Zac Stimpson

Junior Karting Champion

Zac Stimpson is a 15-year-old karting driver from the UAE and a two-time national karting champion, having first made his mark winning the IAME UAE Bambino Cup at just eight years old. His speed puts him firmly in Formula 4 territory - the standard first step from karting toward Formula 1 - but the one thing standing between him and that grid isn't talent, it's cost: a single F4 season now runs $200,000-$300,000, with the full pathway to F1 often exceeding $1 million. While karting rivals with wealthier backing have already moved up, Zac's future remains on hold, a stark real-world example of what Lewis Hamilton has openly warned about - motorsport increasingly becoming a sport only the wealthy can break into. On Decoding Wisdom, Zac speaks candidly about what it feels like watching competitors live out his own dream, the real cost breakdown of junior motorsport, his encounters with Lando Norris, and how he stays motivated in the face of barriers that have nothing to do with how fast he can drive.