Formula 1 has witnessed its fair share of tense rivalries over the years – but, along the way, there friendships have also blossomed between the drivers off the track.
Indeed, even current title rivals and team mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri still look to be on friendly terms despite the intra-team title fight brewing between them, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown hailing “the tremendous amount of respect” that the pair have for each other.
As such, we’ve been taking a look back at some of F1’s best ‘bromances’ from across the years, ranging from the sport’s early days through to the duos that have formed bonds during the modern era.
Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn
One of Formula 1’s earliest driver friendships was that between Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn, two young and charismatic British racers who made their debuts in 1952.
After become a race winner with Ferrari in 1953 and 1954, Hawthorn went on to face some tougher seasons following a move away from the Scuderia – but when his return to the team in 1957 saw him pair up with Collins, it looked to be a perfect match.
The duo enjoyed various hijinks together and famously referred to one another as “Mon Ami Mate”. Both drivers won a race in 1958, while Hawthorn found himself battling for the championship against Vanwall’s Stirling Moss.
At the German Grand Prix, Collins suffered a crash that would prove fatal, leaving Hawthorn devastated. The Briton went on to claim the title before immediately retiring from the sport, but just a few months later also lost his life in a road accident.
Collins and Hawthorn – pictured with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957 – became great friends when they paired up at Ferrari
James Hunt and Niki Lauda
Despite being remembered for one of sport’s greatest rivalries – so much so that it spawned the 2013 movie Rush – James Hunt and Niki Lauda were also good friends.
During the 1976 campaign, an eventful title battle played out between McLaren driver Hunt and Ferrari’s Lauda, a duel perhaps made all the more fascinating by their contrasting personalities; Hunt was famed for his bold style both on the track and off, while Lauda took a more analytical approach to racing.
Lauda’s horrifying accident at the German Grand Prix saw the Austrian miss two races before making a remarkable comeback just six weeks after the crash. And while Hunt ultimately beat his rival to the title by one point, he later conceded: “I felt I deserved (to win the championship), but I also felt Niki deserved to win the championship, and I just wish we could have shared it.”
The two remained close throughout the years that followed, with Lauda going on to describe Hunt as an “open, honest to God pal”.
Lauda and Hunt might have been rivals on the track, but the pair maintained a close friendship off it
Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson
When reflecting back on his extensive motorsport career, Mario Andretti has stated that he had “just four really close friends” amongst the drivers he raced with. One of these was Ronnie Peterson, his Lotus team mate in 1978.
Andretti had initially been uncertain about having Peterson in the team, with the arrangement being that the American would remain as the squad’s number one driver. But along the way the pair developed a close bond, despite also battling each other for the title.
“We had a personal relationship outside of the track,” Andretti told F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast in 2023. “We both had young families and our wives got on quite well. When he would come to the States, we’d go up to the lake and we had so much fun, competing against one another, playing tennis.”
Arriving into Round 14 of 16 held at Monza, Andretti led his team mate by 12 points in the standings. When the race got underway, Peterson was involved in a horrible start-line collision that sent his Lotus into the barriers, and the Swede passed away due to complications from his injuries the next day.
The result of the race gave Andretti his sole World Championship in Formula 1, but the death of his friend cast a shadow over the triumph. As he summarised years on: “I could not celebrate. How could I celebrate? I lost one of my best friends and I could not believe that I lost him.”
Remembering Ronnie Peterson – F1 Super SwedeInternal link
Peterson is remembered by Andretti as one of the American’s “best friends”
Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger
After an acrimonious championship fight had played out between McLaren team mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989, Prost departed for Ferrari in 1990 – which subsequently allowed for Scuderia driver Gerhard Berger to fill the Frenchman’s vacant seat at the Woking-based outfit.
The relationship between Senna and Berger proved to be the polar opposite of the tensions that had come before. During their three years together at the team, the duo formed a rapport that saw Berger bring out the more light-hearted side of the intensely focused Senna.
Practical jokes became a staple of the partnership thanks to Berger, with the tales of these shenanigans having since become a part of F1 lore. One of the most famous incidents saw Berger throw Senna’s briefcase out of a helicopter mid-flight, while on another occasion the Austrian had frogs distributed in his team mate’s hotel room.
On the track, Berger was rarely able to beat the World Champion – but he certainly appeared to win when it came to their war of jokes off it.
Berger and Senna shared many a joke whilst racing alongside one another at McLaren
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari looked to have paired two very different characters when Sebastian Vettel joined alongside the incumbent Kimi Raikkonen in 2015, yet the two World Champions soon became fast friends.
Known for playing badminton together away from the track, Vettel and Raikkonen remained pals throughout their four years as team mates. At the time, Vettel said of the Finn: “We have a very good relationship and it brings stability. One of the best things is that we work together because neither him nor I have an ego.”
Raikkonen also commented on the partnership: “We try to beat each other, but we still can be friends as before, so I think that is also very good for us as a team that we can work very closely.”
The friendship continued when Raikkonen departed to Alfa Romeo in 2019 following the arrival of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari; indeed, Vettel joked ahead of the exit of the driver known as ‘the Iceman’ that he would miss the “silence”, with Raikkonen adding: “Short meetings from my side!”
