Jason Plato has spoken openly about the value of speaking openly about mental health and in this edition of the Driver Development Roundup you will hear what the touring car legend has to say. I also over the F1 paths of two current drivers, why mental preparation is key and more!
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
George Russell FORCED His Way Into an F1 Seat
High Performance Racing is back for Episode 4, Jake Humphrey is joined by Otmar Szafnauer and Rob Smedley to debate whether Kimi Antonelli could become Mercedes’ next world champion — and how he compares to George Russell.
The team also reveal the story behind George Russell’s teenage F1 pitch, share some of the wildest airplane stories from inside the paddock, and Rob breaks down what really makes a great race engineer — from radio calls and indecision to understanding the driver behind the wheel.
Plus: Toto Wolff’s private jet rescue story, Eddie Jordan chaos, Paul Stoddart’s Minardi flights, and the hidden details that can make or break a Formula 1 weekend. Watch the full episode above.
Lando Norris on F2 Preparation En Route to World Championship in Formula 1
Last season, Lando Norris made history by becoming the first driver to graduate from FIA Formula 2 and go on to become Formula 1 World Champion.
The McLaren driver won out in a season-long battle against Max Verstappen as well as teammate and 2021 F2 Champion, Oscar Piastri.
Reflecting on his time in Formula 2, the reigning World Champion delves into the biggest lessons he learned, finest moments and favourite memories. You can read them on the F2 website here.
5 Questions Parents Should Ask Before Signing with a Motorsport Agency
Drive Line lists 5 questions every racing parent should ask before signing with any motorsport agency. If your current setup can’t answer them clearly, you don’t have an agency. You have a vendor. You can read the 5 questions here.
“Mental Preparation is Probably More Important than Physical Training.” – Oscar Piastri
When a Formula 1 race winner says this, it should make the entire motorsport world pause. But here’s the reality: Oscar Piastri is still the exception, not the norm. Read more from Minds On Track here.
Advice From Dan Wells of Drivers Lab to Parents and Drivers
In. series of posts on LinkedIn, Dan Wells from Drivers Lab offers a number of observations with accompanying advice to parents and young drivers based on his extensive experience. The first post talks about the three things more important than qualifying fastest. The second post talks about the honest karting-to-F1 timeline with the associated costs. The final post talks about how Drivers Lab and its associated companies are linked. Highly recommended you have a look at them.
Gender Inequality in Motorsport
Mlle Racing take a closer look at how funding gaps, limited access, and systemic bias shape opportunity in motorsport. “In reality, motorsport is far from a meritocracy. Ability and determination matter but they do not exist in a vacuum. Limited access to early racing programs, unequal financial backing, and inconsistent sponsorship opportunities all shape who gets a chance to succeed. These factors intertwine, trapping drivers in a cycle of limited funding, less track time, mounting mental pressure, and, all too often, an early exit from the sport.” You can read the full post here.
Meet the Racing Doctor Driven to Boost Mental Coaching Access Among Young Drivers
Junior single-seater drivers are always looking to gain an edge over their rivals, and many have turned to mental coaches to help them unlock performance improvements. Elina Haukipuro is one of the emerging voices in her field, and she’s on a mission to make mental coaching more accessible to motorsport’s young competitors. Feeder Series caught up with the Finn recently to learn more about the work she does and how it helps young drivers.
“What we tend to forget is that these drivers, they’re so young. They’re teenagers. There’s hormones, there’s body changing, which – without this excess pressure from teams, media, all of it – is already a lot on its own,” she said. “But we’re treating them as if they are adults or if they’re like a ready-made product because of the job that they’re doing, which is very extreme for them when you pick that apart.”
Jason Plato on the Value of Talking Openly About Mental Health
Double British Touring Car Champion and now team owner Jason Plato has become a high-profile mental health advocate in the sporting arena over the last year, after going through an intense rehabilitation period which he publicly admits he could not have faced without the assistance of the motorsport community.
Jason concedes that he struggled with the concept of seeking help for his condition: “It was a combination of factors,” he explains. “In my racing career there were pitfalls and brick walls every week of every year, so I thought I was pretty resilient. I completely underestimated the effect that retirement – a choice I had made – would have on me. Some other things came along at the same time and my wife decided she wanted to end our marriage. I was in a spiral dive and I didn’t want to speak to anybody probably because I felt ashamed that on my watch, everything had gone bang.
