When I reflect on some political decisions, I often think the cure is worse than the disease. In motorsport, for example, we see a significant political drift: just look at what they are doing with Formula 1 to realize who is in charge. In karting, where public opinion carries absolutely no weight, we see technical and sporting choices that, in some cases, border on the grotesque.
Take the 60 Minikart class, for example: we were mostly in agreement about the need to reduce the performance of these tiny machines that can exceed 110 km/h in the hands of 10-year-olds. CIK FIA therefore moved to drastically reduce the performance of these engines through new technical restrictions coming into effect next year. The karts, thus modified, are indeed less powerful than they currently are. The response from young drivers was unanimous: “We won’t race with such a kart after having driven the old Group 3!” So next year, we will witness the mass exodus of the best drivers from 60 Minikart to OKN Junior.

And here is where you almost jump out of your seat. Now, you take away from a 10-year-old a kart capable of 110 km/h just to put them on one that exceeds 140 km/h only a few months later? The classic example of the dog chasing its tail… if we believe that a 10-year-old kid is not able to manage and race a 60 kart, do we then put them at 11 years old on a real monster with triple the horsepower of a 60, heavier, and capable of frightening performance? Apparently, that’s what will happen next year. Some will stay in 60 to collect some results as long as the rules allow it, while others will make the big leap to a beautiful, selective, but perhaps a bit too extreme category. And it seems all top drivers are already starting to test an OKN-J in preparation for the next season! However, that is not the real problem. The problem lies in how motorsport has evolved. It’s more thought-provoking to see a 10-year-old racing a minikart at 110 km/h, an 11-year-old on a kart at 140 km/h, or a 15-year-old battling in a single-seater that can reach 240 km/h?

The problem is seeing an 18-year-old arrive in Formula 1, without a driver’s license, achieve a series of positive results that bring them to the headlines, only to be harshly criticized for a couple of bad races?

None of these are the problem. The problem is only one: it is not the karts that are going too fast, it is our world that has reached an unacceptable speed. When I hear that a driver is finished at 23, as almost happened to Liam Lawson after being crushed by Red Bull if it weren’t for the “demotion” to Racing Bulls, it gives me chills. Today, the most sensible thing would be a global step back. Yes to limited Minikarts, OKN-J from 13 years old, and then the following categories. You move up to single-seaters at 18, when you become an adult, when you have a driver’s license, and when, hopefully, you are less foolish than you were at 15. Certainly, Formula 1 teams and managers, who look for drivers to contract starting at Minikart age, should also downscale, but it should be the federation’s role to prevent this excess of needless rush from continuing in this way, not forgetting that only thanks to the safety of current single-seaters, and a good dose of luck, we have not yet seen fatalities.