Vettel and Raikkonen were team mates at Ferrari between 2015 and 2018
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo
A mere five races into his sophomore season in Formula 1, Max Verstappen was promoted to the main Red Bull squad from sister team Toro Rosso, stepping up to replace Daniil Kvyat as team mate to Daniel Ricciardo.
As well as developing a healthy rivalry on the track – with Ricciardo proving to be Verstappen’s closest intra-team challenger to date – the two had a good relationship off it, one that even survived some tense moments on the circuit including their infamous Baku collision in 2018.
While the partnership came to an end when Ricciardo switched to Renault in 2019, the friendship continued and both drivers spoke highly of one another following what would transpire to be the Australian’s final F1 weekend at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
“We have always had a great relationship, great friendship, a lot of respect for each other as well, so he’s just a great guy,” said Verstappen. “(We) get on well, it just clicks. There is no fake person, we just get along and are easy-going, we are like that.”
Ricciardo, meanwhile, praised the Dutchman for being “one of the only guys who sent me a text” when he faced a difficult spell earlier in 2024, adding: “I think Max has grown into a very… obviously a great driver, but a very mature young man. He’s always been very appreciative of our friendship and supportive.”
Ricciardo shares more about his post-F1 life amid journey of ‘self-exploration’Internal link
Ricciardo and Verstappen have shared complimentary words about each other
Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly
Unlike many of the other names in this list, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly have not – at least yet – been team mates in Formula 1, but their friendship stretches back years before either had arrived in the top echelon.
Leclerc has stated that he has known Gasly since being “six years old”, the pair having raced alongside each other during the early stages of their respective careers.
Indeed, both have named one another as their best friend within the paddock, with Gasly saying of the Monegasque: “Our parents know each other very well… We used to spend amazing time off the track, we used to race together when we were kids, but we’ve (shared) so much special moments (on) the racetrack that it sort of created that genuine and very strong bond between each other.”
This bond was put to the test when Leclerc and Gasly participated in our ‘Box of Bluffs’ challenge last year, during which the dynamic between the pair very much shone through…
Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris
Perhaps one of the most famous bromances of recent years was cemented when Carlos Sainz joined McLaren in 2019 alongside rookie Lando Norris.
The all-new line-up brought success to the team, having helped them to progress to a P3 result in the 2020 Teams’ Championship to mark their strongest placing in 10 years. But it was also off the track that the duo formed an amiable partnership that quickly proved popular with fans.
Known as ‘Carlando’, Sainz and Norris frequently appeared in entertaining challenge videos together during their time at McLaren, while their closeness was evident when Sainz released an emotional farewell message to the squad when he left for Ferrari at the end of 2020, in which he affectionately called Norris his “muppet friend”.
Fortunately for those invested in this friendship, the two look to have remained great pals in the years since, with Sainz even crediting his former team mate for helping to fend off the chasing Mercedes cars behind when he took victory at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
The ‘Carlando’ bond lives on, despite the pair now racing for different teams
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
A recent addition to this list comes courtesy of Kick Sauber drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, a line-up that pairs experience with rookie energy at the Hinwil-based squad.
The solid teamwork and respect between the pair became apparent when they scored a double points finish at the Austrian Grand Prix, prompting Hulkenberg to praise Bortoleto upon his maiden top-10 finish: “I’m really happy for Gabi scoring his first points in F1. Big congratulations to him, well deserved.”
Bortoleto, meanwhile, provided one of the most memorable moments in the aftermath of Hulkenberg’s incredible debut podium one week later at Silverstone. Despite suffering a disappointing early exit from the wet-dry race himself, the Brazilian could not hide his joy over his team mate’s achievement.
In touching scenes after the event, Bortoleto ran to congratulate Hulkenberg when the German pulled into parc ferme, before embracing the 38-year-old and telling him: “You deserve it, you are a legend, honestly!”
Bortoleto was one of the first to congratulate Hulkenberg on his long-awaited first podium
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
Sainz seems to have something of a knack for striking up a rapport with his team mates. After the end of his aforementioned professional partnership with Norris, the Spaniard went on to share a friendly relationship with Ferrari team mate Leclerc.
But to bring things up to date, we’ve focused on his current bromance with fellow Williams driver Alex Albon. Following on from ‘Carlando’, this pair have become known as ‘Carbono’ and have quickly formed a good double act both on and off track.
When Sainz recorded an early DNF at the chaotic season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the 30-year-old opted to act as something of an additional strategist during the race, sharing his insight from the garage to help Albon to an impressive P5 finish.
The camaraderie between the two also seemed to amuse team boss James Vowles when the trio appeared together at the F1 75 season launch event in February, with the Briton later revealing of his “hilarious” drivers’ antics backstage: “I had to separate the two of them, otherwise we weren’t going to do anything serious that day!”
Albon believes 2025 is his best season so far in F1Internal link
Albon and Sainz have formed the ‘Carbono’ bromance since becoming team mates at Williams
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