you’re a race fan you know that it’s a rich man’s/rich company’s game.

[@andrewbryl]

I’m glad he mentioned Nissan because I thought that was a fascinating experiment.

[@jiyushugi1085]

Professional motorcycle racing is now very similar. When I turned pro the sponsored-by-Daddy phenomenon had just started. So, there I was, working as a bike mechanic for five bucks an hour, buying, building and wrenching on my own bikes by myself while the kid next to me in the pits rolled up in a motorhome with his parents, his dad had paid a pro to build an engine/bike for him, (or his dad was a former pro), etc. Kinda hard to compete against all that..... but I had a blast anyway. Fortunately, amateur motorcycle racing is still very affordable and great fun!

[@pokegan52]

This dude definitely pissed off Robert from shark tank 😂

[@ezacher4634]

Talent and money. Desire doesn't equate to natural ability. Schumacher and his son is a perfect example. Michael would run circles around his son.

[@tom_gorman]

I enjoy these stories/videos, but I have to say, your lighting needs some love. As someone who has studied, trained and been in the video industry I'd be happy to assist. You are not far off, it would be a short walk to greatly improve the studio light. More light on person, lower background lights and add a backlight and viola! I live in the Atl area and would be happy to help, D. Black knows how to reach me.

[@therushden]

Mark Webber's book is a good read. It's all about the sponsorship grind.

[@dyingearth]

Enzo Ferrari only started Ferrari Motors so he can finance Team Ferrari long after he cannot race himself. As stated in Ford Vs. Ferrari, control over the team was what kill Ford's buyout of Ferrari.

[@motofreak75]

An old racer from "Shannonville" raceway once told me "How do you make a million dollars in racing? You start off the season with two million dollars!"

[@wesgoodhoofd348]

Shoutout Calabogie Motorsports Park! Canada’s longest track and my home circuit. Great to see it here.

[@nickwgnr]

Robert Herjavec is the only shark I know who races.

[@PreludeDude]

I mean as disheartening as this is to learn that "racing" we see is driven by money, this makes me feel more humble to desire just to be able to go out to a track day or two every year. The bigger goal for me there is to get a house with a garage and parking space, then a trailer and truck, then do something more regularly. Til then it's a tiny 1 space garage at my apartment and building my car working hard and saving up. I'm 34 now and hope to have my dreams realize by the time I'm 40!

[@Jakefkyah]

You can definitely make it happen! I hit up a few hpde's every year so don't think you need something fancy or built. Plenty of daily driven cars (I use mine) and it's always a blast. Roughly $300 for the day depending on the org/track, and always stay within 9/10s so you can still make it to work the next day. Autox is also really cheap/safe fun too :)

[@hamingnu6610]

That's definitely something I think a lot more of us racing fans should aspire towards instead of trying to dream big and get into F1 or get Podium in Le Mans before we're 25. Loads of people have collected enough money in their later years to just... Race on a whim, and even though they aren't getting the prestige of being a world championship winner nor being someone who's climbed up the ranks to fight alongside championship winners, they're now at least racing as much as they could dream of without having to lose their present and future fortunes - and that's awesome enough. Getting to an age where you have enough inflow of money to afford to race instead of waiting to be the next Kimi Raikkonen is definitely underrated.

[@the_lone_dabber710]

As someone who's been a driver since age 4, half of this is absolute fact. Half is opinion. I know HUNDREDS of professional career drivers that came up with 0 funding, some of which no training or sponsorships. Racing is like any sport, you get good in the group you're in, then move up and realize there is more to learn. Talent is barely a part of the equation. seat time rules all.

[@knightmech1848]

Me: Hello, I’d like to drive for F1? F1: Are you rich? Me: No F1: Get out brokey.

[@MrDrivenDreams]

Absolutely wonderful video. This man has some true dedication to his craft and I love it. Also, I love he was able to choose to stop racing on his own accord.

[@Eagleclaw43567]

Something tell me his definition of “tiny bit of money” an my definition of “tiny bit of money” is different.

[@radamus210]

the Storybook myth they sell "yes, years of hard work, dedication and committment. We kept going, scraping up pennies but eventually the hard work and determination paid off ` the reality? What really happens? ~ This guy tells it true. I live in the mid-west, few miles from a dirt track. Got neighbors all around the area who've been racing there for 40 years or more. It's mind blowing what is spent slinging clay on Saturday nights by guys who are amazing talents at driving that now one will ever hear of their names. They do it for the passion.

[@AorsVel]

I like how he kept reiterating the “misconception” that “everyone you see racing is rich/a millionaire” implying that’s not the case when he also kept reiterating how many millions are required to get systematically get into the sport at a high level

[@Roald94]

it only works for the first part of the explanation meaning he was the exception. but at the end of the day, you pretty much are expected to be made out of gold to be able to race. its an investment after all.

