The Race To Become A Professional Driver

A battle before you've even set foot in your motorsport career. How hard is it to fulfil a childhood dream and get racing?

Lewis Hamilton, 2018 Formula One British Grand Prix, Silverstone. Picture by George Mattock.

Racing. Easy, right? Millions of children dream of looking up to the chap pictured above. 5 time newly-crowned world champion Brit Lewis Hamilton inspires millions of youngsters to get involved in motorsport. However, since the dawn of racing, finances have always played a role in securing your seat in the cockpit. But just how difficult is it to start racing on the "entry level" form of single seater racing in the UK?

Throughout this year, I have been commissioned to follow the 2018 JMR Scholarship winner Sebastian Job (www.twitter.com/G2Sebi / www.instagram.com/sebastianjob_) in his journey from sitting in his living room on his PlayStation, to driving his very own car in one of the most competitive racing series in Europe. I am of course talking about Formula Ford. But how did Seb make the jump? It was a long, difficult race to get there.

After myself competing in the 2018 JMR Scholarship, I have a different insight into what has really happened behind the scenes. But what is the JMR Scholarship (www.jmrscholarship.co.uk)? Simply put, the competition was for budding racing drivers of all ages across the UK to try their luck on a simulator for a chance to win a fully funded seat in the National Formula Ford championship. The aspiring racer drivers had to set a lap on a simulator rig around the famous Brands Hatch circuit, in a Formula Ford-esque car on Project Cars. Over 1250 lap times were set, and the top 8 covered by just over 0.1 of a second. The competition was launched way back in the summer of 2017, and concluded in February 2018.

From my perspective, I finished in 8th place after having around 10 x 30 minute sessions. It was obviously absolutely gutting to lose out by such a small margin, but I managed to seize the opportunity to combine my love of racing with my skills in media. I proposed to the founder of the scholarship, James Mullen - that I make a few videos documenting the winners progress across the season. As such, I was invited to Silverstone for Seb's first test day and met him for the first time back in March. Below is the first teaser trailer of the documentary series 'RACER', which was the first video I made following Seb.

From there its been a rollercoaster ride. Exciting races, close battles - and huge crashes. I have dubbed this season as "the most unpredictable journey in British motorsport" - and I stand by that. It really is breathtaking.

Over the course of this season, which recently concluded at the annual Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone - Seb has progressed in all areas. He has certainly showcased his talent, setting fastest laps, some great overtakes and keeping up with his competition; who have far more racing experience than he does. But now, his fully funded season - worth around £35k - is over, where does he go from here?

Sebastian Job, Walter Hayes Trophy, Silverstone, 4th November 2018. Photo by George Mattock.

It's not just as simple as signing with a team and going from there. Seb must find near £40,000 to compete in another full season, and for someone from a regular working family, £40k is a serious amount of money.

In today's world, to have any hope of starting a racing career, you need one thing - money. And lots of it. This continues through all the rungs of the motorsport ladder, from entry level "affordable" racing - to Formula One, where "pay drivers" pay the team to drive specifically for them. But how do drivers find this kind of money? Two ways. 1 - Family wealth. 2 - Sponsors. The first one is incredibly popular, as is the second one. But getting sponsors to fork out their hard earned cash for a sticker on your car is nigh on impossible.

A certain driver who has been in the news in the past year or so is Lance Stroll (pictured on the left below, with his billionaire father).

Lance Stroll (left) with his billionaire father, Lawrence. Photo by Sports Keeda.

It has been widely reported that Mr Stroll (pictured above, right) had paid Williams F1 Team around $80,000,000 (£61.6m) to secure his son a drive in Formula One with the famous British team, spanning over two seasons. There was uproar from the wider motorsport community, claiming that he had simply "bought his way" into the top level of world motorsport, bypassing the traditional method of working your way up through the ranks and acquiring sponsors as you go - although Lance had done well in some lower categories. But you do have to ask the question - how did he start competing in the lower categories such as Formula 3? Money.

Since his F1 career began at the tender age of 18 in 2017, Stroll has scored 47 points as of 9th November 2018. Not an amazing record, but he has scored one podium finish, at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku after one of the craziest races in F1's modern history.

"So how does this compare to Formula Ford?" I hear you ask - well, there are similarities. Firstly, there are pay drivers. Lots and lots. Every single driver - bar one - on the national Formula Ford grid classifies as a pay driver, in where they are paying the team for their services and guidance across multiple weekends. The only driver in 2018 not to be classed as a pay driver? Seb. But he finds himself in the exact same position as thousands of other budding racers - looking for sponsors to fund another season. And if someone has earned it, it most certainly is him.

In conclusion, you need money. It doesn't matter where from, you just need it. You can have all the talent in the world, but with no cash - it will never happen.

The harsh reality of motorsport.

George Mattock