System 1 has witnessed its justifiable share of tense rivalries through the years – however, alongside the best way, friendships have additionally blossomed between the drivers off the monitor.
Certainly, even present title rivals and workforce mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri nonetheless look to be on pleasant phrases regardless of the intra-team title combat brewing between them, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown hailing “the super quantity of respect” that the pair have for one another.
As such, we’ve been having a look again at a few of F1’s finest ‘bromances’ from throughout the years, starting from the game’s early days by to the duos which have fashioned bonds in the course of the fashionable period.
Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn
One in all System 1’s earliest driver friendships was that between Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn, two younger and charismatic British racers who made their debuts in 1952.
After develop into a race winner with Ferrari in 1953 and 1954, Hawthorn went on to face some more durable seasons following a transfer away from the Scuderia – however when his return to the workforce in 1957 noticed him pair up with Collins, it appeared to be an ideal match.
The duo loved numerous hijinks collectively and famously referred to at least one one other as “Mon Ami Mate”. Each drivers gained a race in 1958, whereas Hawthorn discovered himself battling for the championship towards Vanwall’s Stirling Moss.
On the German Grand Prix, Collins suffered a crash that may show deadly, leaving Hawthorn devastated. The Briton went on to say the title earlier than instantly retiring from the game, however only a few months later additionally misplaced his life in a highway accident.
James Hunt and Niki Lauda
Regardless of being remembered for one in every of sport’s best rivalries – a lot in order that it spawned the 2013 film Rush – James Hunt and Niki Lauda had been additionally good buddies.
In the course of the 1976 marketing campaign, an eventful title battle performed out between McLaren driver Hunt and Ferrari’s Lauda, a duel maybe made all of the extra fascinating by their contrasting personalities; Hunt was famed for his daring type each on the monitor and off, whereas Lauda took a extra analytical strategy to racing.
Lauda’s horrifying accident on the German Grand Prix noticed the Austrian miss two races earlier than making a exceptional comeback simply six weeks after the crash. And whereas Hunt in the end beat his rival to the title by one level, he later conceded: “I felt I deserved [to win the championship], however I additionally felt Niki deserved to win the championship, and I simply want we might have shared it.”
The 2 remained shut all through the years that adopted, with Lauda happening to explain Hunt as an “open, trustworthy to God pal”.
Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson
When reflecting again on his intensive motorsport profession, Mario Andretti has acknowledged that he had “simply 4 actually shut buddies” amongst the drivers he raced with. One in all these was Ronnie Peterson, his Lotus workforce mate in 1978.
Andretti had initially been unsure about having Peterson within the workforce, with the association being that the American would stay because the squad’s primary driver. However alongside the best way the pair developed an in depth bond, regardless of additionally battling one another for the title.
“We had a private relationship outdoors of the monitor,” Andretti advised F1’s Past The Grid podcast in 2023. “We each had younger households and our wives received on fairly effectively. When he would come to the States, we’d go as much as the lake and we had a lot enjoyable, competing towards each other, taking part in tennis.”
Arriving into Spherical 14 of 16 held at Monza, Andretti led his workforce mate by 12 factors within the standings. When the race received underway, Peterson was concerned in a horrible start-line collision that despatched his Lotus into the boundaries, and the Swede handed away as a result of problems from his accidents the subsequent day.
The results of the race gave Andretti his sole World Championship in System 1, however the dying of his good friend forged a shadow over the triumph. As he summarised years on: “I couldn’t rejoice. How might I rejoice? I misplaced one in every of my finest buddies and I couldn’t consider that I misplaced him.”
Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger
After an acrimonious championship combat had performed out between McLaren workforce mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989, Prost departed for Ferrari in 1990 – which subsequently allowed for Scuderia driver Gerhard Berger to fill the Frenchman’s vacant seat on the Woking-based outfit.
The connection between Senna and Berger proved to be the polar reverse of the tensions that had come earlier than. Throughout their three years collectively on the workforce, the duo fashioned a rapport that noticed Berger convey out the extra light-hearted facet of the intensely targeted Senna.
Sensible jokes grew to become a staple of the partnership because of Berger, with the tales of those shenanigans having since develop into part of F1 lore. One of the vital well-known incidents noticed Berger throw Senna’s briefcase out of a helicopter mid-flight, whereas on one other event the Austrian had frogs distributed in his workforce mate’s resort room.
On the monitor, Berger was hardly ever capable of beat the World Champion – however he actually appeared to win when it got here to their conflict of jokes off it.
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari regarded to have paired two very totally different characters when Sebastian Vettel joined alongside the incumbent Kimi Raikkonen in 2015, but the 2 World Champions quickly grew to become quick buddies.
Identified for enjoying badminton collectively away from the monitor, Vettel and Raikkonen remained buddies all through their 4 years as workforce mates. On the time, Vettel mentioned of the Finn: “We now have an excellent relationship and it brings stability. Probably the greatest issues is that we work collectively as a result of neither him nor I’ve an ego.”
Raikkonen additionally commented on the partnership: “We attempt to beat one another, however we nonetheless could be buddies as earlier than, so I feel that can also be excellent for us as a workforce that we are able to work very carefully.”
