All right, if there is any part of the Formula 1 equation that can be disputed, it is whether or not the 22 to 24 drivers in F1 are the best racing car drivers in the world. First of all, the biggest objection will come from people who point out that some F1 drivers are obliged to pay a team in order to race with it, rather than the other way around. These pay drivers are often NOT the best in the world.
The best drivers are at teams that pay them fortunes - Michael Schumacher earned more than $30 million from Ferrari, and that does not include the sponsorships, endorsements, etc., that he added after his base salary, earning him as much as $80 million per season.
On the other hand, the pay drivers are not bad drivers either. Most drivers in most racing series begin their careers by buying a position on a team. The budget they bring to the team helps pay for the car and the operation of the team. But in Formula 1, the pay drivers are still usually among the best drivers in the world, since a) they have to be to drive an F1 car and compete in the sport, and b) there are so many pay drivers available, that often there is a competition between pay drivers for a job at a team.
Having excluded the pay driver aspect, the drivers in F1 are generally considered to be among the best in the world, yes, no doubt about that. F1 is the place where most drivers would like to end up, even some NASCAR drivers. Drivers want to drive in the best cars at the best tracks in the best series - and that is what F1 offers. So they all have an ambition to become the next world champion in F1 - and yet there are only 22 to 24 seats to fill, depending on whether there are 11 teams or 12.
When competition is that tough, the driver is part of the scenario as teams search for the best one available to find those precious tenths of a second they need to win.
