What it costs to get to Formula 1 is just one of the topics covered this week. You will also find out about the inaugural FF Corse GT Driver Academy, what happens at a race driver school and the type of driver that teams love. All this and much more in this week’s edition of the Driver Development Roundup on Motorsport Prospects.
SpeedCafe looks at how much it could cost to make it to Formula 1. Although the site looks at the costs for a driver based in Australia, the European budgets would apply to anyone.
“With just 20 seats available on the F1 grid and only one or two of those open to a rookie driver each year, competition at the top of the pyramid is ferocious, and timing critical. And with over 200 drivers on the ladder at any one time, it makes the F1 feeder industry worth more than $3.6 billion annually – excluding what is spent in karting (which can easily climb into the six-figure range).”
Despite the video above being 6 years old, it will give you a good idea of what happens at a racing school.
Brian Sims of Paddock Magazine looks at the state of race driver development in South Africa today. “Here we are, some 45 years on since Jody was crowned World Champion and we haven’t had a single South African F1 driver. For a country so passionate about motorsport, that really is surprising.”
Internationally acclaimed Ferrari GT racing specialist FF Corse has confirmed the nine young names it has selected to be part of its inaugural GT Driver Academy in 2024. FF Corse, a prolific race winner with Ferrari including 2023’s Finali Mondiali Trofeo Pirelli with Thomas Fleming at Mugello, has launched the Academy to help guide drivers specifically targeting a professional career path in GT racing.
“We’ve launched the FF Corse GT Driver Academy to support and provide a credible path to a professional racing career, as drivers increasingly find single-seater budgets unrealistic,” explained Phil Bennett, Program Manager.
“This is very much about discovering and nurturing the GT racing stars of tomorrow, and GT3 racing in particular has become a very interesting category, both commercially and from an engineering/sporting point of view. We want to help drivers gain a foothold by becoming involved early and shaping their careers. We have some very exciting talents amongst our first nine drivers and look forward to working with them in 2024 and helping them develop as athletes and individuals.”
“Whilst our intake for 2024 is now closed, we would welcome expressions of interest for our Academy in 2025 which is very much open to drivers from all nations.”
In the video above, sit in with special guest Hannah Grisham, an alumna of NASA’s Teen Mazda Challenge, as she highlights some of her experiences moving from racing karts as a young girl, to competing in Spec Miata and now in Pirelli GT4 in an Aston Martin with the Heart of Racing team.
In a recent edition of On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove, Terence explains the type of driver teams love. “I want to share with you what I’ve seen from the other side, so you can understand how your approach as a driver impacts everyone around you and learn to leverage it for better results.”
Last week I gave you the next set of dates for the ARDC Race Academy Formula Pathway Program for the remainder of 2024. The video above gives you an idea of what to expect.
Even after 21 F1 seasons, Fernando Alonso always has something interesting to say. In a recent interview in the Financial Times the analogue driver in a digital age tells the author about racing against drivers 20 years younger. “I would say that they are very talented, maybe more than before because of all the preparation; the academies, the simulator work, the technology, and data they have available to improve and learn quickly. They arrive in F1 more prepared. But off track or with the helmet off, maybe they are a bit the same and more shy in the way they approach things. They have people who talk for them.”
Podium Life reviews Will Buxton’s My Greatest Defeat: Stories of Hardship and Hope from Motor Racing’s Finest Heroes. “My Greatest Defeat is a must-read for anyone interested in the human side of motorsport legends, showcasing the resilience and vulnerability that define true champions.”
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
