Famous F1 Driver Champions and Their Exotic Cars
Fans of Formula 1 racing get to see a lot of their favorite stars on the track. They come to respect these drivers for their skill behind the customized control-covered steering wheel of a Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Williams, a Red Bull car, or others. These teams are the automotive association that we have for these drivers.
But what about when they’re off the track? The race broadcast ends not long after a winner has emerged, anthems have been played and bottles of champagne have been sprayed liberally across driver and audience. We don’t see in what cars the drivers themselves take to the streets.
F1 Drivers and Their Exotic Cars
It’s interesting to see what the F1 drivers drive. Some of them are surprisingly mundane. Did you know that Mark Webber, for instance, drives a Renault Megane RS as a daily driver? It’s quite a sporty hot hatch, but for today’s blog, we want to go somewhere a little more exotic. We’re looking at the exotic cars that F1 drivers call their own.
1. Mark Webber – Porsche 911 Turbo
Arguably Australia’s greatest driver Mark Webber competed in Formula 1 from 2002 to 2013 and then also in the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2014 to 2016. During his time in F1, he raced with Minardi, Jaguar, Williams, and Red Bull.
His Porsche 911 Turbo was a gift from his days as an endurance driver for the Porsche team. It boasts a 3.8L 6-cylinder engine that outputs a fantastic 572hp and 553lb-ft of torque. It only gets 15mpg in the city and 20 on the highway, but let’s face it, no one gets a Porsche 911 Turbo for the gas mileage.
2. Fernando Alonso – Ferrari 458 Italia
At just 39 years old, Alonso has already enjoyed a long and successful career in F1. His first race entry was the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, but he’s still racing 20 years later, currently for the Alpine F1 team (formerly known as the Renault F1 team). He’s garnered 2 championships, 32 race wins, and 97 visits to the podium.
Alonso raced with Ferrari from 2010-2014, and even now proudly drives his Ferrari 458 Italia. His custom version was received back in 2010 and features a Bianco Fuji livery, black interior with Alonso’s name stitched right into the headset. Under the hood, there’s an unbelievably powerful 4.5L V8 engine outputting 570hp and 398lb-ft of torque.
3. Lewis Hamilton – Pagani Zonda 760 LH
British driver Lewis Hamilton is quite a star in the world of F1, gaining his first win at the Canadian Grand Prix in his first year of professional F1 driving. With 7 championships now under his belt, he’s certainly the darling of the Mercedes team. He’s undoubtedly earned the Mercedes-Benz GL450 CDI that the team gave him as a daily runaround, but that’s not the car we’re focusing on.
Hamilton’s other top exotic motor is a stunning Pagani Zonda armed with a V12 AMG engine. If you’re wondering about the 760 LH part, the 760 is the amount of horsepower that the mighty engine produces, and the LH you might guess stands for Lewis Hamilton. Another custom gift for a gifted driver. Hamilton has been heard to refer to the car as “the Batmobile.”
4. Daniel Ricciardo – Porsche 918
In his 10 years on the track, Australian Ricciardo has raced for 5 teams, most recently McLaren-Mercedes. He’s a charming and charismatic individual in the F1 world known for his big toothy smile, but besides the success, he’s achieved in F1 so far, he has more reason than many to be smiling when he drives around in his fantastic Porsche 918 Spyder.
To purchase this car yourself would set you back about $850,000 and is one of the world’s few hybrid supercars. It houses a 4.6L V8 engine paired with 2 electric motors and gives a total output of 875hp. Mind you, it would be hard to find one since there were only ever 918 units ever made between 2013 and 2015. It launches Ricciardo from 0 to 60 in an eye-watering 2.6 seconds.
5. Nico Rosberg – 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
Finally, we come to German-born Nico Rosberg. He raced for the Williams team from 2005 to 2009 and then Mercedes from 2010-2016 before retiring on a high after winning the 2016 championship.
It won’t surprise you to learn that Rosberg is a huge car nut, and his exotic car is quite unique in our selection today because it’s also a classic model. He’s driving a 1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing. It has been lovingly restored by Rosberg (or at least someone he hired), and features a cream exterior, red leather interior, a 3.0L straight-six engine, and perhaps most amazingly only 50,000km (31,000 miles) on the odometer!