

The FIA, the governing body of Formula One and many auto racing events around the world, has organized a program called the “Global Pathway from Karting to Formula One,” which provides drivers a clear course to follow from the bottom to the top of the ladder.

You can progress through local, national, and even global competitions, eventually allowing you to move to open-wheel racing, depending on your success (and ability to afford it).įrom there, the number of leagues you can join at each step of the pyramid gets smaller, so that by the time you arrive just one step below Formula One, you mostly have just two choices: Formula 2 or World Series Formula V8 3.5. At the bottom, you have many options for getting into racing, almost all of which involve karting. Feeder seriesĭrivers competing in the World Series Formula V8 3.5Ī “feeder series” is a racing championship in which drivers compete solely to progress up the motorsport ladder, though it is more akin to a pyramid. For most people, that means climbing through the Formula One feeder series. In terms of exclusivity, this can only be compared to other top-level racing series such as Ind圜ar and the World Endurance Championship, though Formula One cars remain quicker around a circuit and the sport attracts the most prestige, money, and talent-as is partially exemplified by the many ex-F1 drivers who filtered into Ind圜ar or the WEC only after they retired or were not good enough to keep their seats.īut if Formula One is such an elite and exclusive club, how do drivers get there? For starters, they need to get racing, preferably at a very young age, and winning- a lot.
Fia super license points drivers driver#
However, if a driver wants to compete in open-wheel racing cars at the highest level-and some would say at the highest possible level of all global motorsports regardless of type-they must rise through the ranks and prove they are worthy of one of just 20 available Formula One seats. In more mainstream sports, such as soccer, basketball, and even golf, you can find hundreds-and in some cases, thousands-of individuals competing at the highest possible professional level. It takes a lot of work to get in that seatīecoming a Formula One driver is no easy feat in fact, there may be not be a smaller and more elite group of athletes in the world.
