Other Sports

Prost played tennis seriously and well throughout his career. He was known in the paddock as one of the stronger tennis players among F1 drivers, and the sport remained a fixture of his off-track life after retirement. He has spoken about tennis as a strategic game that appeals to the same analytical part of his mind that made him effective in racing.

Sainz works with a dedicated fitness team and takes physical preparation extremely seriously. He has spoken about the specific physical demands of different circuits — particularly high-G tracks like Bahrain and Silverstone — and how training must be circuit-specific. He is consistently among the drivers identified by sports scientists as particularly well-prepared.

Ocon has spoken about French football with genuine enthusiasm. He follows international football closely, particularly the French national team, and has attended matches when available. His passion for football is genuine rather than positioned — he has been known to engage in detailed tactical conversations about the sport.

Alonso has completed Ironman triathlons — the full 3.8km swim, 180km cycle, and 42km run. He approached the training with the same structure he brings to racing, hiring coaches and following strict preparation plans. He finished respectably for an amateur athlete, though 'amateur' feels like the wrong word for someone with his approach to physical preparation.

In 2020, Alonso entered the Dakar Rally (one of the world's most gruelling off-road races) with the Toyota Gazoo Racing team. On his first attempt at the event, he finished 13th overall and was consistently competitive against full-time rally-raid professionals. He won his class on multiple stages. He cited the Dakar as one of the hardest physical and mental challenges he'd faced.

Stewart was good enough as a clay pigeon shooter to be considered for the British Olympic team in 1960. He described the sport as teaching him the patience, focus, and spatial awareness that later made him exceptionally smooth under pressure in a racing car. He continued shooting throughout his career and has said it was the first competitive discipline he mastered.

Button began triathlon training during his F1 career as a way of maintaining fitness, but it became a genuine passion. He has completed full Ironman events — 3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42km run — finishing in times that would be respectable for a dedicated amateur athlete rather than someone with triathlon as a sideline. He has spoken about triathlon as something that gives him the competitive outlet and structured challenge he misses from racing.

After his F1 career, Button competed in the Japanese Super GT championship with Honda. He embraced Japanese culture enthusiastically — learning phrases, attending local events, and speaking warmly about the experience. His time in Japan was well-received locally, and he became something of a celebrity figure beyond the motorsport world there.

When Magnussen was not retained by Haas at the end of 2020, he competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship rather than waiting for an F1 opportunity. The choice was characteristic: he preferred to be racing than to be available. His performances were strong enough to reinforce his standing as a professional, and Haas recalled him in 2022 when Nikita Mazepin's contract was terminated following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Before committing fully to car racing, Stroll was a competitive alpine skier who trained with serious intent. He was good enough to be considered a genuine prospect and trained at facilities used by national-level athletes. The ski racing background gave him exceptional car control on unpredictable surfaces — a physical skill that translates directly to racing on circuits with varying grip levels.

Webber competed in Ironman triathlons during his F1 career and has continued in triathlon and endurance sport since retiring from single-seaters. The discipline required — long-distance swimming, cycling, and running combined in a single event — appealed to his competitive instinct and his preference for sports that test sustained effort rather than explosive performance. He has spoken about the mental parallels between endurance sport and racing.

Schumacher's love of football was genuine and longstanding. He organised regular football matches among F1 drivers and team personnel throughout his career, and was a good enough player to hold his own in serious amateur games. He broke his leg in a football match before the 1999 season, though the injury that subsequently damaged his championship that year came from a crash at Silverstone. He was a supporter of FC Cologne and played football as both recreation and serious fitness training.

While his F1 career has been podium-free, Hülkenberg has one of the great endurance racing achievements to his name. He won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans driving for Porsche, co-driving with Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber. Winning Le Mans — one of the most demanding and prestigious events in motorsport — while simultaneously competing in Formula 1 is an extraordinary achievement. He remains one of the very few active drivers to have won both a major endurance race and competed in F1.

When Mansell's troubled relationship with Williams came to a head and he left F1 after 1992, he signed with Newman Haas Racing in IndyCar. He won the 1993 CART championship in his very first season in the series, becoming the only driver in history to hold both the F1 World Championship and the CART title simultaneously. American fans adored him immediately; he was everything they wanted in a racing driver.

Golf has been Mansell's primary sporting passion since his racing career. He achieved a scratch handicap (the highest level of amateur play) and has spoken about golf with the same intensity he brought to racing. He has played in celebrity pro-am events with professional golfers and views the sport as a genuine competitive pursuit rather than a casual hobby.

Grosjean joined IndyCar after his Bahrain accident, returning to racing in the United States with the Dale Coyne and then Andretti teams. He adapted to the oval and road course demands of the series, became genuinely competitive, and integrated into American motorsport culture with a warmth that made him popular with fans and teams. The American chapter of his career has been more settled and, in personal terms, more clearly enjoyable than his Formula 1 years.

Barrichello competed in Brazil's Stock Car Pro Series after leaving F1, continuing his professional racing career in domestic Brazilian motorsport. He was popular with Brazilian fans in the series and competitive, winning races in a category very different from Formula 1. The participation demonstrated that his love of racing was intrinsic rather than dependent on the specific category.

Cycling was both fitness tool and genuine pleasure for Vettel. At several European rounds, he arrived at the circuit by bicycle, sometimes cycling 20-30km from his accommodation. He participated in charity cycling events and maintained cycling as a core part of his fitness regime. He has continued cycling extensively since retirement.