Formula One is arguably the most expensive sport in the world. It is difficult for drivers and young fans alike to get into the sport even after thriving in their junior careers. Simply put, you need a lot of money to secure a seat amongst the best 20 drivers in the world. 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has previously mentioned that the sport has become a billionaire boys’ club.

Aston Martin F1 owner Lawrence Stroll agreed with the Mercedes driver. Lawrence, whose son Lance has often been called out for being a pay driver, mentioned that right now, to drive in Formula One, you need a lot of money.

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We are living in a time that this is really a billionaire boys’ club: Lewis Hamilton

As reported by Daily Mail, the Mercedes driver mentioned that there is no way for a driver coming from a working family to get in F1 right now. He hopes that in the future the sport will become more accessible for young drivers.

“We are living in a time that this is really a billionaire boys’ club. If I go back to where I started, growing up in a normal working-class family, there’s no way I could be here. No way. All the guys that you’re fighting against just have that much more money.

For the future, we’ve got to work to change that, to make it more accessible to people from rich and more normal backgrounds,” said Hamilton.

Lawrence Stroll replies to the claims made by the Mercedes driver

Lawrence mentioned that year after year, the sport is becoming expensive. “Racing is definitely expensive, from go-karting on up, there’s no doubt about it.

It’s a lot less expensive to play golf or play tennis but F1 it’s an expensive sport, there’s machinery. There are a lot of people who run the machines. You have to be a very wealthy individual or a very large corporation to be able to afford to be in Formula One.

“I don’t know what Lewis’s comment was referring to, but this is a sport that is very capital intensive. If you look at, for example, building a new building or a new wind tunnel, that’s well over £150million. But Formula One is definitely an expensive sport to be in, there’s no question about that,” said Lawrence.

The sport needs to make some new rules to show that it does not become a complete billionaire boys’ club. We need to see really talented and fast drivers who have worked their way up from the junior categories. Hopefully, there would be some measures in the coming years regarding this.

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