“It didn’t happen overnight, it got worse and I didn’t want to speak to anyone because I was ashamed of who I was, I started to take all the mirrors down, didn’t leave the house, didn’t answer the phone, didn’t do anything.”
Read more about what Jason has to say about mental health at the Motorsport UK website here.
Driver Development Program News & Resources
More Than Equal – Finding and Developing The First Female F1 World Champion
We are building a new standard in motorsport development – a world-class support system that empowers and develops high-potential female racing drivers to succeed at the highest levels of motorsport.
At More Than Equal, we will make history by finding and developing a female Formula 1 World Champion.
Formula Africa Talent Search 2026 Begins
Formula Africa will begin activating across 16+ African nations:
- National talent searches
- Simulator experiences
- Karting partnerships
- Education initiatives
- Engineering pathways
This is the next frontier for homegrown motorsport in Africa
Join the community – Follow the movement via the QR code above.
Motorsport Girls Academy Camp 2026
More than just a camp — this is a skills development program using the fast paced world of motorsport as a platform to equip young women with real, transferable life and career skills. More details can be found here.
On the Podcast This Week
Trust Isn’t Given, It’s Proven — Featuring Ludovic Peze
In motorsport, trusting the wrong person can cost you more than a result—it can impact your entire career.
In this week’s episode of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast, I speak with Ludovic Peze about one of the most overlooked but critical aspects of a racing career: trust.
From engineers and mechanics to driver coaches and potential partners, the paddock is full of people who can influence your path—for better or worse. Ludovic explains why trust should never be given blindly, and how doing your research can protect your performance, your reputation, and your long-term prospects in the sport.
The episode drops on May 20th at 10:00 AM EST. Subscribe to the Motorsport Prospects Podcast for more insights on racecraft, career development, and the business of being a race driver.
Karting
FAT Karting League Expands in 2026
The internationally-expanding FAT Karting League (FKL) made its debut in the United States during the 2025 season. The arrive-and-drive electric karting program is the creation of former Ferrari F1 race engineer Rob Smedley and was originally launched in the UK, open for drivers ages between 5-17. The mission of the FKL is to make motorsport accessible and appealing to ALL young racers with a redefining grassroots racing movement focused on inclusivity and affordability, while inspiring the next generation of motorsports talent.
Heading into the 2026 season, the FAT Karting League US program will begin with four hubs. The Midwest and Southern California hubs return for a second season, and the program is now also launching Northern California and Texas hubs. E Karting News has all the details here.
Last Week on The Business of Being a Race Driver
Sponsorship Mistakes And More
Sponsorship mistakes is just one of the topics in last week’s Business of Being a Race Driver. I also have advice on signing with a motorsport agency and more!
From the Sim Racing Roundup
Ansible Motion Partners with Lola
Ansible Motion, with their Delta T1 Sport simulator have partnered with the Lola Formula E team and I had the details in last week’s Sim Racing Roundup. I also have details on how Brad Keselowski used a sim to stay race-ready after an injury and more!
Driver Journeys
How Colton Herta is Chasing His F1 Dream
From Mario Andretti to Juan Pablo Montoya via Jacques Villeneuve, drivers moving to Formula 1 from the top level of American single-seaters have been a rarity, albeit a successful one given their feats in the world championship. This nearly feels like a relic of the past, yet Colton Herta has taken up that very challenge – via the Formula 2 route.
Autosport looks into the very different journey of Colton Herta as he aims to be the next great competitive American on the F1 circuit.
“Even though I’ve been on a lot of the tracks, it’s been 10 years, so a lot of them have changed quite a bit – kerb profiling, repaving,” Herta explains. More importantly, it’s been about adapting to a different driving style – the Dallara F2 2024 can’t be wrestled into corners in the same way as IndyCar’s Dallara DW12, with Herta admitting to facing a “huge learning curve”.
Doriane Pin Appointed as Gen4 Development Driver for Citroën Racing
Citroën Racing has announced the appointment of rising French motorsport star Doriane Pin as official Development Driver. This strategic move underscores the team’s commitment to nurturing elite young talent while strengthening its technical and competitive edge in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
“I’m really looking forward to this new role and to joining this project. Formula E is a rapidly growing championship, and it’s both exciting to watch and to drive. I’ve already started working on the GEN4 simulator with the team, which has been a great way of understanding the systems and the driving approach.”