The human cost of F1's cut-throat nature

Several Formula 1 drivers said goodbye to the championship at the end of the 2018 season. In one notable case, it was painful to witness the individual's late realisation that their dream was dying.

Scott Mitchell Dec 5, 2018, 9:54 AM

Motorsport.com's Prime content

The best content from Motorsport.com Prime, our subscription service. Subscribe here to get access to all the features.

Formula 1 drivers are often so wary in a world of mistrust that it is a privilege to witness one embrace vulnerability and give a brief window into the human underneath. However, it is not always a pleasure.

There is nothing fun in seeing a driver, even for a fleeting moment, as a broken human being. Noticing their voice quiver, hearing the sadness as they utter the words "it took so much as a human, and I won't see the result", is done, quite simply, without any joy. F1 is a cut-throat world that discards the husks of careers and lives rapidly and often without ever feeling the consequence, even if the personal toll on the driver themselves is mighty.