Racing at the back of the F1 grid is never easy, especially as most drivers have to bring sponsorship money - or their own - along with them to get their bum in a race seat.
So it is at Hispania Racing, with drivers Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna fighting hard to keep their drives.
So there was more than a fair bit of speculation as to exactly why young Senna was dumped from the cockpit of his Hispania car before the British GP in favour of Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto. Was it that he hadn't brought enough cash in? Or did Sakon have some big backer that was too tempting for the HRT team to resist?
Turns out that the truth might just be a little more embarrassing (for Senna). According to German mag Auto Bild, Bruno Senna was axed as a disciplinary measure, after he accidentally sent an e-mail criticising team boss Colin Kolles's management style - to Kolles himself.
The matter must now be resolved though, because Hispania has since announced that Senna will be back for the remaining races of the season.
Intriguingly, Auto Bild also suggests that Yamamoto - who is said to have $5m-worth of backing - was actually closer to replacing Senna's team mate Karun Chandhok, after the Indian driver was late with sponsor payments.
It might be tough at the top, but it sounds as if it's even tougher at the bottom...