You want to know how to become F1 driver? Honestly, the odds are terrible. There are only 20 seats on the grid at any given time. Compare that to the NFL or the Premier League where hundreds of athletes make a living, and you start to see the scale of the mountain you’re trying to climb. It isn’t just about being fast. Speed is the bare minimum, the entry fee. To actually make it, you need a bizarre cocktail of astronomical funding, political maneuvering, and a level of physical discipline that would make an Olympic marathoner sweat.
Most people think it starts with a driver's license. It doesn't. It starts when you're four or five years old, sitting in a tiny kart that smells like two-stroke fuel and burnt rubber.
The Karting Gauntlet
The journey begins at the local karting track. This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff before most kids even know how to do long division. You start in "cadet" classes. If you're good—really good—you move up to national championships. But the real test is Europe. If you aren't racing in Italy by the time you're twelve, you're already behind. The WSK (World Karting Series) and the FIA Karting World Championship are the true proving grounds.
Max Verstappen is the poster child for this path. His father, Jos, basically lived in a van, tuning engines and pushing Max to find tenths of a second in the pouring rain. It was relentless. That’s the level. You need to be winning championships like the CIK-FIA consistently. If you're not a standout here, the big academies won't even look at you.
Money. We have to talk about it. To run a top-tier international karting season, you’re looking at $200,000 to $500,000 a year. That’s just for the kart, the tires, the travel, and the team. It’s a rich man’s sport, but even the rich get priced out eventually.
Moving Up the Single-Seater Ladder
Once you hit 15, you’re looking at Formula 4. This is the first time you’ll sit in a car with wings and a "halo" safety device. It’s a massive jump. The physics change. You’re no longer throwing a kart around; you’re managing aerodynamics and tire degradation.
📖 Related: Bethany Hamilton and the Shark: What Really Happened That Morning
The path is structured by the FIA’s "Global Pathway." It usually looks like this:
- Formula 4: National series (UAE, British, Italian, etc.)
- Formula 3: A global support series that follows F1
- Formula 2: The final step where cars have 600+ horsepower
Each step gets exponentially more expensive. A season in Formula 3 can cost $1 million. Formula 2? You’re looking at $2 million to $3 million per year. This is why many drivers seek out "Driver Academies." Programs like the Red Bull Junior Team, the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA), or the Mercedes Junior Team are lifelines. They pay the bills, but the pressure is suffocating. If you don't perform, Helmut Marko—the head of Red Bull’s program—will drop you before the season is even over. He's famous for it. He wants winners, not "potential."
The Super License Points System
You can't just buy your way into the seat anymore. After Max Verstappen debuted at age 17, the FIA got spooked and introduced the Super License system. To get one, you need 40 points. You earn these by finishing high in the standings of other series over a three-year period.
Winning the Formula 2 championship gives you 40 points instantly. Winning IndyCar gives you 40. But if you're finishing 5th or 6th in F3, you're only chipping away at that total. It’s a grind. You also have to be 18 years old and have completed 80% of two full seasons in a single-seater championship. Basically, the FIA wants to make sure you won't be a mobile chicane when Lewis Hamilton tries to lap you at 200 mph.
The Physicality of the Cockpit
Let’s dispel a myth: driving an F1 car isn't just "sitting down." It’s an athletic feat. During a race, drivers experience up to 5G or 6G under braking and through high-speed corners. That’s five to six times your body weight pressing against your neck. This is why F1 drivers have necks thicker than their heads. They spend hours in the gym doing "neck ISO" holds with weighted pulleys.
👉 See also: Simona Halep and the Reality of Tennis Player Breast Reduction
Then there’s the heat. In places like Singapore or Qatar, cockpit temperatures can exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Drivers lose between 6 to 10 pounds of fluid in a single two-hour race. Your heart rate is pinned at 170 bpm—roughly what a runner maintains during a half-marathon—but you’re doing it while making split-second tactical decisions and adjusting 20 different dials on a steering wheel.
The "Pay Driver" Stigma vs. Talent
The term "pay driver" gets thrown around a lot. It usually refers to someone like Lance Stroll or Nikita Mazepin, whose wealthy fathers funded their careers or even bought teams. But here’s the thing: even pay drivers are incredibly talented. You can't get the Super License points without being fast.
However, the "talent-only" route is getting harder. Esteban Ocon is a great example of the struggle. His parents sold their house and lived in a caravan to support his karting. He had to win everything just to stay in the game. If he hadn't been picked up by Mercedes, he’d be a mechanic today, not a Grand Prix winner.
Why the Mental Game is Everything
George Russell famously used a PowerPoint presentation to convince Williams to hire him. That tells you something. It isn't just about the driving; it's about the data, the engineering feedback, and the marketing.
When a driver gets out of the car, they spend three hours in "debriefs." They look at squiggly lines on a laptop—telemetry—comparing their throttle application to their teammate’s. If you can’t speak the language of engineers, you’re useless to the team. You have to be a part-time physicist and a part-time PR machine. You’re representing brands worth billions. One wrong tweet or a bad interview can tank a sponsorship deal.
✨ Don't miss: NFL Pick 'em Predictions: Why You're Probably Overthinking the Divisional Round
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Driver
If you’re serious about how to become F1 driver, you need a roadmap that starts yesterday. It’s a long shot, but here is how the path actually functions in the real world.
1. Start in Karting Immediately
If you are over the age of 12 and haven't started racing yet, your chances of F1 are nearly zero. You need to join a local club, get a license from your national sporting authority (like the SCCA in the US or Motorsport UK), and start winning. Move to European competition as fast as your budget allows.
2. Master the Sim Racing World
Budget a problem? Sim racing is becoming a legitimate backdoor. Drivers like Max Verstappen use iRacing to stay sharp. Occasionally, teams like Williams or Red Bull scout top-tier sim racers for their esports programs, which can lead to real-world testing opportunities. It’s a "hail mary," but it’s cheaper than a set of kart tires.
3. Build a Commercial Portfolio
Start treating yourself as a brand. You need sponsors. Even in F4, you need hundreds of thousands of dollars. Learn how to pitch to local businesses. Document your journey on social media. Teams want drivers who bring their own "activation" potential.
4. Focus on the FIA Ladder
Don't jump around different types of racing. If F1 is the goal, stay in open-wheel single-seaters. Formula 4 is the mandatory first step. Pick a competitive series—the Italian or German F4 championships are generally considered the most prestigious.
5. Get an Agent Who Knows the Paddock
The F1 paddock is a small, gossipy village. You need someone who can talk to team principals like Toto Wolff or Zak Brown. Management companies like Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management or Gwen Lagrue’s setup at Mercedes are the gatekeepers.
The reality is that for every 10,000 kids who start karting, maybe one will even get a test in an F1 car. It requires a level of obsession that most people find unhealthy. You have to be willing to sacrifice your education, your social life, and your family's savings for a 0.01% chance. But for those 20 people on the grid, it’s the only life worth living.