Pay drivers - has your opinion changed?

[Glen]

The latest driver required to bring more money to the team than he gets as salary is... JV. The idea of paying to drive is kinda ok if you do it to get a foot on the ladder and then work your career from there... perhaps even get to World Champion. Not many would expect to have to resort to paying their way in after they are World Champion! F1Racing.net story

[garcon]

Maybe F1 will turn full circle and become an amateur sport for rich playboys... like most of the rest of motorsport.

Actually, in today's commercialised F1 it makes sense that a driver, who is himself a marketable asset possibly greater than the team, should guarantee to find a level of sponsorship.

In this case, it seems Sauber are likely to make money by signing Villeneuve, and Jacques appears perfectly happy to support that. Not only is this probably his last chance as a driver, but it is also a chance to show that he can, after all, help develop a team.

[Dutton]

What confuses me is that if he just accepted no salary, then his money finding mission would be easier.

I guess the whole argument of salary reflecting your position and so on would be brought in. Or he could just give the team the five million form hsi own pocket and save a lot of time and effort.

But then Sauber will be looking for a long-term sponser, so they probably prefer it this way - and Jacques will get his money, which he will justifiably be happy about.

Well, anyway, I am sure Jacques will be capable of getting 5 million in sponsorship without too much difficulty.

[Kicking-back]

This is typical of that f1racing.net website - the intro of the story is not backed up by the main body of it.

[Glen]

What a contrast though - normally the signing of a new pay driver is heralded by hoots of derision. Just imagine the furore if Jenson Button suddenly was paying to drive. Can you imagine even DC going to those lengths (depths)? I can't.

Credit to JV for swallowing his pride (well, a little of it at least) and getting himself back whatever the cost. It's just a bt of a shame that the had previously not only ruled this option out but had also spoken in less than complimentary terms about drivers that did such a thing.

[Aysedasi]

I give JV credit too, even though I'm not exactly a JV fan, I think it will add just that little bit of much-needed breadth to the GP grid.

[climb]

These kinda facts suggest me that Montezemolo is somewhat right when compalins about the unevenly distribution of F1 revenues.
Some drivers have to pay to drive, while "some people" who don't risk their lives on the track earn unsizable loads of money (e.g. the white wig).

When it happens to a young newbie we can accept it; when even a superstar passes through it, a general reflection would be good I think.

[Kicking-back]

Reading autosport's version of the story, JV isn't a pay driver - the team is employing and paying him.

They've also given him some bodywork space he call sell to personal sponsors - with him rather than the team getting the proceeds.

That's not a pay driver arrangement.