Business Ventures

After retiring from driving, Prost purchased the Ligier F1 team in 1997 and renamed it Prost Grand Prix. The venture was financially troubled from the start and the team struggled competitively. It went into administration in 2001, costing Prost a significant portion of his personal wealth. He has since spoken about the experience as one of the most painful episodes of his professional life.

Prost has maintained interests in French sporting business, including investment in cycling and other French sports properties. He has been a mentor figure to French motorsport talent and worked in various advisory and ambassador roles for the FIA and Formula 1.

After retiring from active racing, Jones spent many years as a commentator on Australian television coverage of Formula 1, becoming one of the sport's most familiar broadcasting voices in the country for decades — a role that let generations of Australian fans hear a genuine world champion's perspective on races as they happened.

In the mid-2000s, Jones took on the team principal role for Team Australia in A1 Grand Prix, a short-lived international single-seater series built around national teams rather than commercial constructors. It kept him closely involved in top-level motorsport management well into his sixties, decades after his own driving career had ended.

McLaren established his own racing team in 1963 while still an active Formula 1 driver for Cooper, an unusually bold move for someone so young and still building his own driving career. The team he founded has gone on to become one of the most successful and enduring constructors in Formula 1 history, still competing at the top level more than six decades later — a legacy few founders of any sporting organisation get to see extend so far beyond their own lifetime.

McLaren's cars have raced in shades of orange at various points across the team's history, a link frequently traced back to the distinctive 'McLaren orange' colour scheme used on the team's cars during the late 1960s. The papaya orange livery was revived for the modern era in 2017 and remains closely associated with the team's identity, a visual thread connecting the current organisation back to its founder's original outfit.

Ricciardo launched his own wine brand, Enchanté, sourcing grapes from the Margaret River wine region in Western Australia. He is a genuine wine enthusiast rather than a brand-attacher — he has spoken knowledgeably about viticulture and winemaking in multiple interviews and has been involved in the production decisions. The wine has received respectable reviews.

Coulthard's post-racing media work has focused on technical analysis rather than personality-led commentary. His ability to explain racing strategy, tyre behaviour, and aerodynamic concepts in accessible terms reflects an engineering understanding developed over fifteen seasons of providing feedback to teams. His Channel 4 work in particular is widely regarded as among the more technically rigorous available in English-language broadcasting.

After retiring from F1, Irvine invested heavily in real estate, notably in Miami, buying property before the 2008 financial crisis and reportedly navigating the subsequent crash shrewdly enough to come out well ahead. He has been notably private about the specifics of his wealth and business dealings, but has openly credited property investment as a major source of his post-racing fortune.

Fittipaldi has maintained agricultural business interests in Brazil, including citrus farming, throughout his post-racing life. The interests connect him to the Brazilian landscape and economy in ways that complement his motorsport legacy — a driver who sacrificed championship opportunities for Brazilian pride maintaining a concrete connection to Brazilian land and industry.

After joining Ducati's factory team, Bastianini's results were hampered by a series of injuries; he subsequently moved to KTM's factory effort, seeking a fresh start with a different manufacturer.

In 2023, Massa launched legal action against Formula One Management, the FIA, and former Renault figures, arguing that the deliberately staged crash by Nelson Piquet Jr at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix — orchestrated by Renault to benefit teammate Fernando Alonso — had directly affected the outcome of races earlier that season in ways that ultimately cost Massa the championship. The case reopened a fifteen-year-old controversy and sought both financial compensation and, symbolically, recognition as the rightful 2008 champion.

Following his departure from Formula 1, Massa entered Brazilian politics, standing as a congressional candidate — a path taken by a number of prominent Brazilian sportspeople seeking to convert public recognition into a political career. The move reflected a broader pattern among retired Brazilian athletes using their public profile to pursue civic and political involvement after their competitive careers conclude.

Alonso established the Fernando Alonso Karting Circuit in Llanera, near Oviedo in Asturias. He runs the Fernando Alonso Management (FAM) group, which manages his commercial interests, and has invested in young Spanish motorsport talent through an academy. The karting circuit hosts events and junior competitions and is a genuine facility rather than a vanity project.

After retiring from Grand Prix racing, Spencer founded the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School, training road-racing and street-riding students at circuits across the US, passing on technique developed over his own career.

After retiring as a driver, Berger became BMW's motorsport director, overseeing the manufacturer's Formula 1 involvement, first as an engine supplier and then through the BMW Sauber works team, a senior management role that drew on his decades of firsthand racing and engineering experience.

Berger held a 50% ownership stake in Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior F1 team, for several years in the mid-2000s, giving him a direct ownership role in the sport well beyond his driving career and reflecting the trust placed in him by Red Bull's leadership as a fellow Austrian and respected former driver.

