Rising Costs Block Young Drivers From Reaching Formula 1, Warn Experts

The path to Formula 1 has become prohibitively expensive, with costs escalating at every level of the racing ladder.

“Budget cap, la parola magica del mondo delle corse, ma non c'è solo l'eccesso di spese per i team di F”

Automoto.it

BBC reports that George Russell's family spent about £1m over 12 years.

Automoto.it

Automoto.it details how karting alone can cost £130,000 for an eight-year-old, rising to £260,000 at 13.

Formula 4 seasons cost £520,000 and Formula 3 at £1.3m-£1.6m.

France Racing quotes Anthony Hamilton warning that Lewis Hamilton might be the last of his generation.

Karting costs have surged to about £130,000 for an eight-year-old and £220,000-£260,000 for a 13-year-old.

Formula 4 seasons can cost around 300,000 euros.

BBC

Formula 3 costs about one million euros per season, and Formula 2 can reach 2.5 million euros.

Jarno Trulli warns that to be competitive, they would need to spend at least one million euros per season plus testing.

Alonso acknowledges that costs make it impossible to help many young drivers.

The debate over talent versus money is central to the sport's future.

“Anthony Hamilton is worried about the next generation of drivers”

France Racing

Most drivers who have appeared in F1 over the past three seasons come from different backgrounds.

Anthony Hamilton believes F1 should be accessible to drivers who have talent, not only to those who are financially backed.

The Guardian reports that European brands face scrutiny after the Rahman Textile fire.

The Clean Clothes Campaign calls the audit system fundamentally broken.