Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, as we are often told. But to get to the pinnacle you have to pass through a journey and in a competitive environment like motorsports that means overcoming significant hurdles. Those hurdles are even greater for drivers coming from outside Europe, as was spelled out quite plainly at the FIA Sport Conference in Manila. For F1 to market itself as the best drivers in the world, it really needs to have the best drivers in the world, who have come up through the ranks from countries around the globe. Today it cannot really say that. The cost of climbing the ladder is prohibitively high and access to the feeder series is limited, especially in regions like Asia. And yet if Asia could produce a quality driver, the sport would have greater chance of thriving in the region. F1 CEO Chase Carey appeared in a panel discussion on Day 1 of the conference with Asian drivers Alex Yoong and Marlon Stockinger, which looked at how to find a way for … [Read more...] about Formula 1 and Asia: What are the next steps?