F1 Drivers Petrolheads?

F1 Drivers Petrolheads?

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ntiz

Original Poster:

2,328 posts

135 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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Not sure if this is the right place for this.

I was watching the recent video of Kimi and Antonio driving the Guilia GTA. Undoubtably cringe and very forced but did get me wondering how many of the current of past F1 drivers actually love cars?

A lot of them don’t seem to buy or enjoy cars outside of the sport. Perhaps it’s just once you drive an F1 everything else is just a bit tame?

Then you have a few who seem to love cars and buy exciting ones with there own money. Like Hamilton has quite the collection not sure about the other, anybody know?

It’s hard imagine but I wonder if for some take away the competition and racing there is no interest. Love for the sport doesn’t necessarily mean love for cars?

moffspeed

2,664 posts

206 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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A personal favourite:


StevieBee

12,794 posts

254 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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Don't forget that there exists many commercial sensitivities around car brands and F1 drivers that will contractually forbid some from being seen in public in a car made by the manufacturer of a rival team.

This also explains those oddities that pop up like Damon Hill when driving for Williams saying in an interview that his all time favourite road car as the Renault Scenic!!

Having spent some time with some drivers over the years (not all F1 but pro drivers nonetheless), it seems to me that most are not petrolheads in the accepted sense. Some are entirely ambivalent to anything on the road.

There are some exceptions. Dario Franchetti and Jean Alesi spring to mind.

Paul_M3

2,356 posts

184 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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Nico Hulkenburg appears to be a Porsche fan. He turned up in a 911 GT2 RS at his stand-in race recently, and his instagram also showed a classic 911 the other day.

Lewis owns a few cars that are clearly outside of his sponsorship arrangements; Pagani Zonda, LaFerrari, Ford Mustang, Shelby Cobra.


SturdyHSV

10,083 posts

166 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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Not F1, but Tiff Needell has said on more recent occasions that he has very little interest in 'cars' as such, he just likes driving / racing. I can well imagine it's the competition and sensation of driving on the limit at such speeds that is the thrill for F1 drivers.

TheDeuce

21,271 posts

65 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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I suppose the obvious drivers, the WDC's have so much money they run out of things to spend it on and pretty much have to have a garage full of crazy cars.

But in general I thought it was the case that racing drivers are mostly frustrated/underwhelmed by all but the most extreme road cars - virtually all of which to them will feel like driving around in a tired old micra to the average person. The lack of serious downforce on road cars must make them all feel a bit half baked to an F1 driver! Maybe not the Williams drivers... scratchchin

Dermot O'Logical

2,547 posts

128 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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When he signed for Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel bought an F40. From the estate of Luciano Pavarotti, who, I'm guessing, didn't drive it very often.

Vettel is also an enthusiastic collector of 1970's Japanese motor cycles.

Lewis Hamilton does, I believe, have a few supercars stashed away, and, as noted, Nico Hulkenberg likes a Porsche - the car that he drove to the 'Ring for the last Grand Prix had been purchased from Keke Rosberg, according to Mr Rosberg Jr, on Sky.

Mark Webber (remember him?) had a Porsche something-or-other in the red and white "Salzburg" livery.

There must be others...

KR158

786 posts

158 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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I vaguely remember a few years ago, reading in F1 Racing Magazine about Jarno Trulli owning an original Fiat 500. I very vaguely remember him saying something like "I don't really need anything else & I drive in F1 for a living".6
I also recall Jean Alesi owning a vintage open top Rolls Royce (Silver Ghost?).

And whilst I'm not a millionaire racing driver, I'm not especially interested in road Cars (as such), even the exotic stuff, there are some I like ALOT! but 99% just don't interest me. Yet at Goodwood I'm all over the high end track specific stuff like LMP 1's, F1, Indycars, can't get enough, so I kind of get where they're coming from (ish).

TheDeuce

21,271 posts

65 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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Dermot O'Logical said:
When he signed for Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel bought an F40. From the estate of Luciano Pavarotti, who, I'm guessing, didn't drive it very often.

Vettel is also an enthusiastic collector of 1970's Japanese motor cycles.

Lewis Hamilton does, I believe, have a few supercars stashed away, and, as noted, Nico Hulkenberg likes a Porsche - the car that he drove to the 'Ring for the last Grand Prix had been purchased from Keke Rosberg, according to Mr Rosberg Jr, on Sky.

Mark Webber (remember him?) had a Porsche something-or-other in the red and white "Salzburg" livery.

There must be others...
Does that make them petrolheads though..?

For me the term suggests cars are a persons principal hobby/interest. Some people play golf, some go fishing. Others take all their disposable income and work out how they can upgrade or improve their car(s) in some way to make them more fun.

I imagine all F1 drivers have multiple very nice cars at any one time, some bought, some company car/gift etc. Some invest in old cars or limited run cars as the value will increase and it's a no brainer when you have the cash sat there and no real time to spend it on a day to day basis. The presence of various very nice cars in any wealthy blokes life is fairly typical but I'm not convinced they care for and obsess over them the same way a petrol head might over their 20 year old golf Gti that they've poured 30k in to, in order to 'improve' - or a boxster driver that has tangible sense of desire and longing everytime a 911 turbo passes by... And one day announces to his wife that he's remortgaged the house to buy one.

Active75

245 posts

163 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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James Hunt had an A35 Van (Countryman conversion) that he enjoyed and said he loved drifting it on the Elephant and Castle roundabout.

ch37

10,642 posts

220 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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Lando went Mini, Clio RS, Megane RS, McLaren 'I can't tell the difference between their models any more' (company car). He still has the Megane which I think he has mentioned is still his daily away from official duties.

