(Ben Johnston 2014)
Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle has admitted that he is worried by how many drivers entering Formula One are being brought in because they bring money and it is not a decision based on talent.
Speaking at the weekend's Autosport International Show Brundle said that he believes that there is 'something fundamentally wrong when a team like Lotus who were the only team consistently challenging Red Bull last season are short of money'.
Brundle admitted however that team's need to get their money from somewhere and with massive sponsorship deal seemingly a thing of the past it would appear that many team's have no choice but to take a driver who brings money with him.
The Lotus F1 Team are a prime example because at the end of last season we all know they lost Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari and are still locked in a battle with the Finn who is owed a substantial amount of money from the team.
In September, when it was announced that Kimi was heading back to Ferrari the team were hoping to sign Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, however the team' investment deal with Quantom Motorsports fell through and they were forced to sign Pastor Maldonado from Williams to partner Romain Grosjean.
Brundle believes the main problem in Formula One at the moment is that the cars are too expensive to run.
For example, Formula One will switch to 1.6 litre V6 power trains which cost the manufacturers an arm and a leg to develop.
If we take a look at this year's grid there are a number of team's who have brought in driver's who have money. Fernando Alonso could technically be considered a 'pay driver' as when he joined Ferrari in 2010 the move enticed Spanish banking giant Santander to leave McLaren and follow Alonso to Ferari.
Having pay driver's in Formula One is not sustainable as potential investors could be turned away if drivers are forced to bring money with them to a team.
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