Do you have to be a millionaire to become an F1 driver?
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Lance Stroll's F1 career has been financed by his billionaire father Lawrence, who owns the Aston Martin team. Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony worked multiple jobs to fund his son's early career. REUTERS

Motor racing is expensive. That's no secret. But just how much money does someone need if they want to make it as a Formula 1 driver?

A glance at the current grid provides a contradictory picture. At one extreme is Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, whose father Lawrence is a billionaire businessman who not only funded his son all the way to F1, but bought him a team in which to race.

World champion Lando Norris graduated through the ranks funded by the millions his father Adam made as a pensions trader, which made him one of the richest men in Britain.

Continue on BBC Sport.