I heard in the USGP driver interview a statement that Scott Speed drove his first go kart at age ten. Compare that to this "punk" here, who started at what 3, 4, 5? I'm amazed Scott even made it into F1. 10 is way too late. Neurons have already made all their vital connections.
If you think that's late then you'll be suprised to know that Takuma Sato didn't start racing karts until he was 19. Also, Tiago Montero didn't start racing until he was 21, he never got into karts, same with Jacques Villenueve, Damon Hill and Jean Alesi. There are a couple others in recent times who didn't start in karts and started relatively late, but i can't remember. A big misconception about proffessional racing is that you MUST start when you can barely walk, which ofcourse isn't true, it only helps.
And (from memory) Fangio didn't drive a car til he was 21. Didn't race a car til he was somewhere around 28, and didn't make it to F1 until 35. Times have changed, but it would be interesting to see how one could explain this. My theory is that more than likely most people simply don't decide to make dramatic changes to their lifestyle as they are older (say in their 20s). ie, if you're studying to be a accountant, enjoy Friday and Saturday nights dancing and drinking with girls, and playing football in the park on Sundays you don't just wake up one day and decide that you are going to quit all of that and be a track rat 24-7.
Actually you're making my point. Name a GREAT F1 racer who didn't start as a toddler. Jacques did other things to hone his speed reflexes like snowmobiles.
Not to be argumentative but... Graham Hill, I know this one might be controversial, but he didn't even drive a car until he was 24. Emerson Fittipaldi, started racing motorcycles and soon switched to racing karts in 1967 at age 21, F3 in 1969, F2 in 70 and in May '70, F1. Niki Lauda's experience prior to driving a Cooper to second place in a 1968 hillclimb (age 19) was said to be limited to thrashing a 1949 VW convertible around a family member's estate. While early experience can be extremely helpful, even moreso in the highly tuned time we are in now, some do have an inate ability to feel the machine and the road, an advantage that is merely honed, not produced, by experience. Some could have karts under their respective arses from the time of birth, and still drive like a Keystone Kops when they get on the track.
It's a miss-conception to think that you must start very young in motor racing or motorcycling to be good. There are plenty of cases of riders/drivers who started early and retired early too. I have always been more interested in longevity rather than youth in motorsports. Most of the 'early starters' retire in their 30s, because they think that they have reached their peak, or because they are 'burnt-out' - some also want to enjoy the colossal fortune they have gained! There are plenty of examples of racers in their 50s and over still active in International Motorsport (Le Mans?), historic & classic racing, land speed racing (John Fitch, 83?), and that is certainly far more impressive than watching kids racing karts! Most of these kids are only a vehicle for their parents' ambition and many don't carry on once they reach adulthood.
