Seven inspiring father-son stories from Formula 1

Over Formula 1‘s illustrious 70-year history, it was inevitable that the godly feats achieved by the drivers would inspire the next generation. But on more than one occasion, it has spurred a driver’s son into getting behind the wheel themselves.

From championship-winning pairings to Dads who pushed their way to the top, everyone loves a good family affair in Formula 1. And it’s not restricted to passion behind the wheel either.

We’re looking at seven great stories where fathers have inspired or gave a helping hand to their sons in F1. Whether it’s working overtime to see them through karting, or acquiring multi-million dollar businesses to provide a platform for their sons’ talent.

Check out these seven inspiring stories from the grid.

Graham Hill and Damon Hill

The Hill dynasty was the first father-son duo to both become World Champions. Graham started racing in Formula 1 in 1958 and was active until he died in 1975 – a career that spanned 27 years. He became world champion in 1962 when he won nearly half of the races with BRM. His second championship came in 1968 when he pipped Sir Jackie Stewart to the title with some superb wins in Spain, Mexico and Monaco. That victory in Monaco was four of five in his career, which earned him the nickname of Mr Monaco. Along with his wins at the Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans, it makes him the only driver to ever complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

He and his wife Bette had their son Damon between his championship-winning years in 1960. It’s safe to say Damon was a late bloomer when it came to his Formula 1 career. He made his Grand Prix debut at the age of 31 years old in 1992, and a brilliant 1993 season with Williams saw him record three victories and 10 podiums. He finished 3^rd in the championship in ’93, followed by two-second place finished.

But his finest season was 1996 when Damon dominated in the Williams and became world champion. And by doing so, the first son of a World Champion to repeat the feat – truly a special moment.

Max Verstappen and Joss Verstappen

The Verstappens’ story is one of different fortunes, and a story that is still being written. Joss Verstappen began his career in 1994 with Bennetton, and pursued a career that saw him join Simtek, Arrows, Tyrell, Stewart, Honda and Minardi until 2003. His career looked promising in his first season, with two podiums in ’94, but luck wasn’t on his side. His list of race results is full of more retirements than it is race finishes.

But he’d caught the racing bug, and decided to channel that energy into his son, Max, born in 1997. Max started karting aged 4 and worked his way up Belgian and European competitions picking up wins all over the place. He credits his reputation as a wet weather racer down to the fact his Dad would leave him driving around wet karting tracks on slick tyres. The young driver graduated to Formula 3 in 2014, finishing 3^rd, and quickly moved onto Formula 1.

He joined Scuderia Torro Rosso, the Red Bull junior team and the team previously known as Minardi – where his father ended his career. This rest is history. Max was fast-tracked to the senior team, winning on his first time out with Red Bull and becoming the youngest ever race winner. He’s been touted as a future World Champion and is coming good during an epic season-long battle with Lewis Hamilton.

Nico Rosberg and Keke Rosberg

The Rosbergs were the second father-son duo to both win the F1 championship. Finnish driver Keke first entered Formula 1 in 1978, aged 29. He to his own in 1982, the year he signed with the Williams F1 team. Although he only won a single race in France during the season, he held off the likes of Alain Prost and Niki Lauda for the championship.

Three years later, his German wife Sina gave birth to their son Nico. This gave Nico dual-nationality, and Nico raced under the Finnish flag in the junior series before switching to German, to obtain better sponsorship opportunities.

Nico was signed by Williams, the team his father won the title with, in 2005 as a test driver. The following year, he made his debut with the team picking up two podiums in a four-year stint. He moved to Mercedes in 2010, where he partnered with Michael Schumacher before Hamilton’s shock decision to move to the team from McLaren in 2013. In 2013, Nico claimed victory at Monaco, making the Rosberg’s the first father and son to both win in the principality in which they resided.

Nico played a key part in the team’s first three world titles, but no more so than in 2016. An epic battle with Lewis Hamilton went down to the wire, and Rosberg claimed his title at the final race in Abu Dhabi. But that was job done, having equalled his father’s feat, Nico announced his retirement from racing.

Michael Schumacher and Mick Schumacher

This is a story that could just be starting to blossom. Michael Schumacher will always be known as one of the all-time greats. Seven world championships, 91 Grand Prix victories, 155 podiums, he’s one of the greats. (Check out our Schumacher vs Hamilton comparison video for all the details on that particular issue).

The Schumachers have always been a racing family. Michael raced alongside his brother Ralf – whose son David has raced in F3 – and step-brother Sebastian Stahl is a sportscar racer. It was only right then, that Michael’s son Mick would enter the world of racing.

Mick progressed through the ranks, thanks to support from Ferrari, its drivers’ academy, and Prema Racing. He’s a racer that warms up to the cars he’s driving. In F3 he finished 12th in his first season, before winning in his second season. That’s a result he mirrored in F2, winning the championship in 2020 before his ascent into Formula 1. His first year in the top class comes with Haas, where he partnered Nikita Mazepin.

Jenson Button and John Button

It’s not always about on-track stories. During Jenson Button’s incredible 2009 championship year, there was one figure at every race. John Button was invariably the first figure Jenson would run towards after his six victories.

John was a popular British Rallycross driver who had success through the 70s. When Jenson was born, he founded Rocket Motorsport as a karting team. He won 11 championships with his team, and his engines became renowned in the karting paddocks. “You either had one, or got beaten by one”, was the phrase Jenson remembers from the time.

This commitment to his son’s success didn’t just stop when Jenson made it to Formula 1. John attended every race bar one of Jensons’s career, following him around the world through the highs and lows.

John passed away in 2014, but Jenson continues the Rocket name in motorsport. He named his British GT team after his father’s karting outfit.

Lewis Hamilton and Anthony Hamilton

Much can be said of Anthony Hamilton’s support of his son’s successes. The seven-time world champion was first inspired to go racing when he was bought a remote-controlled car aged just five. A young Lewis proved so proficient, he finished second in the national remote-controlled car championship, facing adult competition.

When Lewis turned six, Anthony bought his son a go-kart promising to support his son if he studied in school. Lewis has spoken about his gratitude to his father, who worked several jobs including IT management, window salesman, dishwasher and putting up signs for an estate agent just to see Lewis through karting.

And it certainly paid dividends. Hamilton went on to win several world championships, and while he takes victory after victory, he knows he wouldn’t have been able to be in this position without the support of father Anthony.

Lance Stroll and Lawrence Stroll

While Lewis Hamilton’s support from his father meant working several jobs to get by, some fathers happen to be in more fortunate positions.

Lawrence Stroll was 804^th on Forbes’ Billionaires list in 2020. That might not sound like much, but his net worth is estimated at $3.2 billion. The Canadian made his worth in fashion. Lawrence’s father introduced the brand to Canada, and he took it to the European market. Stroll held investments in Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors for many years.

Throughout this time, Stroll was feeding his passion for racing. He has a huge collection of Ferraris, owns a race track in Quebec, and has a son with a hunger to win.

Lawrence invested in Williams and brought his son Lance into the seat in 2017. But despite a podium in 2017, in 2019 Lawrence rescued the Force India team from the administration. They became Racing Point, Lance became their new driver, and it was a display of the power money has in Formula 1.

Fast forward to 2021, and the newly-rebranded Aston Martin Formula 1 team has seen a giant of the motor industry return to the grid with a highly competitive midfield car.