New Grand Prix Times article: Pay drivers ain't what they once were, in more ways than one

Of the many issues that swirl persistently around F1 today there is something that runs through just about all of them. The sense that in this sport things aren't quite what they used to be.

Photo: Octane Photography

This was the case recently even with what you'd have thought would be the inoffensive matter of new car launches. And especially so with the news that Rio Haryanto had claimed the final remaining seat on the 2016 grid, a decision that almost certainly owed much to the money that he brings.

But it's the case too that even the pay driver isn't quite what it used to be, and in more ways than one. As despite the ones we've all heard - such as that Niki Lauda was a pay driver too - the complaints about them right now don't betray mere wistful reflection on the past. Not entirely anyway.

You can have a read of my thoughts on it all here: http://www.grandprixtimes.com/news/id/11334