The Performance Cars of F1 Drivers

Formula One drivers are supposed to be the best drivers in the world, with unbelievable car control and feel for the vehicle underneath them. You would therefore expect them to know what they are talking about when it comes to road cars.

We therefore took a look at the road car choices of F1 stars. Car insurance and fuel prices will not be a concern for multi-millionaires race drivers, this is all about performance:

Ayrton Senna - Honda NSX

The legendary Brazilian won three world championships for McLaren Honda between the years of 1988 and 1991, establishing himself as one of the sports all time greats. His uncompromising attitude, remarkable dedication to his driving and supreme natural speed helped establish an almost god like following of Senna in Japan where Honda is based.

During his time working for Honda, the Brazilian built up a strong working relationship with the Japanese company who decided to build the “ultimate supercar” based around Senna’s requirements. The result was the Honda NSX (New Sportscar Experimental) which was first introduced in 1991. It was powered by a 3.2 litre V6 engine and was capable of a top speed of 168mph. Senna extensively tested the vehicle before it was launch in order to ensure almost perfect handling, a feature which went on to revolutionise the supercar market.

Senna lost his life at 1994 San Marino grand prix while on course for what would have been his 42nd career victory. The Brazilian driver will be remembered for as long as there is motor racing, and the Honda NSX epitomises everything that Ayrton stood for during his racing career.

Sebastian Vettel - Infiniti G37

Infiniti signed up to be one of the Red Bull’s team’s main sponsors for the 2011 season on the back of the teams championship triumph in 2010. Red Bull’s lead driver has subsequently been named as one of the companies global ambassadors as they strive to boost their international profile.

The Nissan owned car brand are aiming to establish themselves in the luxury car market with vehicles such as the Infiniti G37 which is currently the car of choice for F1’s youngest champion. The 320bhp seven speed coupé is not a bad car for a 23 year old driver who isn’t even legally allowed to rent vehicles in the majority of European countries.

However, the 2010 world champion has recently hinted that Infiniti is planning on making a special Sebastian Vettel edition road car. If Infiniti follow the path followed by Honda with Ayrton Senna in years gone by, you can expect it to be a high performance vehicle which will set the standard on the market place for years to come.

Jenson Button - Bugatti Veyron

The 2009 World Champion may work for McLaren now, but his car collection was very well established before he joined the Woking team. One of the stand out cars from Button’s collection is the Bugatti Veyron.

Bugatti’s 16 cylinder V8 engine is capable of over 1000bhp, which is more than Button’s F1 car. This has helped to establish the French vehicle as the fastest legal road car of all time. It was also awarded the title of “car of the decade” by Top Gear in the UK.

This wasn’t enough to convince Button to keep the car, as he famously decided to sell it for £900,000 in 2009. Button did not have to wait long for a replacement, with his McLaren contract resulting in a Mercedes Benz C63 AMG company car.

Lewis Hamilton - McLaren Benz C63 AMG

This is the same car which is currently used by his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, and comes as part of McLaren’s current partnership with Mercedes. The C63 AMG is powered by a 6.2 litre V8 engine and has a number of performance modifications from a conventional C63. This includes what has been described as “the most responsive steering of any Mercedes to date” and is capable of a top speed of up to 155mph.

The remarkable C63 AMG might be enough to bring tears to the eyes of the everyday motorist, but it isn’t enough for Lewis. When team principal Ron Dennis signed up Hamilton he promised to give him a rare $8 million McLaren F1 road car if he won three championship titles for the team. This has been Hamilton’s dream road car since his childhood. However, the current form of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull suggests that Hamilton may have to wait quite a while for this.

Michael Schumacher - Mercedes S65 AMG

Yet another member of the Mercedes Benz car club is Michael Schumacher, who now drives for the main Mercedes squad in F1. Of course the big question is whether or not the car Schumacher has been provided with is better than the one given to Hamilton and Button.

There is no clear answer to this question. The engine is bigger and more powerful (V12 rather than V8) but it is still limited to a top speed of 155mph like the C63. The key difference is that the S65 is slightly more upmarket, with comfort and luxury having been a far greater consideration. This perhaps reflects the different age brackets occupied by the drivers.

This is a far better choice of car than the one Schumacher made when at Ferrari. The seven times World Champion was provided with a Fiat Multipla on behalf of Ferrari’s parent company Fiat, in order to accommodate his family’s needs. That certainly isn’t very Formula One.

Fernando Alonso - Maserati Quattroporte

Like Ferrari, Maserati are also owned by Fiat. This gives Ferrari F1 drivers a far wider collection of cars to choose from for their company car, and Alonso seems to prefer a much different kind of vehicle to Michael Schumacher. The Maserati Quattroporte is the car of choice for both Fernando Alonso and his team-mate Felipe Massa, saying much about the performance of the model.

Powered by a 4.2 litre six speed engine, it is capable of a top speed of 167 mph. This is achieved without compromising the car internally, as it is both beautifully decorated and comfortable. There is also lots of room for people in the back of the car, which makes the performance of the Quattroporte all the more remarkable.

The only drawback of this model is the name. Translated from Italian it literally means four doors, which is not quite as sporty as what you would expect from one of the world’s leading high performance car manufacturers. Ultimately this is a stigma which will not detract too much from the vehicle unless you live in Italy; Just ask Mr. Alonso who has recently moved back home to Spain.