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Complaints about so-called pay drivers have reached a cacophonous level bordering on hysteria. Against a backdrop of Formula 1's financial troubles, many teams have quite legitimately had to ensure that one or both of their drivers guarantees a chunk of sponsorship to make up a budget shortfall, or in some cases keeps them going altogether.
While pay drivers have been a fact of life throughout the history of the sport, their prevalence can become corrosive. Fortunately, while there are some drivers not on the grid who unquestionably should be ahead of a few of those who are, the overall standard is still high.
But there's no guarantee that F1's money troubles have bottomed out, and steps need to be taken to ensure that the level doesn't deteriorate dramatically. This can be achieved through a transformation in the attitude both the FIA and F1 have towards the Superlicence that any driver running in an official session must hold.
