The cost of a European F4 seat in 2026 is one of the topics covered in this week’s Business of Being a Race Driver. You will also find out why you need to roll with the punches, details on Shift Up Now grants for 2026 and more.
Overview
The Business of Racing
Roll With the Punches
Twenty Years of Watching Smart People Get It Wrong
Ken Ungar, the founder of the Charge Sponsorship agency explains how he spent twenty years of watching smart people get it wrong (Including himself).
“Let me be clear: this isn’t a victory lap. Twenty years in, I’ve made enough mistakes to fill a textbook. But I’ve also had a front-row seat to one of the most dramatic transformations in marketing history. And the lessons from that front row might be useful if you’re trying to navigate today’s chaos.”
You can hear Ken’s thoughts about sponsorship and branding in this week’s episode of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. The episode drops this Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 10:00 AM EST.
The Talent Trap: A Forensic Audit of Motorsport Economics (2020-2025)
Drive Line aggregated financial data from teams, FIA participation statistics, and economic reports over the last 5 years. The myth of meritocracy collapses when faced with the mathematics. You can read their findings here.
Shift Up Now Foundation Announces Sponsorship Grant Applications Now Open for 2026
Are you a female racer competing at a professional or semi professional level in the US or Canada in 2026? Have you shown you’ve got what it takes on the race track with results on your resume and you just need a little more funding to take your program to the next level in 2026?
The Shift Up Now Foundation can help you with a Sponsorship Grant towards your race season. And this year they also have the Loni Unser karting scholarship offering a $1,000 Grant to a karter.
Interested in learning more? Click here.
General Motorsport Marketing Advice & Resources
Reach vs. Engagement
Providing memorable experiences to fans and customers makes your brand genuine to engage with. Those experiences don’t have to be all in person, but they don’t have to be all virtual either. The successful marketing focus in the long run will be built sustainably and thoughtfully. Sport Dimensions explains the difference between reach and agreement.
The Costs of Racing
The Real Cost of F4 in 2026
Drive Line looks at the cost of a seat in European Formula 4 in their Instagram post “The Real Cost of F4 in 2026.” Keep in mind that the numbers quoted are for the seat only, not for additional budget costs like insurance, hotels and flights. You can read the post here.
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.
