As we all know, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, most sports and important events have been canceled or postponed. Now that the F1 season has finally started, we are thrilled to see the best race drivers behind the wheel of the most powerful and advanced cars. But we also wondered what do the drivers drive on a daily bases.
When your job is literally to drive a 900 horsepower car at speeds of over 180 mph against 19 other drivers, I am sure is not easy to find a street-legal car as exciting as your race car. Or maybe they rather drive a more quiet and discrete car. To find out, check out our list of 10 prominent F1 drivers and the cars they choose to drive when they're not on the track.
10 Lewis Hamilton - Pagani Zonda 760 LH
What does a five-time world champion drive off the track? Well, among other supercars, Lewis Hamilton owns a Pagani Zonda. But is not just your "average" Zonda. As you might have guessed, the 760 stands for the horsepower, and LH stands for, well, Lewis Hamilton. "The Batmobile" as he refers to the car, has a V12 AMG engine with a manual transmission. While Hamilton has stated that the Zonda is the better sounding car in his collection, hi considers is terrible for driving.
9 Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari F40
Between 1987 and 1992, 1,315 F40s were made, and the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel owns one of them. He bought it when he was 27 years old, and curiously, the previous owner was the Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who passed away in 2007. This iconic car from the Maranello house has a 2.9 liter V8, a 5-speed manual transmission, and 478 horsepower. A little too much for the singer's widow.
8 Charles Leclerc - Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV
Charles Leclerc's car collection is not yet very numerous, and he is also a reserved person, but at least we have evidence of the cars that he has recently driven. Among a couple of Ferraris and a Maserati, the young star owns the Alfa Romeo SUV, for occasions when just needs to get from point A to B. The car is an SUV version of the Giulia Quadrifoglio as it shares the powerplant: a 2.9 liter twin-turbo V6 that produces 505 horsepower.
7 Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes Benz C63 AMG
Valtteri Bottas bought this Mercedes C63 AMG in 2016, before joining the Mercedes F1 team. This beast has a 6.2 liter V8 producing 450 horsepower paired to a 7-speed automatic transmission. Is a much more exciting option compared to the other Mercedes cars he owns, a GLE 350D, and an ML350 4 Matic, both cars much more suitable for doing the groceries.
6 Carlos Sainz - McLaren 720s
Carlos Sainz is one of the youngest on the grid, so maybe his garage is not as full compared to other drivers. He is also very careful regarding his private life, so there isn't much information about his fleet either. But one car he owns for sure is a McLaren 720s, I am guessing as part of the contract with McLaren. The 720s has a 4-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 720 horsepower. It can do 0 to 60 in 2,9 seconds and has a top speed of 225 mph.
5 Daniel Ricciardo - Porsche 918
Known for his smile and his charisma, Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most loved drivers on the grid. Although he owns many cars that he keeps in many garages around the world, one of the most remarkable is a Porsche 918 Spyder. This hybrid supercar has almost 900 horsepower and it can do 0-60 in just 2,6 seconds. The MSRP of this car is around 850,000 USD.
4 Lando Norris - McLaren 570s
Just like Carlos, Lando Norris received a McLaren car as part of the contract. The young driver chose a McLaren 570s. Is not as fast as the 720s, but it sure an exciting car to drive. It has a twin-turbo 3.8 liter V8 with 570 horsepower. Contrary to his teammate who chose a more discrete color, Lando chose his car in Papaya Orange, the same color as the F1 car.
3 Kimi Raikkonen - Fiat 500
After winning the 2007 F1 title, the Scuderia got a specially trimmed Fiat 500 Multijet as a gift for the Finnish driver. This little city car has a 1.3 turbodiesel engine that produces a mere 95 horsepower and has a top speed of 180 kph. Is not exactly an exciting car to drive nor very fast, but I am sure that with the Iceman behind the wheel any car is a fast car.
2 Nico Rosberg - Mercedes Benz 300SL
The 2016 F1 champion, Nico Rosberg, is not just a great racing driver but also a huge car enthusiast. Among his incredible collection, there is a special gem, a 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. According to Nico, the car has been fully restored. The car looks in great condition and shows beautifully with its cream exterior and red leather interior. It has only 48,000 kilometers, which is pretty rare for a 70-year-old car.
1 Max Verstappen - Porsche GT3 RS
Despite being only 22 years old, Max Verstappen is a very successful F1 driver, with 8 victories and 30 podiums in juts 4 years of career. When he turned 18, he decided to ditch the Renault Clio in which he got his license and bought himself a much more appropriate car: a Porsche GT3 RS, for which he paid around 300k USD.