13 of the hottest F1 drivers that will set your heart racing

What’s not to love about Lando Norris? He’s talented, good looking and is one of the few drivers you should lookout for this season. Having started his Formula One racing career in 2019 for McLaren, the soon-to-be 23-year-old has also recently signed a new £80million contract with McLaren for four more years.

But aside from being an amazing driver, the young lad has also started his own gaming and lifestyle brand, Quadrant, that combines his love for gaming, lifestyle, content and apparel. In an interview with BBC Sport, Lando shares, “Quadrant is something I’ve wanted to do for a long while. And while racing will be a focus and be a bigger passion than almost any other esports, Quadrant is hopefully going to be expanding into many other different categories of esports and games.”

But it doesn’t end there. In fact, Lando has also dipped his toes in the racing kart industry of which he has opened LN Racing Kart by OTK Kart Group in 2021.

Hailing from the land down under, it’s pretty fair to describe Daniel Ricciardo as the funniest guy in Formula One. If you’ve been keeping track of Netflix’s series, ‘Drive To Survive’, then you would probably know what we’re talking about.

And while he does know how to crack a few jokes, Daniel Ricciardo is also widely recognised for his impressive track record. The 32-year-old first made his debut in 2011 British Grand Prix with the HRT team, before he moved on to Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and his current team McLaren.

But what are we looking forward to this year for Daniel Ricciardo you might ask? Well, it would have to be his infamous shoey podium celebration. Started in 2016, the driver introduced the trend in Formula One of which he celebrated a podium finish at the German Grand Prix  by drinking champagne from his shoe. Yes, you read that right. It’s pretty gross, but Daniel Ricciardo has kept the tradition alive ever since, and have also convinced many drivers who have stood beside him on the podium to participate in his shoey celebration including Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and his teammate, Lando Norris.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton needs no introduction. The 37-year-old who is still racing for Mercedes, is best known for dominating the race track. However, he did lose out to Max Verstappen last year in Driver championship standings, where he came in second behind the Red Bull Racing giant.

And while he is one of the most recognisable F1 drivers of all time, Lewis has also made a name for himself in the fashion industry after being seen in multiple fashion events including the most recent Paris Fashion Week in March, where he was spotted rubbing shoulders with other A-listers including celebs like Zendaya.

The British Formula 1 driver first started racing for F1 when he made his debut for Williams in 2019. However, George soon rose to success and have recently joined Mercedes this year, of which he will drive alongside seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

A dream come true for him and many of his supporters, George Russell took the world by storm after making a name for himself with his phenomenal performance at the Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020 in a Mercedes car, of which he replaced Lewis Hamilton when he tested positive for Covid-19. While the driver did not win the race due to unforeseen circumstances, he definitely made quite the impression and won the title of ‘Driver of the Day’ for the race. Though he was gutted to be placed at the ninth position, George Russell has definitely garnered the respect of many fans with his undying strive to fight to score some points for the team.

George Russell was also the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion for ART and the 2017 GP3 Series Champion.

Max Verstappen made waves last year after winning his first world driver championship in Formula One. The 25-year-old, who is also known as the son of former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen has, has shown his promising skills over the years and is expected to take on more podiums this season for the Red Bull Racing team. Aside from his impressive racing record, the Belgian-Dutch driver also scores in the looks department with his chiseled feature and glistening blue eyes.

And did we mention that he’s also together with the ever-so-gorgeous Kelly Piquet? The two started dating since the end of 2020, and their relationship has continued to bloom ever since.

Sergio Perez, also nicknamed “Checo”, is one of the few fearless drivers on the track. Having moved to Red Bull Racing in 2021, the Mexican driver is hardworking and knows how to scale up the grid even when he’s under immense pressure. More recently in 2021, Sergio also managed to take his podium in Mexico delighting his home fans. He celebrated the momentous occasion alongside his teammate Max Verstappen and his family members.

The Mexican driver started with the Force India team in 2014 after a year with McLaren in 2013 and two years at Sauber in 2011-2012. In his Formula One career, Sergio has had multiple podium finishes, with a major win at the Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020 where he came in first on the podium.

Charles Leclerc first made his F1 debut in 2016, but his good looks and charm easily win him a place in our heart every race. In an interview during Netflix’s Drive To Survive, the racing driver shared that it was his dream to drive for the Scuderia Ferrari team. After driving for Sauber in 2016, winning GP3 Series championship and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017, Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019 where he now races alongside teammate, Carlos Sainz, and have been excelling in the grid, having won third position in the 2021 Constructor Standings.

The Spanish driver is a metador when it comes to racing. After having raced for McLaren where he replaced his childhood hero Fernando Alonso, he moved on to the Scuderia Ferrari team, replacing Sebastian Vettel, and is now still racing for the team. With some tenacity, drive and passion, Carlos Sainz definitely owns the game with his undying fighting spirit. Last year, the driver came in fifth in Driver Standings and has generously contributed to the team’s 2021 Constructor Standings where they came in third behind Red Bull Racing and Mercedes.

After making a name for himself as the “TikTok Legend” on Mercedes’ socials in 2021, Valtteri Bottas has acquired a loyal following for his hilarious content on the team’s socials. While he does seem shy and reserved, Valtteri is fearless and isn’t afraid to push his limits on the track.

The driver who drove for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, will now be leading Alfa Romeo for this 2022 season, where he will drive alongside his new rookie teammate Zhou Guanyu, who makes his debut this year as the first Chinese F1 driver.

Pierre might only be 26, but we know it wouldn’t take long before he starts winning our hearts at every track across the globe. While the French racing driver’s journey to Formula One was bumpy and sometimes tragic, especially during his time Red Bull Racing, he did pick himself up after returning to Toro Rosso, where he scored almost as many points as his team mate Kvyat managed over the entire year in 2019. Pierre then continued to stay driven and delivered more success to the renamed Scuderia AlphaTauri team in 2020 and was back on the podium and scored 110 of the squad’s 142 points in 2021.

The Canadian born driver certainly makes hearts race with his captivating brown eyes and rockin’ racing abilities. The Aston Martin team driver achieved his first podium finish, a third place, at the 2017 Azerbajian Grand Prix, and claimed another podium at the Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020.

But if there’s one thing that this driver doesn’t have in common with the other drivers on the grid, it would have to be the fact that he has a wet weather predilection. The soon to be 24-year-old shares that he believes the wet weather conditions allows him to show more of his natural talent and he feels comfortable driving under such conditions. And while many might disagree, he has definitely proven to be a strong contender to keep an eye out for.

After competing for Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing, Alexander Albon Ansusinha is finally back on the grid with Williams. The British-Thai racing driver first started racing at the age of 8, and have continuously participated in multiple races over the years before earning his seat in Toro Rosso, alongside Daniil Kvyat. During the second half of the season in 2020, Alex Albon then replaced Pierre Gasly in the Red Bull Racing Team, where he took his first podium finish at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix.

However, after two seasons in Formula One, Alex was then demoted to a test and reserve driver role with Red Bull for 2021, of which his previous seat was taken over by Sergio Perez.

Esteban Ocon first made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. After proving his impressive driving skills, the French racing driver was then offered a seat for Force India the following year where he drove alongside his teammate Sergio Perez. However, after Lawrence Stroll, took over Force India midway in 2018, the team replaced him for Lance Stroll, of which Esteban then ended up as a reserve driver for Mercedes.

After a year of being in the sidelines, Esteban Ocon then managed to grab a race seat for 2020 with Renault, which has been renamed to Alpine in 2021.

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