Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi and Nikita Mazepin are all Formula 1 worthy despite having billionaire fathers.
Throughout the history of F1, there are many examples of young drivers getting their chance by paying for seats on the grid, some have gone to success, while others have gone after a single race.
In recent years, Stroll and Latifi capitalised on the financial weakness of Williams to make their debuts, while Mazepin is expected to do likewise at Haas in 2021.
However, while the backing of their fathers has given them all a substantial leg up, Wolff believes all three have backed up their places on the track.
“Let’s look at Lance,” he began via The Race. “And I’m not biased because I agree, it should be a meritocracy.
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“He won the Italian F4 championship, won the European F3 championship, has been on the podium twice, and has qualified for the first row in Monza in the rain.
“I don’t think we can say just because his father is a billionaire that he’s not here on merit, right?
“I think he’s actually suffering from the stigma that is just not right. He can’t do anything for his father being very successful in his own right.
“I think it’s even more impressive that a kid with that environment chooses one of the most competitive sports in the world.
“Honestly, there is no discussion.”
Stroll had indeed begun to silence the critics with some impressive performances in 2020, before a recent illness and poor weekend at Portimao revived them once again.
“With Nicholas, he has won races in F2, and we haven’t seen what he’s capable of [in F1], it’s his first season,” the Mercedes boss continued.
“About next year, let’s not discredit Nikita before having seen that.
“I think Nikita has been a regular frontrunner now in the F2 season. He won some races, he was competing for some of the race wins.”
As a result, Wolff doesn’t agree with Romain Grosjean’s view that Haas is only changing drivers for financial reasons.
“At a certain stage, he [Haas team boss Gunther Steiner] has a driver that’s been with him two or three years that has these ups and downs and now he’s going for a younger one that also brings a budget, but who is being competitive,” he said.
“I would do that. Nothing against Romain, I think he had many, many good years in Formula 1.”
Finally, the Mercedes boss also believes all three drivers are different to those who benefitted after the 2008 financial crisis.
“I think we are in the best possible state. We had many more drivers who came in only because they paid, five or six years ago,” he claimed.
“I don’t even remember the guys that have arrived in F1 without even having won a single race in a competitive junior series.
“Maybe I have a wrong recollection. I don’t want to name anybody but you know who I mean.”