F1 Safety car driver not paid during crisis

Bernd Maylander

(GMM) Many in Formula 1 and motorsport are living without an income at present, according to safety car driver Bernd Maylander.

He told Auto Motor und Sport that he is one of those people who needs the races to actually take place before being paid.

"I am a freelancer," said the German. "I can only issue an invoice if I have performed a service. And since that's not possible at the moment because there are no races, I don't get any money.

"I still feel safe, but I hope for all of us that the economy will start up again. I am in a relatively comfortable situation, but I have many colleagues who rely on events. This is an existential threat to many of them," Maylander added.

He said he is hopeful the season can get started without spectators in Austria in July.

"For years we have been thinking about what could be changed in Formula 1, but now we have to do it. Maybe we will find a new basis for the future," he said.

"I see a lot of opportunities in this crisis, but clearly we are bound by the politics."