A driver development program , also known as a driver development team or driver academy , is a system or structure designed to identify and develop talent in auto racing . Programs are typically offered to drivers aged 12 to 25 in junior racing categories—such as kart racing and lower formulae —with the aim of progressing to top-level motorsport series, often devised by racing teams, external companies and sponsors.
4-641: The Sauber Academy , formerly known as the Sauber Junior Team , is a driver development programme by Sauber Motorsport to support drivers from karts through the feeder series ladder to promote them to their Formula One team. In November 2018, Sauber entered a partnership with Czech team Charouz Racing System to form the Sauber Junior Team, followed by the creation of a karting team in March 2019. After 2019 Sauber parted ways with Charouz and rebranded
8-546: A driver may also be recouped via a share of earnings from wages and brand deals. In 1998, McLaren became the first Formula One team to establish a driver development program, founding the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Support Programme ; its initial cohort famously included 13-year-old kart racer Lewis Hamilton , who became the first driver development program alumnus in Formula One to win
12-567: A wide range of coaching methods and technologies to train all of the physical and psychological attributes required in high-level motorsport, including full motion racing simulators and psychotherapy . Some programs have been criticized for offering long-term, low-paying contracts, whilst occasionally charging additional fees for the use of their facilities and technologies. Companies that specialise in driver training and related programs remain commercially viable through such fees, and typically do not financially support junior careers. Investment in
16-900: The programme as the Sauber Academy. Sauber's Karting Team, aligned with Kart Republic, also entails various drivers. Driver development program Driver development programs involve the scouting, signing and training of driver talent around the world. Racing teams will typically sign young drivers with the intention of eventually graduating them to a senior category with the organisation, such as Formula One , IndyCar or NASCAR . Many teams sign drivers to multi-year contracts, in which they assist in funding their careers in junior formulae—such as kart racing , Formula Three and Formula Two in open-wheel racing , as well as late models and ARCA in stock car racing —to develop their talent and experience. Such contracts may also serve to prevent driver talent from being poached . Many programs now employ
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