Following his riding career, Agostini moved into team management, running a Grand Prix team through the 1980s and 1990s that fielded riders including Randy Mamola and Eddie Lawson, extending his direct involvement in the sport for decades beyond his own competitive career.

After more than fifteen years driving for other constructors, Hill established his own team, Embassy Hill, in the early 1970s, taking on the dual role of team owner and driver. The venture was ambitious but troubled, and Hill retired from driving himself in 1975 to focus on running the team, only for the entire operation to be devastated by tragedy later that same year.

The Brabham constructor continued racing after Jack's retirement in 1970, winning further constructors' championships in 1966 and world drivers' championships with Nelson Piquet in 1981 and 1983. Under Bernie Ecclestone's ownership, and then through various subsequent owners, the Brabham name remained in motorsport long after its founder had stepped back. The brand was revived as an independent sportscar manufacturer in the 2010s.

Stewart's post-racing business interests have been varied and sustained. He has been involved in luxury watch partnerships, was deeply embedded in the sponsorship industry that transformed F1's commercial model, and has been associated with Scotch whisky promotion as an expression of his Scottish identity. The Stewart Grand Prix team, which he founded with Paul, competed in F1 between 1997 and 1999 before being sold to Ford/Jaguar.

Trulli established Podere Castorani, a winery in Abruzzo, central Italy, producing wine under his own label — a project he began while still racing in F1 and has continued to expand since retiring. It reflects a genuine, longstanding connection to the region he grew up in rather than a celebrity-branding exercise, and the wines are sold commercially in Italy and internationally.

Trulli entered the electric single-seater Formula E championship as a team owner, running Trulli GP in the series' inaugural 2014–15 season — an early bet on a category that was still establishing itself, reflecting a continued involvement in top-level motorsport well beyond his own driving career.

In the years following his retirement from top-level racing, Alesi became involved in a leadership capacity with a Formula E team, applying his decades of racing experience to the electric racing series' growth. The move reflected a common path for retired drivers of his generation, transitioning into ownership, management, or ambassadorial roles within newer racing categories rather than stepping away from motorsport entirely.

Button has been involved in property development in the UK and abroad, and has made technology investments as part of building a post-racing business portfolio. He has spoken about the transition from athlete to entrepreneur as something that required deliberate effort — the structure and purpose of a racing career doesn't simply transfer to business life.

Clark was not a racing driver who dabbled in farming for image — he was a working farmer who happened to also be the best racing driver in the world. He managed his family's farm at Edington Mains in the Scottish Borders throughout his entire F1 career, returning between races to handle real agricultural work. Friends and journalists who visited found him genuinely more comfortable discussing sheep prices and weather than his own driving, a contrast that baffled people meeting him for the first time.

When Suzuki announced its exit from MotoGP at the end of 2022, reigning-recent champion Mir moved to Honda's factory team, joining a manufacturer working to rebuild its own competitiveness in the class.

After stepping away from racing, Scheckter purchased a large estate in Hampshire and turned it into Laverstoke Park Farm, a genuinely large-scale organic farming operation raising rare-breed livestock and producing meat, cheese, and other produce to exacting standards. The scale of his commitment surprised many who remembered him purely as a racing driver — this was not a hobby farm but a serious agricultural business he built and ran with the same intensity he'd once applied to racing.

Scheckter's 1979 title remains a significant marker in Ferrari's history: the team would not win another drivers' championship until Michael Schumacher in 2000, a 21-year gap that spanned some of the most difficult years in Ferrari's Formula 1 history. Scheckter has remained closely associated with that achievement, one of the last times the team combined dominant machinery with a driver able to convert it into a championship.

In the years following his retirement, before fully committing to farming, Scheckter was involved in developing driving simulation and training technology, applying his professional racing knowledge to a commercial venture aimed at driver education. It reflected a broader pattern in his post-racing life: a restless, business-minded energy that eventually found its most lasting expression in the ambitious scale of his farming operation.

After leaving Ferrari, Surtees established Surtees Racing Organisation, building and entering his own cars in F1 and F2 through the 1970s. Running a constructor on a limited budget against factory teams was a difficult, often thankless task, but it reflected the same engineering-minded, hands-on approach that had defined his driving career — he wanted direct control over how the cars were built, not just how they were driven.

After retiring from racing in 2000, Herbert built an extensive broadcasting career, working for many years as an analyst and pundit on Sky Sports' Formula 1 coverage in the UK, drawing on his own experience as a grand prix winner and one of the sport's most durable survivors of serious injury.

Rather than staying with Ducati after his championship, Martín signed for Aprilia's factory team, a high-profile manufacturer switch by a reigning world champion that drew significant attention across the paddock.

After his own driving career ended in 1986, Rosberg moved into driver management, most notably guiding fellow Finn Mika Häkkinen's early career and helping steer him toward the McLaren drive that would eventually produce two World Championships of his own. Rosberg's eye for talent and understanding of the sport's politics made him a respected figure in this second career, well beyond his own driving achievements.

