Felipe Massa insists he would never enter negotiations with a F1 team whose first priority was to see how much sponsorship money he would bring to the table.
The 32-year-old Brazilian will end an eight-year stint at Ferrari at the end of the current season and has yet to sign a deal to drive for another team next year.
Massa, who entered the sport with Sauber in 2002, has been strongly linked with a move to Williams but could yet find a drive hard to come by as the market becomes increasingly crowded.
A return to Sauber could be another possibility, while there is always a slim chance of securing a drive at a team such as Lotus, Force India or McLaren, where there are still seats remaining.
In recent years, given the economic downturn, teams not able to battle it out for championships and attract flagship sponsors have relied on drivers coming on board who can provide their own funding.
Pastor Maldonado could yet land the Lotus drive ahead of someone like Nico Hulkenberg because he offers a more tantalising financial package, regardless of whether he is better than the German on the race track.
But for Massa the idea of a team willing to pick sponsorship over substance is something which leaves him concerned about the future talent for the sport.
“It is a big worry for Formula One,” he said.
“Formula One is the most important motor sport – it is one of the most important sports and is fighting with top level sports like football and it is really not nice to see a young driver who has the ability to race in Formula One, to win the championship and has incredible talent but maybe this guy will not have a chance.
“Or maybe there is a driver here and has the talent and everything but he loses his position because another driver is coming with a lot less talent and a lot less of an opportunity to be the best driver in the world, but he has the money. It is a big problem.
“That is not the top level of sport, that is a different thing that is not great.”
Massa, who also refuted claims he was closing in on a deal to join Williams, said he has never needed to provide financial support to land a drive and he is not the mood to start now.
“I never had to bring money to any team,” he added.
“In F1 I was always professional, I always had my salary and I never brought money to race and nothing will change.
“I will not sign or talk with a team in future when the first thing we talk about is sponsorship money.
“It is not part of my life and not part of my career and it will not change now as I ride past the half-way point of my career in Formula One.
“It doesn’t mean I cannot find sponsors. I can help and I can find but in a very professional way, not in the way of ‘you can race here but you need to bring money’ – that will not happen.”