What do the men that earn or pay millions for driving the fastest cars on the best circuits and Sotchi drive privately? Info is hard to come by sometimes, but I gave it a try, based on reports, pictures and social media outings.


Lewis Hamilton | MercedesGP Petronas | Champion 2008, 2014


If McLaren wouldn't have messed up the 2010 and 2012 seasons, Lewis Hamilton would probably still drive a McLaren and also be the proud owner of the legendary, super valuable McLaren F1 LM XP1. Ron Dennis promised him the keys to the car should he win three championships.


He settled for a few substitutes: his famous purple, manual option Pagani Zonda 760LH in a shade of purple that's just as bonkers as the car itself. Because you can never have enough V12 in your life and just in case a village needs a power station, a SL65 AMG Blackseries is part of his fleet too. And one of the bonuses of signing with Mercedes was a new SLS AMG Blackseries. Lewis also has been seen rocking a vintage, black plate Cobra with on-off love Scherzinger in the US, a car he wrote about in his BBC column (thanks to Kevin McCauley for that):

"There's actually a nice story behind the car. I'd wanted one for a while but couldn't find one. When I did, I was told it was one of the most original ones around. :medium Before I bought it, I got in touch with Carroll Shelby, an automotive designer and an iconic figure in American motorsport who was involved with the AC Cobra. He checked it out for me and said it was one of the best examples he had seen and told me I should get it. Carroll sadly died a couple of months later, but his advice was some of the best I've ever had."


He also claims this stunning Eleanor Shelby GT500 to be his.


Sebastian Vettel | Scuderia Ferrari | Champion 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Interestingly, Seb Vet does own a Mercedes. Just like Lewis he has a SL65 AMG Blackseries, a black example that was awarded to the winner of the inaugural Abu Dhabi GP in 2009. Then there's a whole bunch of ordinary cars: an old BMW X5 from his days at SauberBMW, a VW T5 Transporter that he bought with his own cash, and an Infiniti FXsomething. He was seen driving a LaFerrari, even though there is no confirmation of it being actually his car. His father has a California though.


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Jenson Button | McLaren-Honda | Champion 2009


Jenson Button receives a whole boat load of Jalop points for his C63. It's not any Merc, it's the limited to 20 examples C63 DR520 estate. 520 stands for the amount of power it produces. That's right, because the one thing an AMG lacks is umph.


McLaren delivered him a bright orange McLaren MP4-12C Spyder that also received some special MSO treatment, as evident by the 650s-esque front bumper and vents on the wheel arches. Plus as of now Button is an ambassador for Rolls Royce, who provide him with a car for every race weekend.


He used to have quite the taste for the high end automobiles. The internet reveals that he sold a Bugatti Veyron, a Ferrari Enzo and a stunning 512bb a few years ago. There's no status update on the ownership of a 1956 VW Bus or his Honda S600. By far the coolest piece of his collection is an original Brawn GP01, the car that took him to his only championship.

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Update: Jenson Button revealed during the 2015 Melbourne GP that he acquired a McLaren P1 that awaits delivery. He also mentioned two other cars he owns: a Mercedes CLK-DTM and a Ferrari F40.

Felipe Massa | Williams Martini Racing


One sportscar sometimes is enough: black LaFerrari. I wonder if he got the former employee discount? Back in Brazil, Felipe can rely on a Mercedes E63 Sedan. His Monaco daily driver is a massive ML63.

Fernando Alonso | McLaren-Honda | Champion 2005, 2006


Everyone would take the Ferrari employment as an opportunity to score some sweet rides. So did 'Nando. In early 2010, a white Ferrari 458 was delivered to him, a Maserati GranCabrio followed soon. A more recent addition is a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, in red of course, just like a red Fiat 500 Abarth.


Nico Rosberg | MercedesGP Petronas


Living a few meters away from Lewis, Nico took a more practical approach to personal transportation. Instead of the stiff, wild SLS Blackseries he settled for a SLS roadster, the perfect car for sunny southern France.


Than he received a factory-restored 280 SL Pagode in time for summer. There are more practical cars in his stable, too: a GLK and a Brabus e-Smart, perfect for Monaco's traffic which basically is a traffic jam at all times.

Kimi Räikkönen | Scuderia Ferrari | Champion 2007


The coolest dude of F1 is a curious case. He used to have an Enzo but sold it after Ferrari fired him in favor of Alonso. That's pretty much it. Lotus once gave him an Exige apparently, but that is long gone, too. Just like Seb, he owns a custom chopper though. Also notice that huge smile of his - almost looks fake.

The rest

Daniel Ricciardo reportedly is on some kind of junior contract with Red Bull which saw him earning 1.5 to 3 million euros last year. That's a tenth of what other top teams pay their drivers. No wonder then that he isn't yet participating in the fancy F1 car show. The same could be said for Bottas: he's just starting to earn and can't just tap a big manufacturer for some sweet cars. Mercedes already provided him with a C63 Coupe in flat black that he can use to hoon the Finnish back roads (H/T to Brother Michael).


Dani Kvjat even has to prove himself at Red Bull, Nico Hülkenberg has to hope for Force India's survival, Nasr and Ericsson should be busy shaking off their paydriver image.


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Sources: auto-motor-und-sport, TopGear