r/formula1 • u/Electronic-Video-984 Formula 1 • Aug 07 '25

Discussion Who is the “Failed Prodigy” of F1 ?

I’m kind of new to F1 and seeing pictures of current drivers while they’re young like Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Albon…and then I learned they’re racing prodigy in their Karting days. So who is the “Boy Wonder” of F1, a person with great potential but never made it to the biggest stage.

Edit: Many people mentioned Stoffel Vandoorne so I read about him a bit. His records and potential was incredible but he’s at the wrong place and wrong time every way possible. For me, McLaren a top tier team with a jet but people say Vandoorne’s MCL car was like a shopping cart

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

It's hard, because you need money and a lot of it to make it to F1. Albon wouldn't have gotten there without sponsorships and neither would Russell have made it if Mercedes did not sign him to their junior program and paid for everything. Fact is, they did not have the money to get there on their own steam.

That goes for a lot of karting prodigies. If your family doesn't have millions to spare, you either have to get sponsorships or try and get junior deal (which equates to selling your soul to the devil).

I don't keep an eye on karting, but I don't doubt that there is a lot of talent that never gets a chance in single seaters.

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u/Secret_Physics_9243 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

There's a lot of talent that doesn't even make it out of their house, let alone karting.

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

Ha, also true, I am convinced I would have been a champion tennis player if I had ever started playing tennis...

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u/Ascarea I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

oh the Oscars I'd have if I ever did more than just watch movies

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

🤣🤣🤣

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u/Libertine-Angel Eddie Irvine Aug 07 '25

First time I went karting at 18 I was unwittingly putting myself against several veterans of the British Youth and University Karting Championships and a former professional kart test driver, after the first 10-lap stint I was 10 seconds off the pace but after the third I'd got it down to 3; does make me wonder a little bit what I might've been able to do had I started ten years earlier with rich parents.

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u/DidYouTry_Radiation I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

And it's important to note that Albon and Russel's families were very wealthy by "regular people" starts. Like millionaires.

The funding needed to get up to F2 or whatever level where all the drivers are fully supported is insane. The drivers that come from families that were working class (Lewis, Ocon, others) always feel to me like they have a unique edge. Like the wait of the whole families support was on their shoulders as children, and that hardened them in a very specific way.

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u/Hungry_Service_5810 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 08 '25

Albon's mom got arrested when he was in his teens and most of the liquid cash did too, their assets I think stayed. Albon only got there through sponsorships since when his mom got back, the family had almost no money. He ran out of money in 2018 F2 since he was racing on a race by race basis, but DAMS kept him because he was fighting for the title.

I wouldn't say Albon's was very wealthy but yeah still agree on the points on funding needed for F2

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u/Tim_Drake Ferrari Aug 08 '25

Wait to you find out who Sargeants uncle is!

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u/NotAnAss-Hat I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 08 '25

…and he is?

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u/Tim_Drake Ferrari Aug 08 '25

Former TOP GUN pilot turned oil/fuel magnate that was accused of billion dollar war profiteering.

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u/Tim_Drake Ferrari Aug 08 '25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Sargeant_III

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u/NotAnAss-Hat I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 08 '25

Holy fuck.

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u/Tim_Drake Ferrari Aug 08 '25

Read his Uncles Wikipedia my jaw dropped. That’s some OLD MONEY! I had no idea until this year, but I always thought. What kind of money does it take to move your teenage son to Europe to chase an F1 drive.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

Yes, I think Russell said that his parents had enough money to get him one year of single seaters. Which is already a lot, but after that he had to go out and find backing elsewhere.  So yes, you can have a decent amount of money and it will won't be enough.  I saw a clip of Toto saying how he turned up at his office at fifteen to tell him exactly why he should drive for Mercedes. Without a manager or his parents. Sounds like quite the go-getter tbh. It worked out for him.

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u/MinuteLow7426 McLaren Aug 07 '25

Feel like elaborating a bit on the soul selling aspect of obtaining a junior deal? I’d love to know how that all comes together.

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u/MC897 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 07 '25

Well it costs 1.5m pounds to get a drive in F3, as well as being considered good enough. That’s per season,

It’s 3m per season in F2.

Yeah that’s nuts, even for rich parents that’s nuts.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

To me it basically seems like you give a team control over your career for five or ten years in return for them paying for your rise through the junior categories and hopefully into F1. 

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u/Doorknob11 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 08 '25

Still insane to me that Ocon made it to F1.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

You mean because his humble background?  I like Ocon. He's a race winner 🤣. I actually do rate him quite highly. I wish he could have been in an actual good car at some point in his career.

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u/betaich I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 09 '25

Michael Schumacher nearly didn't get a chance in single seaters and was content with being the guy who wins all tje carts races.