These Are The Cars F1 Drivers Choose To Drive When They're Off The Circuit

• Cars

After spending their lives honing their craft to become some of the best drivers on the planet, the contracts that come with making it to the pinnacle of open-wheel racing are quite spectacular. For Formula One drivers, money tends to be secondary to their unwavering passion for racing, but that doesn't stop them from enjoying the financial benefits that naturally come with being an athlete in one of the world's most popular sports.

While millions around the world watch them on track throughout the year, some drivers prefer to keep their lives outside F1 private. Drivers such as Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isak Hadjar, and Franco Colapinto aren't seen very often in public, meaning they don't show off the cars in their personal collections. However, some drivers don't mind it, and with so many living in Monaco, it's hard to avoid the cameras searching for the best cars cruising through the principality. Here's a closer look at the cars that current F1 stars drive off the track, ranging from JDMs to family wagons and record-breaking lap-time machines.

Max Verstappen: ABT Audi RS 6 Legacy Edition

The most recent run of Formula One dominance has come courtesy of Max Verstappen. After winning his first title in 2021 following a season-long duel with Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman has since won four straight drivers' championships with Red Bull, which has unsurprisingly earned him one of the highest salaries in sports. And when you're one of the fastest drivers on the planet, driving a "regular" car probably isn't going to cut it. 

Verstappen has been spotted driving various cars, from Aston Martins to Ferraris, but one of the more recent sightings of him in Monaco was behind the wheel of a more practical choice. The base Audi RS 6 is one of the most powerful wagons you can buy at the moment, but the reigning champion has decided to take it a step further by driving ABT's RS 6 Legacy Edition, which is limited to just 200 units worldwide. Alongside the staple aerodynamic additions the German performance company adds to the car, the power output is boosted to a mighty 760 horsepower, thanks to new turbos and intercoolers within the 4.0L V8. 

Charles Leclerc: Ferrari Daytona SP3

The pinnacle of open-wheel racing has no shortage of iconic teams, but none are on the same level as Ferrari. On the grid for the very first F1 race at Silverstone in 1950, it's the only team to have competed in every season of the championship. Driving for Ferrari has become a great accomplishment in itself, with Monegasque Charles Leclerc being the Prancing Horse's main man since joining the team in 2019. His commitment to Ferrari is unwavering despite the struggles on track. His love for the team also carries over to his personal selection of cars, with one specific model making a name for itself in his hometown.

Charles Leclerc has been spotted numerous times behind the wheel of his stunning Ferrari Daytona SP3, which is finished in matte black with red and white accents, including his racing number 16. It's understood that he purchased the car himself for around $2.3 million, rather than having it gifted to him by the manufacturer. The Daytona SP3 is one of the fastest cars Ferrari has ever built, with the 6.5L V12 engine putting down 829 horsepower, although you might struggle to use that in Monte Carlo. Ferrari took the engine from the 812 Competizione for the SP3, but made improvements through features like the crankshaft and exhaust system to make it lighter and more powerful.

Lewis Hamilton: Pagani Zonda 760 LH

Joining Leclerc at Ferrari for the 2025 season is none other than Lewis Hamilton, the driver whose name is next to quite a few of F1's most illustrious records. Debuting back in 2007 with McLaren, the British legend has amassed quite a collection of cars over the years, although a recent major decision changed that. Now in the latter stages of his career, Hamilton has revealed that he sold his entire car collection, turning his focus to art and reserving his time behind the wheel for the racetrack.

Despite this, however, his most famous car was sold in 2021. Not long after joining Mercedes in 2014, Hamilton received one of the fastest Pagani supercars — a Pagani Zonda with his own personal specification, fittingly tagged the 760 LH. The deep purple Italian supercar was spotted a few times driving through Monaco, with its naturally aspirated AMG-sourced 7.3L V12 leaving behind a deafening roar when given the opportunity. The car got a fresh round of attention when it crashed in 2023, but is now back on the road.

George Russell: Mercedes-AMG One

Before fulfilling his dream of being a Ferrari driver, Hamilton was paired with George Russell, who has subsequently become the team's senior driver now that the seven-time champion has moved on. Russell was already seen as a future star before joining Mercedes, thanks to consistently impressing everyone at Williams, and his consistency carried through as he was promoted to the team that was coming off the most dominant run in F1 history. 

With multiple race wins now under his belt, Russell is regarded as one of the best on the grid. Off track, he drives one of the closest things to an F1 car built for the road: the Mercedes-AMG One. Using the engine from the 2016 Mercedes F1 car, which is a 1.6L turbocharged hybrid V6, the AMG One can produce an incredible 1,063 horsepower. It's a very noisy car, which can be expected with an F1 engine behind you, but the option to drive on electric-only power makes it better suited to Monte Carlo, making him yet another driver to reside in the district.

