Ocon’s parents were once penniless. To give him a chance to race, they sold their entire house. Meanwhile, some drivers were born into wealth, where their fathers could simply buy an entire F1 team as a “toy” for their sons. Let’s take a look at the poorest and the richest F1 drivers to date.
Let’s start with Esteban Ocon. Born in Évreux, France, Ocon’s father was a mechanic and his mother ran a small garage in town — just an ordinary family. The problem is, motorsport is one of the most expensive sports, yet Ocon had a deep passion for it from an early age. His parents realized they had to give him a chance, but their income could never cover the costs. So Laurent Ocon made a crazy decision: sell the garage, sell the house. Yes, they sold everything, and the family lived in a motorhome, traveling from race to race.
Ocon recalled his childhood: “Some kids had their own mechanics, multiple engines, while I only had a second-hand chassis, and we just picked an engine that wasn’t too bad. During testing, my parents would even collect used tires from other kids — ones that were still quite new.”
But hard work eventually paid off. In 2011, at the WSK Euro Series, he didn’t win the title but finished runner-up, just behind Verstappen. Compared to Max, Ocon’s family conditions were far worse, but salvation came — Mercedes noticed his situation and offered him a lifeline. He joined the Mercedes junior program and opened a new chapter. In 2014, he even beat Verstappen to win the FIA European F3 Championship. In 2016, he made his F1 debut with Manor, and in 2017 he became a full-time driver for Force India.
Yet he never forgot his parents’ sacrifice. He once said: “Looking back, the courage my parents had to take such risks is incredible. If it were me, I might not have taken that gamble. Maybe they saw some kind of potential in me.”
Ocon’s story tells us: if you’re truly talented and willing to risk everything, there might be a reward. But, of course, the son must have “what it takes.”
Take Nikita Mazepin as a contrast — a Russian driver from a wealthy background. His father, Dmitry Mazepin, was the chairman of UralChem, Russia’s largest fertilizer producer, and a billionaire with a net worth of $2.2 billion. Money wasn’t a problem, but results still were.
It’s easy to mock “pay drivers,” but Mazepin’s early performance wasn’t terrible. In 2011, he won the Russian Karting Championship, and in 2014 he finished runner-up in the World Karting Championship, just behind Norris. Of course, this was possible thanks to his access to top-tier teams and the latest technology. With such resources, it’s no wonder he climbed the junior ranks quickly. But once he reached F3, money could only go so far — or perhaps his father simply wasn’t “rich enough.”
In the same season, Lance Stroll achieved far better results. Their rivalry wasn’t really about skill, but about “who had the richer dad.” The two even collided at Hockenheim that year. And though Mazepin did win a few F2 races, his overall performance was underwhelming.
So how did he make it into F1? Simple: by pouring money into a financially struggling team — Haas. And thus, a “legend” was born.
Unsurprisingly, things unfolded just as people expected. Take Barcelona, for example: after spinning off track, instead of working with the team to fix the problem, he blamed them entirely. In reality, the engineers had offered him advice, but he ignored it. Inside the garage, he often pretended to know better than the technicians, insisting on setups he wanted, regardless of feedback. The results were exactly what you’d expect.
His entire F1 career seemed doomed from the start. His on-track and off-track behavior reflected that of a spoiled child. In a way, his career ended before it even began. Following the Russia-Ukraine war, his father was sanctioned, and Haas quickly cut ties with the Mazepins.
Mazepin’s failure proves one thing: money doesn’t buy you talent, nor does it guarantee true passion for racing.
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