Do Reserve "pay drivers" exist in real life?

[Waggy]

I wonder if it's cheating to use a reserve "pay driver" just in practice.

Who would pay to drive just in practice (and maybe factory tests I guess)?

Why not spend your money to race in a category you can afford as a main driver? Wouldn't that be so much more fun and better for your career as well?

[captinjoehenry]

I have no actual knowledge but I would imagine it could happen that someone is fairly rich and enjoys racing but isn't that good or doesn't want to do it full time so this rich dude would pay to get behind the wheel of an actual race car in practice. Basicly a sponsor that pays a bit extra to drive the car of the team he or she is sponsoring.

At least that seems plausible to me. I have no idea at all if it is actually real though.

[Chrome]

It's actually a thing. They'll do it just cause they can (yay rich people!) or want experience.

[Waggy]

Makes sense. I hadn't considered "playboys" burning cash or not-so-good drivers just making the most of what they can get their hands on.

[Zilljah]

It used to be more common for reserve drivers to be used in practice to give them experience and get feedback. Anthony Davidson was reserve for BAR and that was his role.

And remember Simona DeSilvestro? In 2014, she was a reserve driver for Sauber; her seat was paid for by her sponsors, and she was supposedly being developed for a full-time drive. By end of season, she was let go. Without being given any race practices, as she'd been promised.

[tullaian]

I am not sure what the status is in 2017 but, a few seasons ago of all the drivers in F1 main and reserve only 10 recieved a salary all the rest were there because of sponsor funding so that was about 10 drivers out of around 40. If you look at this year Lance Stroll (Williams) is suposedly there because his father put $35million into Williams.

Motorsport seats at the pointy end are nearly all driven by sponsorship. (still need your Super License so even with $$ can't be a total hack).

[Twelvefield]

In the case of Lance Stroll, there's no reason I can think of to put a 19-year-old into the cockpit of a F1 racecar unless there is sponsorship. Nobody under 20 is that talented without money, and against the extreme possibility that such an empty-pocketed wunderkid does exist, they'd probably be destined to to something better with their lives than just racing. They'd be Mulala, but without the tragic gun violence.

Like you said, though, Stroll does have talent. There is a rigorous process to make it into F1, and Lance Stroll is one of those kids who has done nothing but race, since his father owns a track. I am interested to see what happens to him in future seasons, and I wish him the best!

The financials in MM are far too simple to allow for situations like Lance Stroll's. I think a "pay driver" is a reasonable abstraction, though, as long as you are happy with keeping those kinds of details steamlined.

[selanderk]

Stroll's father is giving the team 25 million a year in "sponsorship" to back his son. I think thats all that needs to be said.

Oh, and he also had 3 crash's in 2 days of testing earlier this year.

[Ostrowski98]

Yes, it exists. Although a completely dedicated 3rd driver does not really exist anymore in real life due to the testing ban. Although he was racing in GP2 at the time, Felipe Nasr was the Williams 3rd driver with sponsorship from Banco do Brasil and maybe Petrobras helped too. Just today Sean Gelael tested for Toro Rosso, and that's definitely due to his money.