Roberts didn't leave the sport after his riding career ended — he set up Team Roberts, which ran its own chassis (including a self-built three-cylinder machine, the Proton KR) in the 500cc and MotoGP world championships for close to two decades, one of the few genuinely independent constructor efforts of the era.

After retiring, Schwantz established a riding school programme aimed at teaching track riding technique, drawing on his own professional racing experience to coach amateur and aspiring riders — a common post-career path for successful racers, which Schwantz built into a longstanding, well-regarded programme.

After retirement, Räikkönen launched a business selling ice cream in Finland. The brand reflects his personality perfectly — it exists, it does what it says, and it doesn't make a big deal about it. He's also invested in other Finnish businesses and maintains a low profile in the business world, much as he did in F1.

After his racing career, Capirossi took on official roles within the sport's governing structure, including serving as a MotoGP Safety Officer, drawing on his decades of experience across multiple eras of machinery and circuit design.

After years of speculation given his declining competitiveness on an increasingly uncompetitive Honda, Márquez made the significant move to Ducati, a rival manufacturer, marking a major shift after more than a decade as the face of Honda's premier-class effort and a genuine test of his ability to rebuild success on different machinery.

Beyond his own driving, the Andretti name has become a genuine motorsport brand, attached to teams competing in IndyCar, Formula E, extreme off-road racing, and other series, largely built and run by Michael Andretti. The organisation's pursuit of a full Formula 1 entry in the 2020s, ultimately proceeding under a revised arrangement with General Motors, drew heavily on the credibility and history the Andretti name carries within the sport.

After retiring from motorcycle racing, Doohan took on advisory and mentoring roles connected to motorsport more broadly, including involvement with young Australian racing talent, drawing on his own experience as one of the most successful Australian motorsport figures in history.

Since retiring from F1, Häkkinen has worked as an ambassador for companies including TAG Heuer and Johnnie Walker, the latter as part of their responsible drinking campaigns. He is recognisable and respected enough globally to be a credible face for major brands while maintaining the understated demeanour that characterised his racing career.

After retiring, Rosberg founded Rosberg Ventures, focused on sustainable technology investments. He invested in and advised multiple green tech startups and became a prominent voice on sustainable mobility and clean energy. He founded the Greentech Festival in Berlin, an annual event focused on sustainability and innovation, which has grown significantly since its launch.

Lauda founded Lauda Air in 1979 while still racing in F1. He obtained his pilot's licence and flew commercial routes himself. After the airline was sold to Austrian Airlines, he founded Niki (later Laudamotion) in 2003. The second airline was sold to Ryanair in 2018. Lauda's approach to aviation was identical to his approach to racing: obsessive attention to process, cost, and efficiency, with no tolerance for unnecessary complexity.

After his motorsport career and aviation ventures, Lauda became non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. He was instrumental in persuading Lewis Hamilton to leave McLaren and join Mercedes in 2013 — a signing that preceded four consecutive constructor's championships. He died in 2019 and the Mercedes team wore red in tribute at subsequent races.

After his driving career ended, Hill built a second, arguably more contented career restoring and judging historic automobiles, co-founding Hill and Vaughn, a restoration business renowned for its meticulous, historically accurate work. He became a fixture at concours d'elegance events worldwide, valued as much for his encyclopaedic knowledge of automotive history as for his own record as a champion driver.

After retiring from racing, Schumacher built a long-running second career as a television analyst and commentator for Sky Deutschland's Formula 1 coverage, becoming one of the most recognisable and frequently quoted German-language voices on the sport, drawing on his own decade of experience as a race winner.

Mamola transitioned smoothly into broadcasting after his racing career, becoming a familiar and popular commentating voice around the MotoGP paddock for major television networks, valued for his technical insight and easy rapport with current riders.

Moss invested in London property from his racing earnings and developed a portfolio that sustained him comfortably through his long retirement. He lived in a distinctive home in Mayfair that he had designed with his architect, featuring a hydraulic lift and various technological innovations that reflected his engineer's sensibility. The house was sold after his death.

Rossi's VR46 brand extends well beyond merchandise into a full racing team structure (fielding riders in MotoGP itself) and a genuine fashion and lifestyle label, making it one of the more substantial commercial ventures built by any individual rider in motorsport.

Gardner remains closely associated with motorsport development in his native Wollongong and the wider Illawarra region of New South Wales, where he is credited with inspiring a generation of Australian riders to take up circuit racing.

Rainey moved into team ownership after his injury, running a Grand Prix team in the years that followed and remaining closely, actively involved in the technical and competitive side of the sport despite no longer being able to ride himself.

Rainey took on the presidency of MotoAmerica, the organisation running the premier national motorcycle road racing championship in the United States, putting his decades of racing and team management experience toward developing the next generation of American riders.