[@myth_noise2737]

I’ll invite you all to go check out Igor Fraga. A Brazilian/Japanese race driver. His career was shaped by his dad since he was 3 years old. He’s one of the big names in Online racing via Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 7. He races on both Online and IRL. He’s definitely not one of those drivers mentioned on this video. Cheers everyone! Stay cool

[@violinmiata]

Racing cars is the epitome of ‘pay to play’ especially at the grassroots level.

[@miikavuorio6925]

I just realised that I got clickbaited by a picture of max verstappen, but the video was better than a repeat telling of some verstappen story, so that's okay lol

[@MrRoobyZ]

The name Lance Stroll very quickly came to mind.

[@ShipMonster]

All of this needs to be front page. I'm a former mechanic, driver, crew chief and instructor, what this man says is 100% true. It's something that grinds my gears when Hamilton fans (mostly DTS) try to tell me how hard he had it and the tough life he lived as if he was from Compton living on Government cheddar.. What they fail to realize is that you have to have some measure of affluence to make it anywhere in this business especially F1. Yes, Anthony Hamilton had to work 3 jobs, but so did many other driver's families, Ruben's dad had to sell all of their possessions to make ends meet. You're not going to make it in racing if you're collecting food stamps and living in subsidized housing.

[@dr4d1s]

If those drivers parents had to work more than 1 or 2 jobs to pay for racing I would say they had it hard. I can only imagine how hard that would be and I own my own business. You are jealous and sound like you just don't like the guy. Be happy in others success after their hard work; especially the ones who weren't just handed a blank check from Mommy and Daddy. Or you could just continue to be a miserable shell of a human.

[@ScottishTouge]

I recently had the opportunity to sponsor a F3 car.. and it was far from cheap

[@clifbradley]

This is what Casey was always complaining about. Except, he wanted a Formula 1 team to just give him a sponsorship into the race. Not that he doesn't have talent, but because he had mechanical knowledge, that should habe been an edge and he had true passion and that should have been an edge. Unfortunately, he didn't have money and nobody wanted to give him a shot because he wasn't rich. Then he wanted to tell us who was part of VinWiki that betrayed him, but he stopped. Maybe he had the skills, and maybe not but racing is this way because every idiot that drives a car, thinks they can be a racecar driver and it crowds the field.

[@timothycoyne5874]

Great video. Thanks for this brief and excellent insight into the finances behind racing. I think it’s clear racers in the top tiers are certainly talented, but they didn’t get there on talent alone.

[@Rezoan]

The nissan story is heartbreaking. It's a cruel, cruel world.

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

It's also not strictly true. Jann Mardenborough and Lucás Ordóñez are still racing after making their Nissan debut.

[@AKK5I]

@@AndrewGeierMelons nah they're not

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

@@AKK5I - you say that, but, I saw Lucás in person racing recently. You're wrong. You're just categorically incorrect. Not sure if you're trying to troll but there's nothing to troll here. Just accept that you're wrong.

[@ryanstampke2750]

Makes me glad that in Solo Autocross you can compete at the national levels with a beaten down miata and a few thousand bucks in tires and suspension.

[@musclecarczarig4003]

Thank you for this!

[@Hayatorides]

it definitely shows that some of the drivers at the highest levels currently are not necessarily the most talented/fastest ones just the ones with the largest cheque books. Makes us wonder how racing would be if it was an even playing field where only the fastest/most talented were the ones considered.

[@gordonlitz4824]

I'm a carpenter, couldn't care less about the car world. Yet I've watched your channel since the beginning. That guy is the biggest DB. He will hurt your channel

[@fredstarr9690]

Very cool! Great information! That is why I stick to DE events, $1,200 bucks I get my 3 or 4 tracks day's in a year. That's how I get my racing fix.

[@bbearhug]

#1. Be Short #2. Be skinny #3. Have great eyesight #4. Have great reflexes

[@mgers75]

Hell I probably spent a good 50k racing RC cars from 2015 to 2021

[@alanowens99]

Spot on description, and I loved the Mosport and Shannonville pics.

[@iglesiasnando]

Nelson Piquet made all the way up to F1, being champion two times without any money. He was a truly professional driver.

[@billmadison2032]

This pertains to racing in the modern world. What about in the 50s when all you needed was a car the entrance fee and Tech card possibly a license

[@ImARealHumanPerson]

How would that be at all relevant today?

