I have €15m. Can I please race in F1?

[Bruce Fielding]

That seems to be the story for F1's first Russian driver... His state sponsorship makes up 7% of the entire Renault team budget.

Can they afford to fire him if he's useless? I don't think so.

What do we think of 'cash for seats' in F1?

[benyeats]

It is still pretty much the norm for smaller teams.  Even if they are paying a driver a salary he will still be expected to bring £x M in personal sponsorship.  It is only the biggest teams where this is not the case.