FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem SLAMS ‘impossible’ cost of karting, claims he wants to reduce costs to grow motorsport

Mohammed Ben Sulayem admitted that the cost of karting was unaffordable for most families today.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem SLAMS ‘impossible’ cost of karting, claims he wants to reduce costs to grow motorsport

Mohammed Ben Sulayem (Via IMAGO)

Motorsport is an expensive affair. Racing categories such as Formula 1 cost hundreds of millions of dollars for a single team every year. However, even in junior series, the costs are enormous. Aspiring drivers might need to secure hefty funding to make a career in the racing world. Now, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has expressed his discontent with the big sums required for karting.

In today’s day and age, families might need to spend six-digit figures to have their child compete in karting championships. Mohammed Ben Sulayem admitted that this was certainly not affordable for the majority of households. The FIA President even labeled this sum as ‘impossible.’ This closes the door for many young kids who want to become racing drivers.

Who can afford to pay 275,000 euros per season for their ten year old son? That's impossible.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem said as reported by Motosport-total.com

Moreover, Ben Sulayem highlighted the need for standardizing karting requirements which could reduce costs. The 62-year-old reckoned that this would grow motorsport across the world. As go-karts are the foundation of the racing pyramid with drivers progressing from karting to single-seaters before potentially making it to F1.

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Karting is very expensive. Therefore, we want to standardize the requirements and reduce costs. After all, we want motorsports to grow. All Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 drivers come from karting. And that's where we have to start.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem wants to unify regulations in lower categories

The FIA President believed that motorsport should learn from sports like Football which have simple rules. The 62-year-old aimed to unify regulations in lower categories in order to make it more accessible and affordable. This would be a step towards encouraging the younger generations to try and succeed in the racing world.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali (image via PlanetF1)
Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali (image via PlanetF1)

Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s plans could definitely benefit the world of motorsport. Currently, only rich families can afford to support their child’s career in karting while the majority of households rely on sponsorship funds. Even decades ago, Lewis Hamilton‘s father Anthony Hamilton had to do four different jobs just to pay his son’s karting expenses.

Certainly, motorsport can only grow when it becomes affordable for the masses. Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s plans would take some time to truly bring in results. However, if the FIA President can implement such changes, it would be a step in the right direction. Although it remains to be seen if Ben Sulayem can bring in change in the coming years.

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