Fast Father, Fast Son – The Iconic F1amily Lines

A little more than a month before the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season (Australian Grand Prix 14-16 March, Melbourne), F1 aficionados are preparing for the new year-long lap of excitement, revving, and neverending predictions. The joint opinion of most online sportsbook analysts for the time being is that Lando Norris is the most probable winner of the 2025 F1 season, with Max Verstappen breathing down his neck, followed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton; but those odds might change as the season unfolds.

After Verstappen’s fourth title in 2024, he climbed to the third position in the all-time rankings, shoulder to shoulder with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel. Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are still on the top, with 7 titles each, and Juan Manuel Fangio’s five trophies still keep him in second place. 

What’s interesting in the world of sports generally – F1 included – is that members of the same family often tend to appear in the same discipline. In 2024, we saw Mick Schumacher’s debut for the Alpine team in his first F1 season. Although it’s not too likely he’s going to reach his famous father’s seven titles, it’s another proof speaking in favor of the scientific assumption that natural affinity plays an important role in creating sportspeople, in addition to hard work and intensive training. 

In the same line, Max Verstappen’s driving talent didn’t come out of the blue. His father, Jos Verstappen, competed in F1 from 1994 to 2003, having changed seven different teams during his stint. He had 106 starts in this period but won points only seven times. In his first season, he even had two podium appearances but his star died down soon afterwards. Max, on the other hand, has become one of the most decorated F1 drivers of all time. Aged 27 at this moment, Verstappen Jr. will reach his F1 prime in the years ahead. 

Gilles Villeneuve was a notable F1 driver in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During his five active driving years, he won six races and was close to becoming the world champion in 1979. Unfortunately, he died in an accident at the Belgian Grand Prix in Zolder, in 1982.

His son, Jacques, displayed similar driving abilities, so in 1996 he became the second driver for the Williams-Renault; his senior colleague was Damon Hill. Hill took the title in 1996 and left the team, so in 1997 Jacques became the first driver for Williams; he won his first and only title that very season. After that, he reached podiums only four more times before his retirement in 2006. 

The aforementioned Damon Hill also comes from a line of famous F1 drivers. His father Graham Hill was a two-time world champion, having won the titles for BRM and Lotus, in 1962 and 1968, respectively. More interestingly, Hill Sr. is still the only racing driver to score the triple crown, as he competed in and won the Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Damon, on the other hand, scored 22 wins during his career in F1 and became the world champion in 1996. 

Fast fathers and fast sons aren’t a rarity in F1, as we can see above, so we hope we’ll see more heroes originating from renowned champions in this noble motor sports discipline.