The friendship continued when Raikkonen departed to Alfa Romeo in 2019 following the arrival of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari; certainly, Vettel joked forward of the exit of the motive force referred to as ‘the Iceman’ that he would miss the “silence”, with Raikkonen including: “Quick conferences from my facet!”
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo
A mere 5 races into his sophomore season in System 1, Max Verstappen was promoted to the principle Crimson Bull squad from sister workforce Toro Rosso, stepping as much as substitute Daniil Kvyat as workforce mate to Daniel Ricciardo.
In addition to creating a wholesome rivalry on the monitor – with Ricciardo proving to be Verstappen’s closest intra-team challenger thus far – the 2 had an excellent relationship off it, one which even survived some tense moments on the circuit together with their notorious Baku collision in 2018.
Whereas the partnership got here to an finish when Ricciardo switched to Renault in 2019, the friendship continued and each drivers spoke extremely of each other following what would transpire to be the Australian’s closing F1 weekend on the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
“We now have at all times had an awesome relationship, nice friendship, lots of respect for one another as effectively, so he’s only a nice man,” mentioned Verstappen. “[We] hit it off, it simply clicks. There is no such thing as a faux particular person, we simply get alongside and are easy-going, we’re like that.”
Ricciardo, in the meantime, praised the Dutchman for being “one of many solely guys who despatched me a textual content” when he confronted a troublesome spell earlier in 2024, including: “I feel Max has grown into a really… clearly an awesome driver, however a really mature younger man. He’s at all times been very appreciative of our friendship and supportive.”
Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly
In contrast to most of the different names on this checklist, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly haven’t – no less than but – been workforce mates in System 1, however their friendship stretches again years earlier than both had arrived within the prime echelon.
Leclerc has acknowledged that he has recognized Gasly since being “six years outdated”, the pair having raced alongside one another in the course of the early levels of their respective careers.
Certainly, each have named each other as their finest good friend throughout the paddock, with Gasly saying of the Monegasque: “Our dad and mom know one another very effectively… We used to spend wonderful day off the monitor, we used to race collectively after we had been children, however we’ve [shared] a lot particular moments [on] the racetrack that it form of created that real and really sturdy bond between one another.”
This bond was put to the take a look at when Leclerc and Gasly participated in our ‘Field of Bluffs’ problem final 12 months, throughout which the dynamic between the pair very a lot shone by…
Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris
Maybe some of the well-known bromances of current years was cemented when Carlos Sainz joined McLaren in 2019 alongside rookie Lando Norris.
The all-new line-up introduced success to the workforce, having helped them to progress to a P3 consequence within the 2020 Groups’ Championship to mark their strongest putting in 10 years. But it surely was additionally off the monitor that the duo fashioned an amiable partnership that rapidly proved common with followers.
Often called ‘Carlando’, Sainz and Norris regularly appeared in entertaining problem movies collectively throughout their time at McLaren, whereas their closeness was evident when Sainz launched an emotional farewell message to the squad when he left for Ferrari on the finish of 2020, during which he affectionately known as Norris his “muppet good friend”.
Thankfully for these invested on this friendship, the 2 look to have remained nice buddies within the years since, with Sainz even crediting his former workforce mate for serving to to fend off the chasing Mercedes automobiles behind when he took victory on the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
A current addition to this checklist comes courtesy of Kick Sauber drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, a line-up that pairs expertise with rookie power on the Hinwil-based squad.
The stable teamwork and respect between the pair grew to become obvious after they scored a double factors end on the Austrian Grand Prix, prompting Hulkenberg to reward Bortoleto upon his maiden top-10 end: “I’m actually glad for Gabi scoring his first factors in F1. Large congratulations to him, effectively deserved.”
Bortoleto, in the meantime, offered some of the memorable moments within the aftermath of Hulkenberg’s unimaginable debut podium one week later at Silverstone. Regardless of struggling a disappointing early exit from the wet-dry race himself, the Brazilian couldn’t cover his pleasure over his workforce mate’s achievement.
In touching scenes after the occasion, Bortoleto ran to congratulate Hulkenberg when the German pulled into parc ferme, earlier than embracing the 38-year-old and telling him: “You deserve it, you’re a legend, actually!”
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
Sainz appears to have one thing of a knack for hanging up a rapport together with his workforce mates. After the tip of his aforementioned skilled partnership with Norris, the Spaniard went on to share a pleasant relationship with Ferrari workforce mate Leclerc.
However to convey issues updated, we’ve targeted on his present bromance with fellow Williams driver Alex Albon. Following on from ‘Carlando’, this pair have develop into referred to as ‘Carbono’ and have rapidly fashioned an excellent double act each on and off monitor.
When Sainz recorded an early DNF on the chaotic season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the 30-year-old opted to behave as one thing of an extra strategist in the course of the race, sharing his perception from the storage to assist Albon to a powerful P5 end.
The camaraderie between the 2 additionally appeared to amuse workforce boss James Vowles when the trio appeared collectively on the F1 75 season launch occasion in February, with the Briton later revealing of his “hilarious” drivers’ antics backstage: “I needed to separate the 2 of them, in any other case we weren’t going to do something severe that day!”
