Britain is on top of the world in Formula One, with Lewis Hamilton beginning his quest for a fifth championship in Australia this weekend, but there is concern at the grassroots level.
With costs spiraling and some junior kart teams racing on six-figure budgets, young people hoping to emulate Hamilton’s rise from social housing to stardom are being priced out of contention.
Britain’s Motor Sports Association (MSA) said the number of license-holders in karting has fallen 30 percent in the decade since Hamilton made his Grand Prix debut in 2007.
Less than 12 percent of the total are under the age of 21.
“I don’t think it’s an insurmountable problem, but it’s certainly something we need to address quickly,” said David Richards, the former F1 team principal who was appointed MSA chairman in January. “Otherwise, where will the next Lewis Hamiltons come from?
Richards said that Britain was still well-off compared with other nations — the nation has produced a string of top drivers, has world-class engineering and most of the Formula One teams are based there — but he was concerned about what could happen five or 10 years down the road.
“If there are such big barriers to participation that we can’t get the talent in the first place, that means we don’t get the best people in,” he said. “I really do believe that at the grassroots level today, those barriers do exist.”
Speaking last month at the launch of his Mercedes team’s W09 car, Hamilton doubted it would have been possible for someone from his background, without money or connections, to come through now.
“Right now racing is just ridiculously expensive,” he said. “I think it’s much harder for anyone from a council estate in Stevenage to get to Formula One now. It’s pretty much impossible, because you don’t have the money.”
Richards suggested electric karts, which can be electronically tuned to ensure they are evenly matched, could be one way to contain costs and level the playing field.
“We can look at ways in which we make sure that the karts are all equal and we don’t end up with this ridiculous situation where people are buying 10 engines to find the best one,” he said.
“We can’t have motorsport accessible only to the rich,” he added. “This sport has got to be accessible to far more people.”
He hoped to get more women involved and saw e-sports as something to be embraced.
The fate of the British Grand Prix after next year was another concern: The British Racing Drivers’ Club has activated a break clause in their contract that means a farewell unless a new deal is struck.
Richards, who has not been involved in negotiations so far, said the race was a key asset that the nation should not let slip — particularly in light of Brexit.
“I think the opportunity to use a flagship event like the Grand Prix to promote Britain at a time when we need to be promoting ourselves, our engineering expertise and our talent in this country shouldn’t be lost on government,” he said.
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