F1 Driver Pathway: From Karting to Formula 1
The F1 driver pathway is a ladder with clear rungs: karting, Formula 4, Formula Regional, Formula 3, Formula 2 and finally Formula 1. Here is what each step asks of a driver, how super licence points decide who can move up, and how the ladder looks from Asia.
What is the path to becoming an F1 driver
There is no exam and no single route, but there is a well-trodden one. The FIA, which governs international motorsport, groups its junior single-seater categories into what it calls the Global Pathway. The idea is simple: each category is a little faster, a little more technical and a little more expensive than the one below it, so a driver can climb in steps instead of jumping from a go-kart into a car with hundreds of horsepower.
In practice the F1 driver pathway looks like this:
- Karting, usually from childhood
- Formula 4, the first single-seater car
- Formula Regional, a step up in power and aerodynamics
- Formula 3, the first international feeder series on Formula 1 weekends
- Formula 2, the last rung before Formula 1
- Formula 1, which requires an FIA super licence
Not every driver touches every rung. Some skip Formula Regional, some arrive in Formula 1 from Japan's Super Formula, and a few have come from other categories. The ladder describes the usual route, not a rule.
Karting first
Almost every current Formula 1 driver started in karts, and Formula 1 itself tells young fans that the journey begins there. Karting teaches the basics that never change at any level: braking at the limit, finding the racing line, racing wheel to wheel and keeping calm in traffic. It is also the cheapest place to learn, which matters because costs rise sharply with every step.
Karting has its own ladder of classes by age and engine size, from local club races to national and international championships. Results in the top international karting events can even earn a few super licence points, which shows how seriously the sport treats them as a starting point.
Formula 4: the first single-seater
The FIA launched Formula 4 in 2014 to give drivers a first, affordable step from karting into cars. F4 championships are national or regional, the cars are relatively simple and the rules aim to keep costs under control. Most F4 championships set the minimum age at 15. You can read more about entry, age and money in our guide on how to start single-seater racing.
For many drivers, F4 is where they first learn about slick tyres, wings, set-up changes and working with a race engineer. It is also where the first meaningful super licence points are available.
Formula Regional and Formula 3
Formula Regional championships sit between F4 and Formula 3. The cars are heavier and more powerful than F4 machines, with more downforce, and the grids often include drivers backed by Formula 1 junior programmes. Regional championships exist in Europe, the Middle East, Japan and other regions, and Asia has had FIA-certified regional F3 class series since 2018.
FIA Formula 3 is the first international rung that races on Formula 1 weekends. Every team runs the same car, a Dallara chassis with a 3.4 litre naturally aspirated V6 producing 380 hp, so the results say more about drivers and engineers than about budgets for development. The Formula 3 car explained page goes through the car in detail.
Formula 2, the last step
FIA Formula 2 is the final step and also runs on Formula 1 weekends. Its car uses a 3.4 litre single turbocharged V6 rated at 620 hp, which is a large jump from Formula 3. Drivers here race in front of Formula 1 team bosses, and a good F2 season is often what turns a junior into a candidate for a race seat or a test role. The differences between the three categories are laid out in F1 vs F2 vs F3.
Super licence points
To race in Formula 1, a driver needs an FIA super licence. The central requirement is points: a driver must collect at least 40 super licence points over the previous three seasons. Points come from championship positions in approved series, and higher categories pay more.
According to Formula 1's own guide, the champion of FIA Formula 2 receives 40 points, enough for the licence in one season, while the FIA Formula 3 champion receives 30 points and the runner-up 25. The Formula Regional European Championship pays 25 points to its champion. Drivers can also earn a single point for each Formula 1 free practice session in which they drive at least 100 km, up to 10 points.
There are further conditions. The driver must be at least 18 years old at the start of their first Formula 1 competition, must have completed most of two full seasons in single-seater championships, and must pass the FIA's knowledge test of the sporting rules. The full points table sits in the FIA International Sporting Code and changes from time to time, so check the current version before relying on any figure.
Is 20 too late to start F1
It is late, but the answer depends on what "start" means. A driver who begins karting at 20 has very little chance of reaching Formula 1, because most drivers on the grid started karting as children and reached Formula 3 in their mid to late teens. A driver of 20 who is already winning in Formula Regional or Formula 3 is not late at all.
For adults who simply want to race single-seaters, age is far less of a barrier. Club championships, racing schools and national formulas welcome drivers of any adult age. The goal changes from Formula 1 to racing well and enjoying it, which is the goal of most people on a grid.
The ladder in Asia
Asian drivers follow the same ladder, but the geography is different. National F4 championships have run in Japan, China and other countries, and South East Asia has had its own F4 championship since the 2016 to 2017 season. Japan has a complete ladder of its own: F4, a Formula Regional championship, Super Formula Lights and Super Formula, which also awards super licence points.
Many Asian drivers still move to Europe for Formula Regional, Formula 3 and Formula 2, because that is where the Formula 1 paddock watches most closely. Others build their careers at home, in Japanese single-seaters or in sports cars. The circuits that host this racing are covered in our guide to race circuits in Asia.
Sources: Formula 1 beginner's guides to Formula 3 and the super licence, FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 technical pages, FIA information on Formula 4.