Kimi Antonelli: Mercedes-AMG GT 63

As far as living up to the driver you're replacing, it's safe to say that no driver has had to fill bigger shoes than Kimi Antonelli, bar perhaps Kimi Räikkönen taking Schumacher's seat at Ferrari. However, at just 18 years old, Antonelli took the place of Hamilton at Mercedes, and despite some expected wobbles, he has done a great job for a driver so young with so much pressure surrounding him. But what's ironic is that when it comes to his road car, he can't actually drive it in his home country due to his age.

As a gift for joining the team, Mercedes gave Antonelli an AMG GT 63, one of the most powerful gas-powered models the brand sells this year. It produces a solid 577 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, but because the Italian government has imposed a restriction on new license holders preventing them from driving any car with a power-to-weight ratio above 75 kW per ton (about 102 hp per ton) for their first three years, all he can do while at home is look at the car. Still, driving an F1 car on the weekends is sure to make up for that.

Lando Norris: Lamborghini Miura

Moving back to the current drivers on the grid residing in Monaco, Lando Norris is currently having the best season of his career so far, as one of the main contenders for the drivers' championship throughout the entire year. He's also soon to be the longest-serving driver for McLaren after joining the team in his rookie season in 2019. Whether he clinches his first championship this year is yet to be seen, but off track, he makes the most of his rewards for delivering back-to-back constructors' titles for his team in style.

Norris is known to be a lover of classic cars, and now, being in the position to own a few of those dream cars, he's been spotted behind the wheel of some mouth-watering icons, notably a dark blue Lamborghini Miura. Easily one of the timeless cars from its era, the McLaren driver opted for one of the first P400 models, producing 350 horsepower from its 3.9L V12. Norris considers his Miura one of his favorite cars in his growing collection, and it's not hard to see why.

Oscar Piastri: McLaren Artura

Currently in the garage beside Lando Norris at McLaren is Oscar Piastri, another one of the three title contenders for the 2025 season, next to Norris and Verstappen. The Australian is very rarely seen out in public between races, being one of the drivers who prefers to keep his private life very much out of the spotlight. Similar to his teammate, Piastri has been a McLaren driver for his entire career, even if that's only three years after this season comes to a close, and his team made sure to treat him after signing his first contract. 

McLaren's fleet of road-going supercars has steadily expanded since the 12C was released in 2011, with the Artura being the flagship mid-range supercar for the British icon. Soon into his first season in 2023, McLaren gave Piastri his own Artura, which he fittingly referred to as "perks of the job." Under the bodywork of the McLaren Artura sits a twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 engine, producing 690 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque.

Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin Valiant

With a few more points at the end of a few seasons, Alonso could have won three more world titles alongside his 2005 and 2006 championships. But as far as fairness in sport goes, motorsport is very far down the list, and that takes nothing away from the Spaniard's incredible skill behind the wheel of an F1 car. He's also the most experienced driver in the history of the sport, with 423 race starts and counting, helping his current team, Aston Martin, as it aims to become front-runners as the new regulations are introduced in 2026. 

Outside of the racing team, however, Alonso has worked alongside the manufacturer to enhance its road cars, most notably with the Valiant. A revised version of the already limited Valour, the Valiant reduces the weight and adds a few extra aero pieces like the rear wing, aerodiscs, and a meaner front splitter, as well as more power under the hood. Now, the twin-turbocharged 5.2L V12 produces 734 horsepower, up from the Valour's 705-horsepower output.

Nico Hulkenberg: Porsche GT2 RS MR

Some of the more experienced F1 drivers aren't strangers to taking part in other top-flight motorsport series. Max Verstappen's desire to compete in the most challenging endurance races in the world makes him yet another pure racer to achieve victory outside of open-wheel racing, which is something future Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg managed to achieve back in 2015. Despite being a full-time F1 driver for Renault at the time, the German driver won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche behind the wheel of the 919 Hybrid. 

Over the years, Hulkenberg has unsurprisingly kept a close relationship with the brand, leading to him getting his hands on a Porsche GT2 RS MR back in 2020. If the standard GT2 RS wasn't enough, the Manthey Racing edition of the car revised the aero, suspension, and brakes to extract maximum performance, with the sports car remaining the second-fastest road-legal car around the Nordschleife. Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 3.8L flat-six, producing 700 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque.

Alexander Albon: Porsche GT3 RS

The GT2 RS may have been the most extreme 911 from the last 991 generation, but for the current 992 fleet, that title goes to the current GT3 RS. But that's only until the new GT2 RS releases, of course. When the GT3 RS broke cover back in 2022, the bold, aggressive aero package was unsurprisingly garnering all the attention, showing the lengths that Porsche is willing to go to when building the ultimate road-going track toy. One person who couldn't resist the sports car was Alex Albon, who picked up his own GT3 RS in a lovely green metallic finish.

