Written by Owen Bradley, Edited by Alexandra Campos
Formula 1 has had 771 drivers over the course of its 72 year history - and somehow, quite a number of those drivers have been a part of the exact same bloodline!
Graham and Damon Hill:
Graham Hill is a two-time Formula 1 world champion, and also the only man to win the Triple Crown: Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours. His talent and versatility proving how deserving he is of being known as one of Motorsport’s greatest. Clearly, there was something in the blood for the Hill’s, as his son, Damon Hill - became an F1 champion in 1996. Damon had a tough fight for his title, battling the likes of Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. Hill had proved to the world that, he too - was among the world’s greatest drivers.
Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve:
Gilles Villeneuve is highly regarded as one of the greatest F1 legends in history. He even has a circuit in Canada, Montreal - named after him, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Somehow, Gilles never quite achieved a championship win - but his life was tragically cut short, when he died at the age of 32 at the Circuit Zolder in Belgium. However, just 14 years later - his son, Jacques Villeneuve, appeared in F1 - and even won the 1997 F1 world championship, after Michael Schumacher tried to take him out - which he was later disqualified for. Jacques has also produced music, and raced in NASCAR this year at the iconic Daytona 500 - yes Villeneuve, age 51, competed in one of the fastest races of the year!
Keke and Nico Rosberg:
Keke Rosberg, the 1982 F1 world champion, had a nine-year stint in Formula 1, achieving five Wins, 17 Podiums and drove an iconic Williams. Keke remarkably won the F1 championship, with just a single race win - the lowest win rate whilst also being champion, tied with Mike Hawthorn. Nico Rosberg would appear on the scene in 2006, driving for Williams, like his father before him. Unfortunately, the Williams team didn’t quite manage to bring him much success, however he would make a switch to the dominant force of Mercedes-AMG Petronas in 2010, partnering Michael Schumacher, and later Lewis Hamilton in 2013-2016. He had an iconic rivalry with Lewis, and their longstanding friendship turned feud, came to somewhat of a close in 2016, when Nico Rosberg finally beat Lewis Hamilton at Abu Dhabi. Nico and Keke are one of two Father/Son pairings to both win a championship, the other pair being Damon and Graham Hill.
Jos and Max Verstappen:
Jos Verstappen raced in F1 from 1994 through to 2003, and actually achieved 2 podium finishes, his most iconic car being the Orange Arrows car. Strangely, and something people might not know, Jos actually was sponsored by Red Bull at a time. Max Verstappen is definitely the more successful of the pair, winning 24 Grand Prix, the most recent at the Spanish GP 2022, and he won the F1 world championship in 2021 - he still races, and currently leads the 2022 Drivers Championship.
Jan and Kevin Magnussen:
Jan Magnussen made somewhat of a brief appearance in F1, having a one off with McLaren in 1995, before signing a deal with Stewart and continuing for 1997 and 1998. He scored points just once, in his final ever race, at Canada. However, Jan Magnussen is a much more successful GT racer, winning the Le Mans GT Class four times. However, his son, Kevin Magnussen, still races in F1 today and he even made it to the podium at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, finishing second. Kevin still races in Formula 1 today, and whilst an aggressive racer, he has proven to be a great driver.
Michael, Mick, Ralf and David Schumacher:
Now this is quite the list; the Schumacher family has got a hugely historic timeline in F1, with the legendary Michael Schumacher being the first to make it to F1, with a record seven world championships and 91 wins with the iconic Ferrari team. He also has helped build Mercedes into what we know it is today, leaving the team in 2012, and their first title in 2014. Ralf Schumacher, brother of Michael - didn’t quite have as much success in Formula 1, but still achieved a great deal in the sport, with six wins to his name, the pair even shared a podium a few times. Mick Schumacher is the latest Schumacher to have made it into Formula 1, joining the Ferrari-powered Haas team in 2021, after becoming the Formula 2 Champion. Now, this might not be Formula 1, but I think he is well worth putting down anyways, and that is David Schumacher - son of Ralf Schumacher, who currently races in Formula 3 and has been getting his feet under the table currently, finishing the 2021 F3 Season in 11th.
