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Following the announcement of 16-year-old Max Verstappen to drive for Toro Rosso F1 team next year, Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey raised concern for motorsport's up-and-coming young racers.
Talking to Alan Baldwin of Reuters, Newey expressed his concern and blamed some parents of risking a miserable future for their children by neglecting their studies.
Several current Formula 1 drivers started racing karts as young as five years old and progressed to the lower formulas while still of school age and before they can legally drive on public roads.
Adrian Newey said he is very concerned about the several thousands of young racers who fail to make the grade.
"A lot of the drivers in karting and in junior formulas frankly just aren't going to school," Adrian Newey said in Belgium last weekend.
"They don't go to school at all. The parents then hide behind that by saying that they have private tutors but I think in many cases - not all, I'm sure, but in many cases - that's actually a complete sham."
Being signed by mega sponsors at a very young age also puts excessive pressure to succeed on the fragile shoulders of teenagers.
"I think for many of those children that don't quite make the grade, they have spent all that time not going to school, not having a proper tuition and then what happens to them afterwards is altogether another question," Newey declared.
"It's something which motor racing as an industry urgently needs to look at, because personally I think we're being irresponsible allowing that."
Talking to Alan Baldwin of Reuters, Newey expressed his concern and blamed some parents of risking a miserable future for their children by neglecting their studies.
Several current Formula 1 drivers started racing karts as young as five years old and progressed to the lower formulas while still of school age and before they can legally drive on public roads.
Adrian Newey said he is very concerned about the several thousands of young racers who fail to make the grade.
"A lot of the drivers in karting and in junior formulas frankly just aren't going to school," Adrian Newey said in Belgium last weekend.
"They don't go to school at all. The parents then hide behind that by saying that they have private tutors but I think in many cases - not all, I'm sure, but in many cases - that's actually a complete sham."
Being signed by mega sponsors at a very young age also puts excessive pressure to succeed on the fragile shoulders of teenagers.
"I think for many of those children that don't quite make the grade, they have spent all that time not going to school, not having a proper tuition and then what happens to them afterwards is altogether another question," Newey declared.
"It's something which motor racing as an industry urgently needs to look at, because personally I think we're being irresponsible allowing that."