Driving at a fast speed, getting close to the wall, then hitting the brakes to pass another car. This is usually how F1 operates. If you are reading this post, you are probably curious to understand what makes F1 drivers successful.
Some of the most successful and well-known Formula 1 drivers in the world, including Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Raikkonen, are some of the most famous F1 drivers and are idolized by all motorsports fans.
Each of these drivers did not achieve success without making sacrifices. They spent countless hours behind the wheel of vehicles from various teams on tracks throughout the world, risking their lives at extremely high speeds. It takes a lot of work to become a legend on wheels. It requires both talent and a lot of luck.
When Can One Start a Career With F1?
The career of a Formula 1 driver can now begin from pre-teens onwards with karting, all you need is a little luck and a great deal of talent and, of course more than any other sport at grassroots level, a ton of money!
Thus being identified by a program, like Hamilton was by Ron Dennis all those years ago, Red Bull is a leader in nurturing talent to F1, Max Verstappen a case in point, most teams these days have young driver programmes in place.
The most well-known beneficiaries of these efforts by different teams, in addition to Verstappen and Hamilton, are Robert Kubica, Scott Speed, Tonio Liuzzi, and Anthony Davidson, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and many more on the grid today and in the past.
In particular, Hamilton’s situation serves as an example for many, and you can see an overview of Hamilton’s masterclass because the McLaren team already had him under contract at the time of his go-kart experience. Without the backing and support that ensued, maybe Sir Lewis would not be a seven time F1 World Champion.
Training & Track Time
The most “conventional” route to become an F1 driver is through karting and the lower Formula series, a journey that can take over a decade, even if kids start before they are teens.
After gaining experience, the apprenticeship in racing in the so-called “mini formulas” where many teams and practices nowadays have “youth programs” where they can develop their talents.
Sufficient Sponsorship & Finances
The truth is that money is the actual issue; being an F1 driver depends on finances greatly. The more the better. Aspiring F1 drivers have a difficult time affording the related costs, renting a cockpit, travel and all the expenses that come with that. For instance, a businessman from his nation funded Michael Schumacher, a former world champion from Germany.
On the other side, Kimi Raikkonen received assistance from his uncle, who owns a business. And then there are those like Lewis Hamilton, who grew up in Stevenage and had to struggle and improvise to get to the point where Ron Dennis decided to back the boy wonder of the time.
Talent Is Simply Not Enough for F1
As mentioned above, practice and training plus lots of racing experience in the junior series provide the most “typical” path to becoming a Formula 1 driver and is the greatest place to get as much knowledge as you can.
Of course, this strategy is also the most time-consuming and frequently unsuccessful.
The term “training” in the automotive industry refers to racing in the so-called “training formulas,” such as Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, and Indycar, following plenty karting mileage and experience. Fernando Alonso, for example, was only 3 years old when he started competing with go-karts.
Additional Tips for F1 Success
Given the outcomes, talent scouts were able to identify many drivers (Hamilton was one of the youngest drivers to win the F1 championship in 2008), but in the past, things were very different.
There was a required path to enter Formula 1, which included numerous kart races before moving on to the “preparatory” Formulas, Formula 3 and Formula 2.
However, it was a path from which it was challenging to escape, it was very misguided, and selecting a routine that would result in success was very frustrating.
By competing in long races like those of the World Endurance Championship, they attempt to get a small amount of notoriety. There is no guarantee, even when it appears like the race is over for certain drivers, the next year they might become champions.
To approach the ascent to Formula 1 with more calm, there is one factor that must be taken into account during the years of apprenticeship: support of all kinds. Get the support and approval of the people you care about, and be sure that the sky will be the limit.