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Stofel VanDoorne does not expect to suffer the same fate as Magnussen and, wisely in my opinion, is chasing a deal in another formula to keep him race sharp. I have contact with leading people in the feeder formulae and this year things appear to be a little different and wonder how the Magnussen experience, the Verstappen case and the general financial state of smaller teams in F1 are really changing the young driver approach.
I am told that at this stage in the season signed deals in GP2 and FR3.5 are at a very low point and that GP3 is not all that healthy. The boom in F3 that followed Verstappen's rise to F1 is thought to be on the wane as young drivers find that it is it not as easy as all that to move from Karting to F3. The market for drivers in F4 and the other entry level series is buoyant but it is suggested that a realisation is coming in that the budget requirements to move from the (relatively) achievable levels required at GP3, GP2 and FR3.5 is so large that the dream cannot be maintained.
Only the wealthiest fathers and connections can see the road clear for them. Many of the other backers who dream of the vast return on investment that can be expected when their charge reaches F1 are becoming clear that they are more likely to win the lottery.
Going down the ladder I can see the vast effort being put into Karting as drivers now can move to cars at 15 with the dream of F1 having been proved possible at 17 and feel that the whole thing has moved down the age scale in a way that perhaps was inevitable but is it a good long term development? I saw the ultimate situation recently when I came across the "Bambino" class in Karting where 6 to 7 year olds "race" in a time trial format. The kids that I watched were fascinating and,"cute" as they got into their karts. Track speed was reasonable and some were very raw but the odd one had a good eye for line, braking and throttle control even at 6 years old.
Further insight came when I saw that one of best kid's father was employing the services of a person that I regard as one of the biggest karting experts in the world and who charges big dollars for his time. This expert has more than one Bambino/Cadet client I understand.
So, just as we have seen golfers who wielded a club almost as soon as they could lift one, tennis players taking the racket at two years old and thousands of footballers who start kicking a ball as soon as they can walk we now have professional management of 6 year old racers in "cars" and, I am sure bikes. I am not saying I disapprove of this trend, what is the harm and better to have professional help in such a dangerous area but it demonstrates that the whole driver career line has moved down by several years.
Formula 1 cannot absorb all the drivers that the feeder series will create and so to earn a living they must look to other things where funding does not just come from the driver. If you just want to race for fun there are plenty of opportunities and none better than karting at any age but to make a career from motorsport now is far less of a clear path.
The lack of direct sponsorship in F1 that would allow teams to chose the best does mean, IMO, that we will not necessarily get the top drivers. It may also mean that we get some great drivers in sports and saloon racing of all types.
These changes may make for problems for others in the sport than drivers as teams may need to employ mechanics and engineers with wider skills and do you need less staff to run in the more junior formulae than in GP2 and GP3?
Changing times I feel
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