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Lewis Hamilton Displeased With F1 Transitioning Into a ‘Billionaire Kids’ Club’

Over the past few years, F1 has slowly transitioned into a sport where money is standing as a bigger priority than talent. And this is so far subjected to the teams that are running at the bottom of the field. Amidst the drift, for the first time, an F1 driver has expressed his opinion on the matter- Lewis Hamilton.

The 7-time world champion reckoned that F1 has turned into a club that is exclusively reserved for billionaire’s kids. Furthermore, he felt it would be impossible for a driver from a working-class family to break into F1 in the ongoing era.

Hence, the Briton demanded that F1 must find a way to stop this, and make the sport accessible to drivers from any level of financial background.

What did Lewis Hamilton say?

Speaking to AS, Hamilton opened up about his thoughts on the present F1 generation and felt the sport is following the wrong path.

For me personally, we live in a time where this has become a billionaire kids’ club. If I were to start over from a working-class family, it would be impossible for me to be here today,” he said.

Because the other boys would have a lot more money. We have to work to change that and make this an accessible sport- For the rich and for people with a more humble origin.”

Lewis Hamilton after the qualifying session in Portimao
Formula One F1 – Portuguese Grand Prix – Algarve International Circuit – Portimao, Portugal – May 1, 2021 Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton reacts as Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas celebrates pole position after the qualifying session Pool via REUTERS/Gabriel Bouys

The latest driver to join the grid with massive financial backing is Nikita Mazepin. Considering Haas have had a horrendous couple of seasons, their financial budget suffered a massive blow.

Hence, to bolster their development phase, the team had to sign the pay driver, who along with money, bought a handful of sponsorships, including the title sponsor, Uralkali.

There will always be an era: Hamilton

The Mercedes driver reckoned that drivers like Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg marked the end of an era, ultimately making way for younger drivers like Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc.

I don’t know if what I think matters much, I don’t know if I can judge if it’s a good or a bad generation. There are always riders who arrive, in my case I did it with Nico, and Kubica, Alonso was just before the Schumacher era… There will always be an era,” he said.

Lewis Hamilton during the F1 press conference
Formula One F1 – Monaco Grand Prix – Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco – May 19, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during a press conference ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix Pool via REUTERS/Sebastien Nogier

Overall, there is no denying that F1 is starting to lose the plot with drivers. What’s heartbreaking to watch is that there are drivers like Callum Ilott being left out because the Briton failed to possess enough financial backing to impress any of the F1 teams, despite being a title contender in F2 in 2020.

Hence, will F1 consider Hamilton’s opinion and put an end to this?

The post Lewis Hamilton Displeased With F1 Transitioning Into a ‘Billionaire Kids’ Club’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.