Paris: On racing weekends, they drive some of the best engineered, most efficient and incredibly fast cars on racetracks all over the world. But ever wondered which cars do Formula One stars drive on the roads?
Expectedly, a majority of F1 drivers drive road cars that complement their status. Ferraris, Porsches, Mercedes occupy the garages of some of the F1 stars. However, cars such as Fiat 500, Ford Mustang, VW Beetle, Mini also form a part of their collection (pictures).
Defending champion Sebastian Vettel has a Infiniti FX50 S in his garage. He got the vehicle after the Japanese car company became a sponsor of the Red Bull racing team. He also has an old Fiat 500 and Volkswagen T5 van which he uses "if he wants to drive somewhere with a few more friends". His prized possession though is a Mercedes SL65 Black Series that he got for winning the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. "I would never sell that," he says.
His Red Bull Racing colleague Mark Webber has a Nissan Navarro, Porsche Turbo, Porsche GT2, BMW X5 and Infiniti M37.
Fellow German and Force India driver Adrian Sutil is a self-confessed car enthusiast. "I like to drive through the Alps in Switzerland just for fun," he says. However, his condition on buying a new car is that it should have at least 500 horsepower!
"I would never buy a saloon car. It has to be sporty. I'm very lucky that I can drive the Techart refined Porsche GT2 with 620 hp in the summer. In the winter I use the Techart Porsche Cayenne with four-wheel drive," he says. Sutil also owns the Audi RS4 which he bought in 2006 from his first earnings in F1.
Lotus Renault driver Nick Heidfeld has an impressive collection of cars. Heidfeld is a fan of classic cars, some of which occupy his garage. They include an old Ford Mustang, a Fiat 500, VW Beetle convertible and a Porsche 959S, a car he thinks is one of the best ever built. "I also have an old Toyota Sienna van, which I have imported from the USA, and a new Mini, which my girlfriend always uses," he says. He also has a Lotus Exige in his garage, a car he got before the start of the 2011 season.
Force India driver Paul di Resta doesn't have a car of his own. He says he doesn't need a car since he has to travel a lot.
Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa each have a Ferrari and Maserati. While Alonso has a Ferrari 458 and Maserati Gran Cabrio, his teammate Massa has a Ferrari 599 and Maserati Quattroporte.
Mercedes GP driver and seven times world champion Michael Schumacher has an impressive collection of Mercedes cars (S65 AMG, GL, C63 AMG) and a Ferrari California. His teammate Nico Rosberg has a Mercedes C63 AMG.
McLaren driver and 2009 world champion Jenson Button has a limited edition (20 pieces) 520 hp Mercedes C-Class. He also has a Smart mini car. His teammate Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will be getting the new McLaren MP4-12C sports cars in the coming months.
F1 stars and their cars:
Sebastian Vettel: Infiniti FX 50S, VW T5 (Van), Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series, Fiat 500
Mark Webber: Nissan Navarro, Porsche Turbo, Porsche GT2 RS, BMW X5, Infiniti M37
Fernando Alonso: Maserati Gran Cabrio, Ferrari 458
Felipe Massa: Ferrari 599, Maserati Quattroporte
Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes GL450
Jenson Button: Mercedes C63 AMG DR 520 (limited edition, 520 hp), Smart mini
Nico Rosberg: Mercedes C63 AMG
Michael Schumacher: Mercedes S65 AMG, Mercedes GL, Mercedes C63 AMG, Ferrari California
Nick Heidfeld: Lotus Exige, Mini Cooper S, Toyota Siena, Porsche 959S, Fiat 500, VW Beetle Convertible, Ford Mustang
Vitaly Petrov: Garage: Lotus Evora, Renault Megane
Sergio Perez: BMW X3, BMW Z4
Kamui Kobayashi: BMW X5, Lexus IS-F
Pastor Maldonado: Jeep Grand Charokee
Rubens Barrichello: Audi RS6, Ferrari 575
Adrian Sutil: Techart Porsche GT2 / Techart Porsche Cayenne / Audi RS4 (2006)
Heikki Kovalainen: Infiniti FX 50S, Nissan GT-R
Jarno Trulli: Fiat 500 (Bj. 1964)
Timo Glock: VW Tuareg 3.0 TDI, Audi A4 3.0 TDI
Sebastien Buemi: VW Golf R (270 bhp)
Jaime Alguersuari: Seat Leon Cupra R (260 bhp)
Tonio Liuzzi: Mercedes C63 AMG
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