“Make this an accessible sport”– Sebastian Vettel against excessive cost of junior categories

“Make this an accessible sport”– Sebastian Vettel is another prominent F1 name after Toto Wolff to raise their voice against cost issues.

Formula 1 can be called an aristocratic sport. People from humble backgrounds cannot fund their way to the top of motorsport because of the unaffordable cost one has to pay across all levels.

Sebastian Vettel feels that this is making the sport exclusive and demands to reduce the cost of junior categories to allow people from humble backgrounds to be a part of F1.

“If I were to start over from a working-class family, it would be impossible for me to be here today because the other boys would have a lot more money,” he said.

“We have to work to change that and make this an accessible sport, for the rich and for people with more humble origins.”

Cost-cutting is not a fix.

Vettel admits that cutting down the cost is not a solution, and more radical changes are needed to achieve inclusivity. Still, the cost of junior categories is so high that it would have been tough ever to make it even for him.

“There’s not a quick fix, but ultimately, the costs are too high,” explained the Aston Martin driver. “In all honesty, if I look back to when I started, costs were lower, but they were still high.

“I mean I was very fortunate. I had [backer] Mr Gerhard Noack looking after me, who was the same man who looked after Michael [Schumacher] when he started, probably 20 years before me as a young child.”

“It was already very, very expensive back then, so I think Michael was in need of help, and I was in need because I couldn’t afford it. I think the first season we did in very junior go-karts.”

“We managed to sort of do half on our own and then we started to be very lucky to find people that supported and helped us,” he concluded.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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