8 Unbelievable Road Cars Driven by F1 Racers
Watching Formula 1 drivers tear around the world’s greatest racing circuits at breakneck pace begs that two-part question. How do these professional speed freaks drive on public roads—and what exactly are they driving? Do they break the sound barrier on highways and byways, too, or curiously prefer to drive like grandmas when not competing? A closer look at the coolest cars driven by today's current F1 stars will more than likely answer that.
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Not every F1 driver spends wads on cars to drive to and from the paddock, but most have at least one or two amazing makes and models tucked away in their own garages. Keep scrolling for a closer look at the highlights of the current Formula 1 driver lineup’s personal car collections.
The Best Cars in F1 Drivers' Collections
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LeClerc’s current Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr formerly raced for McLaren during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that he owns two of the British marque’s spectacular road-going supercars. A 720S might deliver more power, but Sainz’s 600LT Spyder nails the nimble handling and impeccable design—not to mention the open-topped driving experience that F1 drivers get accustomed to while squeezed into tiny carbon-fiber monocoque racecars.
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Max Verstappen took over the F1 crown from Hamilton in 2021 after years struggling to crack into the top position with the Red Bull team. Now, as the entire grid seemingly fights for second place behind his inevitable victories at every Grand Prix this year, Verstappen’s personal car collection might just take top honors, too. He owns four Aston Martins in total, including the Valkyrie hypercar, plus a DB11, Vantage, and DBS Superleggera. Of course, a Porsche GT3 RS also slots into the stable.
Easton Chang
Lewis Hamilton’s reign as seven-time F1 World Champion came to an ignominious end after a controversial safety car restart in 2021, which may well have contributed to the end of his personal automotive enthusiasm, too. The Mercedes driver formerly owned a Pagani Zonda 760LH (which makes sense given Pagani’s use of an AMG-built V12), and Hamilton’s one-of-one spec even came with a manual transmission. Having sold that hypercar car off and stowing away a Mercedes Project One, he says he pretty much only drives a super-futuristic and all-electric Mercedes EQS—which he called his "new dream car" when not on the racing circuit.
Ferrari bet early and bet big on Charles LeClerc’s future in F1 racing, and even if that plan hasn’t quite panned out, LeClerc’s car collection immediately began to swell once the paychecks started rolling in. He owns two of his own GP-winning F1 cars outright, but has also been photographed with a Ferrari GTC4Lusso and 488 Pista Spider. A Rolls-Royce Wraith probably helps to smooth out European roads while shuttling LeClerc to all those team strategy meetings, but he may want to avoid taking his Bugatti Chiron out in his hometown of Monte Carlo after a string of bad luck at the Monaco Grand Prix the past few years.
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McLaren introduced Lando Norris as a test and backup driver in 2018 before elevating him to a starring role as Sainz Jr’s teammate in 2019. That year, Norris told Top Gear about the McLaren engineering team’s gift of a Renault Clio RS, a hot hatch with the dubious distinction of being built by the French firm that McLaren would proceed to ditch in favor of engines built by Mercedes-AMG in 2021. Norris admitted to hoping that a few more wins might earn him a 600LT—perhaps with some inspiration from Sainz—but since then, nine podium finishes apparently set the stage for the addition of a 765LT Spider built by McLaren Special Operations to his personal garage.
George Russell
George Russell joined Lewis Hamilton on the Mercedes AMG Petronas team in 2022, but despite 10 podium finishes—including a first place at Brazil GP in his rookie season—he maintains a rather modest car collection. Brits might proudly call him a company man, since he regularly posts pictures on social media of his Mercedes-AMG GT and C63 S coupes.
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When Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive launched in the United States, the laughing face of Daniel Ricciardo arguably made the greatest impression among the sport’s newfound fans. While Ricciardo’s himself would probably admit to some disappointment in his racing career since those formative years, at the very least the Aussie can take solace visiting the family ranch back home where he famously drives a Toyota Hilux pickup truck that his parents bought for him as a first car.
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It takes a special kind of personal courage to sign on as Max Verstappen’s teammate, but Red Bull F1 driver Sergio Perez clearly suffers from no shortage of belief in his own abilities. His personal car collection runs the gamut from a Porsche Panamera to a McLaren 720S, but a Bugatti Chiron undoubtedly serves as the jewel of the group with a price tag likely well into the $3 million range and an 8.0-liter W16 producing 1,500 horsepower.
