14 drivers we can’t believe were on the same F1 grid together

Countless incredible talents have emerged from the Formula 1 scene, with each era producing its own unique kind of skillsets. But sometimes, it’s easy to forget that these drivers competed against those from a different era!

Today, we’re taking a look at the Formula 1 drivers we simply cannot believe competed on the same grid.

14 drivers we can’t believe were on the same F1 grid together

Juan Manuel Fangio and Carroll Shelby

Name the most iconic driver in Formula 1 history, and Juan Manuel Fangio will be at the top of that list. The Argentine racer overcame so many obstacles in order to become the first true star of the F1 scene, and an example for those that came after him.

But did you know that he once competed in a Grand Prix against Carroll Shelby?

Texas-born Shelby is perhaps better known for his work as an entrepreneur, designer, and race team owner than he is for his meager F1 exploits, but race in F1 he did! Shelby started eight different F1 events between 1958 and 1959, competing with Maseratis and Aston Martins. By that point, Fangio was in the tail end of his career, competing in just a handful of events himself.

The two were only on the same grid once, at the 1958 French Grand Prix. It was Fangio’s final race, and he came home in fourth place. Shelby, meanwhile, retired.

Soon after, Shelby would step back from racing as a result of complications resulting from a leaky heart valve. He’d go on to front the Ford team that went on to demolish Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Jos Verstappen and Fernando Alonso

One of only two drivers on this list still actively racing is Fernando Alonso, whose career in F1 has nearly spanned a quarter of a century. The two-time champion will be racing with Aston Martin come 2025, hoping to bring a challenge to reigning champion Max Verstappen.

But at the start of Alonso’s career, he was racing against none other than Jos Verstappen — Max’s father! In fact, they raced against one another for two years, in both 2001 and 2003. Verstappen was competing in first an Arrows, then a Minardi, while Alonso started off in Minardi and moved to Renault.

During that time, Verstappen’s best finish was a sixth place at the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Alonso’s best was a victory in Hungary in 2003. At the end of that year, Verstappen retired from racing, and Alonso would go on to take two World Championships.

Graham Hill and John Watson

Graham Hill and John Watson are two British drivers who feel emblematic of their respective eras: Hill of the 1960s, Watson of the late 1970s to early 1980s. But the two did in fact share a grid between 1973 and 1975!

At that point in time, Graham Hill was in the twilight of his Formula 1 career, competing with a team he’d set up out of the remains of Shadow. It was something of a disaster; he finished in the points exactly one time between 1973 and 1975, and after failing to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix in the latter year, he retired from racing.

Meanwhile, John Watson was just starting out. In 1973, he contested just two races before signing with Goldie Hexagon Racing in 1974 and Surtees, Lotus, and Penske in 1975. During that time, his best finish was a fourth place in the 1974 Austrian Grand Prix.

Tragically, Hill died at the end of 1975 in a plane crash that also destroyed the core of the Embassy Hill F1 operation, thus resulting in a shutdown.

Watson raced in F1 until 1985, taking home a total of five wins and finishing third overall in the championship in 1982.

More from F1’s past:

👉 Revealed: Formula 1’s surprising connection to the Great Train Robbery

👉 Six driver pairings we cannot believe were actually F1 team-mates

Jenson Button and Jean Alesi

When French racer Jean Alesi signed with Tyrrell in 1989, he was seen as a sign of things to come: A fresh talent, one who would almost assuredly secure a World Championship one day. A move to Ferrari, paired with his aggressive driving, seemed to guarantee that — but when his career finally wound down in 2001, Alesi’s promise had only resulted in a single Grand Prix win.

Just before Alesi stepped back, a fresh face joined the grid. In 2000, Jenson Button signed with BMW Williams before moving to Benetton Renault for his sophomore year on the grid. Both drivers struggled to find their footing, but Button ultimately finished ahead courtesy of some points-scoring finishes.

When Alesi left Formula 1, he contested the DTM touring car series and even tried his hand at the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

Button, meanwhile, went on to win the 2009 championship before leaving full-time F1 competition in 2017.

Michael Schumacher and Nelson Piquet

The careers of Michael Schumacher and Nelson Piquet intersected for just one year, 1991 — and it can be difficult to imagine them on the same grid together!

Piquet competed in Formula 1 between 1978 and 1991, winning three World Drivers’ Championships and taking home 23 wins. However, as his career came to an end, he was competing with Benetton, forced into the team when it became clear that it was his only option. His two years with the team brought three wins, but he wouldn’t last.

Partway through the 1991 season, Piquet’s teammate Roberto Moreno was swapped out for a rising star named Michael Schumacher!

At the conclusion of the season, Piquet retired from Formula 1, despite having had talks with several teams about remaining for 1992. His life after was shrouded in controversy, from supporting his son throughout the 2007 Crashgate scandal to using homophobic and racist language. Piquet has since been barred from the paddock.

After his brief Benetton debut in 1991, Schumacher brought home a third-place finish in the Drivers’ Championship the following year before going on to become a record-setting seven-time World Champion.

Takuma Sato and Eddie Irvine

During the 2002 Formula 1 season, two unlikely paths crossed: Those of Takuma Sato and Eddie Irvine.

Irvine, who debuted in F1 back in 1993 and had accumulated a playboy reputation during his career, was in his final year of F1 competition in 2002, racing with Jaguar. Friction grew between the team and its driver, as Irvine never hesitated to air his frustrations with the car. He was soon dropped, taking home four wins to his name.

Sato, meanwhile, was just making his F1 debut in 2002. The Japanese racer was aggressive on the track, but he was a far quieter soul away from the track than was Irvine. He competed with three Honda-engined teams — Jordan, BAR, and Super Aguri — albeit without much success. His only podium came at the attrition-wracked 2004 US Grand Prix.

Where Eddie Irvine largely retired from racing overall after leaving F1, Sato went on to win two Indianapolis 500s during a decade in the IndyCar Series.

Lewis Hamilton and Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher has become one of Lewis Hamilton’s latest critics, spending ample time speaking out about the Briton’s abilities behind the wheel as he makes his swap to Ferrari for 2025 — but did you know the two actually spent a season racing on the same Formula 1 grid?

When Lewis Hamilton was making his debut in 2007, Schumacher was wrapping up a decade-long Formula 1 career that netted him a total of six wins. Though he had ample hope that he might return in the years that followed, a deal never materialized after talks with Toro Rosso, USF1, HRT, Virgin, and Lotus. Instead, he moved on to DTM and is now a regular F1 pundit.

The 2007 season was a much different story for a rookie Hamilton. He impressed right out of the gate; his first win came in Canada, this sixth race of the season, and out of 17 races, he only finished off the podium five times. The McLaren driver only just lost out to eventual title winner Kimi Raikkonen — by one point!

Modern F1 fans will be very familiar with Hamilton’s career path since. In 2008, he took his first championship before a move to Mercedes in 2013 signalled the beginning of an era of dominance. Since then, he’s racked up a Michael Schumacher-matching seven World Championships.

Read next: Ranked: The last 20 drivers to make their F1 debuts – from worst to best