This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2023/02/14/regulation-of-driver-contracts-in-formula-one-is-it-time-to-devise-new-methods/

Sports, particularly team sports, have long seen the woes of unequal bargaining power between the management of teams and the athletes. Although Formula One is not a conventional team sport, tales of the power disparities between the constructers and drivers are almost fundamental to the sport. Generally, it is the drivers who are on the bleaker side of things, which means they are vulnerable to the whims of the constructors. Therefore, instances of drivers being dropped suddenly and surprise announcements of drivers jumping teams are common, due to which, there is an underlying uncertainty when it comes to driver contracts in Formula One.

To phrase it differently, driver contracts, with the constructors on the one end and the drivers on the other, constitute the heart of the competition; and the sanctity of contracts is especially crucial in such dynamics. However, as has been said, contracts in Formula One are worth only so much as you are willing to pay to break them. This dichotomy has been aptly highlighted in many recent instances.