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F1 is not only a sport, it's a tradition in many families. Many drivers who find themselves on the grid have been doing it since childhood. F1, however, is not a sport that is easily accessible for everyone. It certainly helps if you have a family that is entrenched in the sport.
In the sport's history, there have been instances where being a Formula 1 driver has been passed down through the generations. There are many examples of father-son duos that have raced in the sport. In this piece, we will rank the top 5 such father-son duos in F1.
Top 5 father-son pairings to race in F1
#5 Michael Schumacher-Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher has maintained a rather under-the-radar kind of demeanor throughout his junior career. The son of the illustrious Michael Schumacher raced under his mother's name in his early years to avert undue attention. By the time Mick raced in F3, however, it became clear who the German driver was and how good he could be on his day.
Mick won both the F2 and F3 championships and made his way to F1. This made him and his father one of the most iconic father-son duos to ever make it to the sport. Sure, Mick is yet to make an impact, but what his father was able to do propels the duo to the list of the top 5 father-son duos to ever race in F1.
#4 Jos Verstappen-Max Verstappen
Jos Verstappen himself made a huge splash before he even reached F1. Sadly for him, his debut season featured him in the same car as Michael Schumacher and that changed everything. Jos was never able to reach the levels many expected him to and could not achieve much in F1.
What Jos has done for his son, however, is exemplary. He has guided Max Verstappen, arguably the best driver of this generation, through every stage of his career and helped him not make the same mistakes that Jos did. As a result, Jos and Max are probably one of the most influential father-son duos on the grid.
#3 Gilles Villeneuve-Jacques Villeneuve
What happens when your father is one of the legends of the sport without even winning a World Championship? What happens if the F1 circuit in your own country is named after him? What happens when after all the trials and tribulations you reach F1 and already have a massive baseline to match up against?
It was never going to be an easy road for Jacques Villeneuve when he decided to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father Gilles. As soon as Jacques introduced himself to the world of Formula 1 with a pole position in his very first race, however, all nerves calmed down. Jacques went on to win a world championship against Michael Schumacher in 1997 and was able to hoist the Villeneuve flag as high or even higher than his father did.
Both Gilles Villeneuve and his son proved themselves to be top-tier drivers in F1, something that we don't often see in the sport.
#2 Keke Rosberg-Nico Rosberg
Keke Rosberg was one of the most charismatic drivers in Formula 1 in the 80s. His free-flowing mustache, unabashed nature, and his ruthless driving style propelled him to a world championship in 1982. So when Nico Rosberg made his way into Formula 1 there was a sense of anticipation to see what Keke's son would do in a race.
As it turned out, the young Rosberg wasn't a bad driver at all. Nico scored the fastest lap of the race in his very first race. His career, however, would finally take off when he got the opportunity to drive for Mercedes, teaming up with Lewis Hamilton.
From the 2014 season onwards, Rosberg went head-to-head with one of the most ruthless competitors in Formula 1 in the same car. The battle turned out to be legendary as Nico, who was beaten in 2014 and 2015 by Hamilton, ended up getting the better of him in 2016 and winning the title.
In doing so, Nico achieved his childhood dream of emulating his father and made the Rosberg duo one of the best father-son duos to race in Formula 1.
#1 Graham Hill-Damon Hill
Graham Hill was one of the most inspirational drivers of his time. He rallied his Lotus team after the demise of Jochen Rindt and built it back up to win the title in 1968. He was a two-time world champion who lived life in the fast lane.
For his son Damon, the bar was far too high when he made his way into Formula 1. Things became even worse when he first teamed up with Ayrton Senna in 1994 and would then have to battle Michael Schumacher for the title.
Throughout all of this though, Hill battled valiantly with one of the greatest ever to do so and almost won the title in 1994. He will have to wait until 1996 to finally surmount the peak and emulate his father's achievements by winning the title. Both Graham and Damon were able to do something that not many other drivers could. While Graham mobilized Lotus to win the title after Rindt's death, Damon Hill did the same at Williams as the team was reeling after the death of the great Ayrton Senna.