[@billmadison2032]

@@ImARealHumanPerson because I'm asking a question that's why

[@twrecks4598]

I imagine this video will go viral when the Gran Turismo movie comes out. I raced stock cars a little bit... I started late too in my twenties, no help, and no money. The truth of the matter was that I had to run on old tires I got from other teams who put stickers on every week... stickers ran about $85 ea. Nevermind upgrading my car.. it cost me a hundie or two just to tow it to the track and show up. In the end, running as a back marker was no fun for me for the work I was doing, and decided to sell my car while I could, before I inevitably wadded it up into a worthless pile. To this day, I still think I would have done much better with the very real resources this sort of thing demands.

[@rhyswilliams4893]

Not many people currently on the f1 grid can from modest backrounds. Hamiltons and Ocon are the only 2 that come to mind.

[@yzce20]

Checo.

[@martimxavier9690]

Alonso

[@Enthusiast416]

Bring Auto Tempest to Canada!

[@black350Z]

I attempted to get on the track to being a race car driver very, very late in life. I was in my 30's. I had coaches and pro-racers who rode with me on track tell me I had the right skill set. And then I had a dinner with an ex-pro racer who said, "I'm not going to sugar coat it: It takes a lot of money. You need to be able to market yourself and get a lot of sponsorship." I knew at that point I had almost zero chance.

[@Roald94]

so u are expected to be a PR machine too then....

[@hamingnu6610]

@@Roald94 Yeah. That's why good drivers with undesirable attitudes at the top level aren't going to get better support than good drivers that have the 'right' face and mouth for PR. If you don't market yourself, you're letting the industry wait for someone who will - and if they're as good as you at driving or are better: you're pretty much out of luck because on top of those people who ARE marketable, there are dozens of families out there with billions of dollars who won't even need external sponsors.

[@wanr5701]

Even with sponsorships in place, what makes you think a professional race team owner, principal, or manager in any race series will hire someone who can only afford to start karting at 40 years old and race cars 5 years later, all with his own money? I can't imagine a race team in F4, F3, F2, WEC, WTCR, Super Formula, Indycars, nor F1 hire a 50 year old as a debutante.

[@black350Z]

@@wanr5701 There are plenty of teams who will hire established talent in their late 30's and 40's. Winning is winning, and if you can demonstrate the ability to do so, then they will hire you. I spoke with several pro drivers who were all very encouraging. But it does take money no matter what age you are. Money is the real deciding factor, not age.

[@neilopfer5687]

Thanks for these insights!! Knew from the Indy Car side it was like this but had no idea it was like this everywhere, Europe, etc.

[@mwa3476]

And I thought the music and movie industries were the worst. Sounds like racing has them beat by a mile. This is why sim racing is the only racing I can afford. $6K for a rig is a drop in the bucket by comparison. Even Daniel Morad's $60K rig seems reasonable at that top level.

[@gotham61]

It has always been possible to make it to the top levels without starting with a large bankroll, given enough talent, and a good dose of luck. Vettel and Hamilton are good examples. Vettel's father was a carpenter, Hamilton's father worked multiple manual labor jobs. Hamilton was spotted very early on by McLaren boss Ron Dennis who helped to usher him through the various racing levels, but Vettel really did it the hard way.

[@Mp-jw1qg]

F1 is a rich kids club. yeah its amazing to watch and not to take away from those drivers, but imsa is where the REAL racing is at. ps lewis hamilton didnt come from money and hes one of the best of all time.

[@rohnnyjotten3985]

@@Peter-nm1ps Power plant didn't make him lap 3 World Champions in 'the great leveller' pouring rain at Silverstone 2008 and finish 68 secs ahead of 2nd place, did you read that? 68 secs ahead of 2nd place. His talent did that. Ron Dennis spotted him winning races in a 2nd hand Kart and took him in to the McLaren drivers programme. His talent did that. What the fukc did you think happened ? Schuey and Nikki Lauda headhunted him for Merc. His talent did that. I'll take their opinion over yours 🤡

[@eric.frasch]

It’s not true the Gran Turismo GT Academy Drivers are out of work. My friend Sean Johnston got 2nd in the US and is still racing professionally in WRC. Also, I know 2011 winner Bryan Heitkotter is still racing.

[@F1-Passion]

It’s easier if your European or Asian because F1 is vastly & mostly based on these continents. Just like it’s much harder for an european person to get into nascar/Indy car.

[@johnrborowski]

Suggesting that basketball ‘only’ costs 10k is totally missing time. Ppls time COSTS money. Something to note.

[@amyx231]

One of the few who do it for fun is the Duke of Varmland. Lol. Prince by profession, race car driver by avocation.

[@dyingearth]

There's also Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh of Thailand who did 5 years of F1 in the 1950s.

[@christophersparkman]

Interesting. I would be curious to hear what Mr Ben Collins also has to say on the same topic....