With Albon's team, Williams, being solely an F1 constructor, there's no all-powerful in-house sports car that the Thai driver can represent off track. The 992 GT3 RS might be the best car to fill that void, however, with its naturally aspirated 4.0L flat-six producing a solid 518 horsepower and 342 lb-ft of torque. The aerodynamic package does a lot of the heavy lifting, generating up to 1,895 pounds of downforce at 177 mph.

Carlos Sainz: Ferrari 812 Competizione

When Ferrari announced that Hamilton was joining the team for the 2025 season, one driver had to make way. That driver happened to be Carlos Sainz, who enjoyed a pretty successful stint at the Prancing Horse, remaining the most recent race winner for the team. Now, Sainz Jr. is providing his immense talent to Williams alongside Alex Albon in a bid to get the team back to its glory days. 

Still, as the Spaniard was at Ferrari from 2021 to 2025, he also made the most of being under the wing of the legendary team. To celebrate, he bought himself a custom-spec 812 Competizione in 2023, finished in matte gray with red accents. The 812 Competizione's 6.5L V12 produces a lower 819 horsepower compared to the Daytona SP3, which isn't far behind the latter model despite not having all the upgrades. The new 12Cilindri is now the pinnacle of the front-engine V12 Ferrari philosophy, but Sainz's personal car is still good enough to swamp most gas-powered cars on the road with a top speed of 211 mph.

Esteban Ocon: Ferrari 296 GTB

Esteban Ocon has been a driver for a handful of teams throughout his career, never finding himself in a front-running car. He debuted with Manor Racing in 2016, then joined Force India alongside Sergio Perez in 2017. After a two-year stint, he came back after a year out to join Renault (now Alpine), and has since settled at Haas after the team changed both drivers after the 2024 season.

Considering the long-standing, close ties between Ferrari and Haas, a nameplate from the former manufacturer is essentially the closest thing Ocon can get to a company car. In Ferrari's current fleet, the 296 GTB is the entry-level model of sorts, but that doesn't mean it's a slouch by any stretch. In January this year, Ocon shared his experience picking up his own 296 GTB in a deep red color, and he is sure to be making the most of the combined 818 horsepower from the twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 and plug-in hybrid setup.

Oliver Bearman: Ferrari Roma

The second driver to be welcomed into the Haas team is rookie Oliver Bearman, who has continued to pick up steam as the season comes to a close. Similar to Charles Leclerc, Bearman was and still is a Ferrari Academy driver, with Haas hoping it becomes a stepping stone to the main team when a seat opens up for him. We got a glimpse of his talent when he filled in for Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last year, which made it no surprise to see how he attracted some massively supported sponsors for his career.

One of his main sponsors is FunderPro, a prop trading firm based in Malta. For his 18th birthday during his first season in F2, his title sponsor gifted him a Ferrari Roma in dark gray instead of the black model above. Clear images of his personal car are unfortunately sparse. Despite the model now being discontinued, it's still one of the best GT cars around, producing 612 horsepower thanks to its 3.9L V8 engine.

Liam Lawson: A90 Toyota Supra

Before Lawson became a full-time F1 driver, he got his first taste at the top in 2023, replacing Daniel Ricciardo for five races after the Australian broke his hand while avoiding Piastri's crashed McLaren in Zandvoort. Promoted to Red Bull at the start of 2025, his stint only lasted two races, swapping seats with Yuki Tsunoda. With the pressure off, Lawson looks much more comfortable back in the Racing Bull squad, showing the speed that he displayed throughout his junior career.

The Kiwi took part in F2 throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons before joining the Japanese Super Formula series. Spending a lot of time in Japan clearly had a positive effect on him, leading to the purchase of a new A90 Toyota Supra. He didn't leave it stock, however. Turning to UK-based brand AUTOID, his Supra received a custom-built body kit to accentuate the already-stunning design philosophy. He also got it mapped to stage 2 in the process for some extra power. A year after first customizing the car, Lawson took it back to AUTOID for another makeover, where it became the first Supra with an ADRO body kit in Europe. It's unlike anything any other F1 driver owns in all the best ways possible.

Pierre Gasly: Ferrari 488 Pista

The remaining Frenchman representing the all-French team on the grid, Pierre Gasly, is the driver that Alpine relies on to deliver the best results for the team. Having been on the grid under Red Bull's wings up until 2022, Gasly made the switch to Alpine to lead the team forward, with a lot riding on the upcoming 2026 season. Gasly is one of the more public figures in the F1 ecosystem, but not so much when it comes to the cars that he drives. 

Despite this, he's been spotted a few times driving one of the most extreme Ferraris produced in recent years: the 488 Pista. A track-focused performance car through and through, it's no surprise to see the Pista appeal to an F1 driver, even if they race for a rival team. He's also received an Alpine 110 S courtesy of his team, but the Prancing Horse surpasses that for performance everywhere you look. Positioned in the middle of the car, the Ferrari 488 Pista is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.9L V8 producing 710 horsepower, which was the most powerful V8 the manufacturer had ever built upon its 2018 release.