Likewise Albon has an Aston Martin but is more often seen in a Civic Type R in the UK (also a company car presumably).

Doesn't Rosberg have a 300SL? Ricciardo has cars in various countries, Porsche 918, GT3 RS (Monaco), Ford Raptor (USA) and various off-road toys back on his ranch in Australia.

Lewis posted a while back about moving fully electric as soon as possible, his dailies appears to be an EQC and Smart ForTwo Electric (genuinely!)

Ricciardo would probably be the one I'd class as a 'petrolhead' from the drivers I follow on social media etc.

Edited by ch37 on Wednesday 21st October 16:05

TheDeuce

21,271 posts

65 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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I think the 'most' petrol head, even though no longer a driver, is Rosberg. He's bought some insanely expensive cars and currently has an AMG project one on order (if it ever sees the light of day). He also does a lot of videos testing super/hyper cars for his youtube channel. He's chosen that as a subject for his channel so I guess that demonstrates a real passion for all things automotive. Also in to electric cars, which makes sense as it's about the only way he's going to get that 'F1' feeling off the line and out of the corners.

Stratovarious

7,639 posts

177 months

Wednesday 21st October 2020
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TheDeuce said:
... a Boxster driver that has tangible sense of desire and longing every time a 911 turbo passes by ...
Not me, I've no desire to go backwards through hedges!



As has been said, even the most exotic road cars would seem gutless compared to an F1, that it would come as no surprise to discover that this F1 driver or that F1 driver had no interest in owning one.

I used to be a driving instructor, and none of my colleagues even came close to being a petrolhead. Any car you mentioned, all they were interested in was whether or not they could teach in it.


dunc_sx

1,607 posts

196 months

Thursday 22nd October 2020
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I think what's telling is how many haven't driven some of the famously good drivers circuits just because they haven't been part of the series they have competed in. This season is bringing that to light.

A large percentage of PHer's will have actively made an effort to drive Nordschleife, Portimao etc for example and that's without the advantages of being an F1 driver.

Perhaps there is a bit of busman's holiday about it?

Dunc.

Killer2005

19,595 posts

227 months

Thursday 22nd October 2020
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Jenson Button has/had a decent collection that could put him in petrolhead territory.

You don't get some of these unless you are a bit of a petrolhead.

https://carbuzz.com/features/jenson-button-s-aweso...

bobbo89

5,151 posts

144 months

Thursday 22nd October 2020
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Killer2005 said:
Jenson Button has/had a decent collection that could put him in petrolhead territory.

You don't get some of these unless you are a bit of a petrolhead.

https://carbuzz.com/features/jenson-button-s-aweso...
Wow, Button seems to have pretty much my exact taste in cars. Not overly fussed about the RR or the Veyron but I'll take them if it means I can have the rest! Even the spec of the 355 is perfect!

ch37

10,642 posts

220 months

Thursday 22nd October 2020
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dunc_sx said:
I think what's telling is how many haven't driven some of the famously good drivers circuits just because they haven't been part of the series they have competed in. This season is bringing that to light.

A large percentage of PHer's will have actively made an effort to drive Nordschleife, Portimao etc for example and that's without the advantages of being an F1 driver.
Most of the drivers will have been rather busy with a racing career from the age of about 6, their schedules would have got particularly intense from legal driving age onwards, then 5 minutes later they are in F1. After 9 months travelling the world to racetracks I can't imagine a driving holiday to the Ring would be high on the agenda for a 19 year old, particularly so as the only decent break they get is typically sometime between Nov-Feb. Most seem to opt for relaxing beach holidays, can't say I blame them.

Also as many drivers have mentioned, it's difficult to find a thrill in cars when you regularly drive top single seaters. I don't exactly blame Norris for never taking a trip over to the Ring in his Megane in December (within a few months of passing his driving test), for example!

glazbagun

14,257 posts

196 months

Thursday 22nd October 2020
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Rosberg has some nice cars and shows them on his youtube channel from time to time.

Seb has a collection of old motorbikes, Pavarotti's (?) F40 (that would be a sight!) and owns Mansell's FW14b! I'd put him down as my bet for biggest petrolhead.

Edited by glazbagun on Thursday 22 October 11:07

MarkwG

4,811 posts

188 months

Thursday 22nd October 2020
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SturdyHSV said:
Not F1, but Tiff Needell has said on more recent occasions that he has very little interest in 'cars' as such, he just likes driving / racing. I can well imagine it's the competition and sensation of driving on the limit at such speeds that is the thrill for F1 drivers.
(FWIW he was in two F1 races in 1980, Belgian & Monaco, although he didn't finish the Belgian, & didn't qualify for Monaco wink - agree with your thinking, though)

Muzzer79

9,806 posts

186 months

Thursday 22nd October 2020
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Alesi had/has an extensive collection and was known for his love of road cars. He recently sold his F40 to pay for this year's F2 drive for his son.

Jenson Button has had a Veyron, F355, NSX and several others.

Hamilton has a special-order Zonda, a Mclaren F1, 2 x original Cobras and a LaFerrari.

Coulthard has a 280SL from the year of his birth

Vettel has quite a collection of road cars and race cars, including an F40.


Some drivers aren't really into it. Damon Hill famously said that once you've driven an F1 car then road cars are pretty tame. Michael Schumacher, I believe, used to use a Fiat people carrier as a daily (although he had some exotica tucked away)