Formula One and the Myth of Meritocracy: Merit, Capital, Law, and the Psychology of Institutional Inequality

Abstract This article examines Formula One as a political, legal, and psychological institution in which merit is not absent, but selectively organized through capital, regulation, and institutional validation. Against the common narrative that success in Formula One is the direct result of individual talent, the article argues that racing ability is developed within unequal infrastructures: family wealth, early access to karting, engineering disparities, sponsorship networks, driver academies, and regulatory filters such as the Super Licence system. Drawing on sociology of sport, theories of justice, sports law, and institutional psychology, the analysis explores how Formula One transforms economic privilege into apparently natural talent. Through cases such as Lance Stroll, Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and others, the article proposes that the sport does not merely reward merit; it produces, protects, and legitimizes particular forms of merit before publicly celebrating them.