Nelson Piquet and Nelson Piquet Jr:
Nelson Piquet, is one of my personal favourites of all time, he is a three-time Champion of the World in Formula 1, having won the series in 1981, 1983 and 1987. He has raced the likes of Lauda, Prost and Senna; so to have won championships against those guys, and become a three-time world champion in general, ranks him as one of the greatest of all time. His son, Piquet Jr - wouldn’t be quite as successful, leaving F1 in 2009 having competed for just one and a half seasons. He would unfortunately also be wrapped in the controversy that was the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, where he crashed on purpose to allow his teammate, Fernando Alonso, to win.
Carlos Sainz Sr and Carlos Sainz Jr:
Sainz Sr has quickly become a historic name in Motorsport, having won the World Rally Championship two times, and has achieved 97 podiums. Sainz Sr would then turn his attention to Dakar Rally, and has won it three times. His son, Sainz Jr, didn’t quite catch the off-roading bug, but he did get a strong feel for circuit racing, and joined Formula 1 in 2015 alongside Max Verstappen. Sainz Jr has so far achieved nine F1 podiums, and he currently races for Ferrari.
Ayrton and Bruno Senna:
Now this doesn’t quite count as Father/Son or brother, but Bruno Senna is the Nephew of three-time F1 legend Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna had those three championships, and won 41 Races in just 11 seasons before his life was tragically cut extremely short at Imola in 1994 - which is known as the darkest weekend in Motorsport. His nephew, Bruno Senna, would return the Senna name to the F1 paddock in 2010, racing for HRT, which didn’t quite pan out, scoring no points, mainly due to the team being a backmarker. However, he did join Lotus F1, the team that his uncle had once got his first win with. He joined them in 2011, and Bruno Senna would score two points that year. He would then make a switch to Williams F1 Racing in 2012, another team which his uncle had raced for, and he scored 31 points with Williams, with a best result of 6th at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix. Bruno would actually then join Formula E in 2014, and to the surprise of everyone, Bruno Senna would be up against Nico Prost; yes that’s right, Prost vs Senna in 2014-15. Unfortunately there wasn’t much to say about this rivalry and now Bruno Senna has left Formula E, and is the only man to have won a race in every single World Endurance Championship class.
Charles and Arthur Leclerc:
Charles Leclerc, one of the favourites to win the 2022 F1 championship, although I do write this after just six races, so we’ll see how this one pans out. However, Charles Leclerc has won four F1 races, and achieved 17 podiums as well. Leclerc is currently sitting P2 in the 2022 standings, and that Ferrari looks mighty quick out there. His brother, Arthur Leclerc, currently races in F3 for Prema Racing, and is a part of the Ferrari Young Drivers programme.
Sebastian and Fabian Vettel:
Sebastian Vettel currently races for Aston Martin in 2022, having joined the team in 2021, and he is a four-time world champion, winning all four with Red Bull Racing in the years 2010-2013. He also holds the record for most wins in a row (nine). Sebastian Vettel now is a hero to many; from the statistics, to the driving ability, and now for his political ideologies too. Not quite as well known but Sebastian’s brother, Fabian, is also a racing driver and has raced in the ADAC GT Masters series recently.
Lewis and Nicholas Hamilton:
Lewis Hamilton doesn’t quite need any introduction, as the seven-time world champion with 103 race wins and 103 poles. He is statistically the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, and whilst he is struggling at the moment, in Spain 2022 he just delivered a great race that seems to have lifted spirits at Mercedes-AMG Petronas. His brother, Nicholas Hamilton, is also a racing driver, currently competing in the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship), however he does have a modified car as a result of his Cerebral Palsy.
Alain and Nico Prost:
Alain Prost needs little introduction, as a four-time world champion he is known as one the greatest Formula 1 drivers in history, his iconic rivalry with three-time F1 world champion Ayrton Senna being the rivalry of Formula 1 for decades. His son, Nico Prost - has risen to fame, mainly because he drove up against the likes of Nelson Piquet Jr and Bruno Senna - the three’s family all racing each other before in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Nico Prost is, like Bruno Senna, a class winner at the Le Mans 24 hours.
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Finally - be sure to check out the first episode of the Divebomb Power Rankings Podcast:
Thanks for reading everyone!
Late submissions, hopefully still allowed.
Stuck - both Hans - Snr and Jnr
Brabhams - Jack, David and Geoff
De Villota - Emillia and Maria
Schekters - Jody and Ian.
The Ascari boys of course... Antonio and Alberto !
The Fabi boys..... one loved a full boost mid 80s F1 car and was a quali expert. The other, er didn't and wasn't.
Those Mexican tigers, the Rodriguez brothers.
Southwaters finest... The Palmers 😉