When we talk about Formula 1, the things that come to our mind are the high-speed cars, tracks, teams, drivers, celebrations, luxury and many more. Since the sport started in the 1950’s the people’s perspective and judgement about Formula 1 has always been positive and clean. But there is also one other dark side that looks cruel and frustrating. This article deals with the negative side of F1 and its system.
Formula 1 is all about Money
Money, Money, Money… is the most powerful tool that decides everything in Formula 1. If you look back at Formula One’s history there have been many instances where money was the supreme and the deciding factor even over humanity and life. As you all know F1 is a dangerous sport.
In the past, there have been many incidents where drivers lost their lives and the races continued to happen due to the pressure from the sponsors. The organisers of F1 races cared more about retaining sponsors than the valuable lives of F1 drivers.
Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger had a fatal crash at the 1994 Imola Grand Prix qualifying. He lost his life but even then the organisers carried on with the race, the next day Ayrton Senna lost his life in the main race. There was no space for humanity in Formula 1. The safety of the drivers was also not a concern for them but after the death of Senna, more voices poured in for the support of drivers and FIA improved driver safety in cars which is appreciated.
Nepotisms growing field
For many years the topic of Nepotism has been going on and left stranded in Formula 1. We are not against people like Max Verstappen, Nico Rosberg, and Mick Schumacher who all have a racing background. We even believe Max is one of the all-time greats in F1. But on the flip side, there are people like Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas who all come from a humble background and achieved big in F1.
The people entering Formula 1 with a racing background already have good financial backing. So teams struggling with Money give them the chance to race in Formula 1. One great example was Nikita Mazepin, and Lance Stroll who got racing opportunities in F1 just because they had money. But what about the real talents waiting outside the paddock? With the current expenses in F1, there is no possibility of seeing another Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel race in Formula 1.
Also Read: Did Fernando Alonso Abuse Liam Lawson? The Red Bull driver reveals the truth.
F1 makes people bankrupt.
As we already said, Money is the ultimate deciding factor in F1. Running a Formula 1 team is the hardest thing and many brands go bankrupt because of the huge money involved in the game. Teams that were successful before in Formula 1 have lost massive amounts of money over the years and went bankrupt or got taken over.
Williams Racing is a prime example, the team faced a huge loss and struggled financially. Claire Williams the daughter of Frank Williams could not run the team and she finally decided to sell the team to Dorilton Capital and left F1. Bigger brands like BMW, Toyota, Lotus, Jaguar, Benetton, and Arrowsl ran away from Formula 1 because of its huge running costs.
Also Read: Formula One team makes the biggest-ever driver bid for Max Verstappen
No respect for drivers
The only thing that hits very hard for the fans is seeing their favourite drivers even with all the talent don't get the deserved respect. Daniel Ricciardo is one big example of how F1 teams treat their drivers if they don’t perform well even if they have many issues with their cars. Carlos Sainz deserved to be in Ferrari but was sent out due to a business decision.
F1 teams only keep drivers with brand value, if any driver can't help the brand should go out. The teams will isolate the drivers and push them to the edges, where there is only one way and that is the way out. Jack Doohan was signed by Alpine for the 2025 season last year. But this year they signed Franco Colapinto as the reserve driver which puts young Doohan under more pressure. Teams only want results and there is no place for emotions, respect and compassion for others.
European and Biased
FIA is pushing hard to make Formula 1 an international sport at least on paper, but it still remains a european sport and it is very clear if you see teams and their drivers. Since the start of the 1950s F1 teams always preferred European drivers over Asian and American drivers. Africa is not even considered for racing. Lewis Hamilton is an exception, thanks to his massive talent and skills as teams couldn't avoid a driver like him.
F1 great Ayrton Senna faced issues with teams treating him and his european teammates differently. Even inside Formula 1, there is a huge British bias, as the main broadcasting network Skysports F1 was often criticised for being British biased. F1 World champion Max Verstappen slammed the British press and Sky SportsF1 for always being against non-British drivers. Treating good or bad, people will always make money both ways in F1.
Also Read: Hamilton’s former teammate warns him about danger inside Ferrari.
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