10 Unexpected Careers of Formula 1 Drivers: Planes, Pasta and Paralympic Gold
10 Formula 1 Drivers Who Pursued Unexpected Careers After Racing
For many Formula 1 drivers, retirement simply means trading the cockpit for the commentary box, a team principal role, or driver management. Yet a select group of former racers have charted radically different paths, swapping grand prix circuits for fishing trawlers, pasta empires, political office, and even DJ decks. Here are ten F1 drivers whose post-racing lives took surprising turns.
Niki Lauda – Airline Entrepreneur
Few figures in motorsport history boast a résumé as varied as Niki Lauda. The Austrian secured three World Championships across two spells in Formula 1, famously dueled James Hunt for the 1976 title, and later held senior roles with Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes. Even during his active driving career, however, Lauda nurtured a parallel passion: aviation.
He founded Lauda Air in 1979—the same year he first stepped away from F1—and built it into an international carrier operating long-haul routes worldwide. After returning to McLaren in 1982 to claim a third championship, he retired for good in 1985 and devoted himself to aviation full-time, later expanding his portfolio with ventures such as Niki and Laudamotion. Being a three-time World Champion and a key architect of Mercedes’ future dominance would satisfy most careers; Lauda managed to become a successful airline entrepreneur simultaneously.
Paolo Barilla – Pasta Executive
Paolo Barilla’s Formula 1 tenure was brief. The Italian debuted for Minardi at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix and entered 15 grands prix over two seasons, starting nine with a best finish of 11th. His broader racing credentials were stronger, highlighted by an outright victory at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans.
By 1991, Barilla was ready for a new challenge, and a world-famous family business awaited. He joined Barilla France before being appointed Deputy Chairman of the Barilla Group in 1994, a position he still holds. More than three decades after leaving the grid, his two worlds collided when Barilla became an official Formula 1 partner in 2025. Speaking at the announcement, Barilla said: “A lightning-fast F1 car and a delicious plate of pasta: what do they have in common? At first, it may not be obvious, but behind both, and the effort that goes into making them, are skilled professionals, passionate and determined, driven by the desire to keep improving.” Perhaps racing cars and pasta share more DNA than meets the eye.
Carlos Reutemann – Politician
Carlos Reutemann came agonizingly close to F1 glory, losing the 1981 title to Nelson Piquet by a single point after leading the standings into the Las Vegas season finale. By the time he left Formula 1 in 1982, the Argentine had amassed 12 grand prix victories, establishing himself as his nation’s greatest driver behind five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
After a brief rallying return, Reutemann entered an arena every bit as competitive as motorsport: politics. In 1991, he was elected governor of his home province of Santa Fe, serving until 1995 before winning a second term from 1999 to 2003. He then moved to Argentina’s National Senate, securing re-election in 2009 and 2015 and remaining a senator until his death in 2021. His political stature grew to the point where he was considered a serious presidential contender in 2002, though he declined to run. From fighting for the F1 crown to potentially contesting the country’s highest office, Reutemann’s competitive drive never faded at the chequered flag.
Alex Ribeiro – Sports Chaplain
Anyone who saw Alex Ribeiro’s racing cars—emblazoned with a giant “Jesus Saves” message—might not be surprised by his post-F1 path. The Brazilian competed in Formula 1 during the 1970s for Hesketh, March, and Copersucar-Fittipaldi, with his Christian faith central to his identity throughout his career.
After leaving F1, Ribeiro deepened his involvement with Atletas de Cristo (Athletes of Christ), eventually serving as its executive director. His ministry extended well beyond motorsport; he acted as chaplain to Christian members of the Brazilian national football team across several World Cups, including the victorious 1994 campaign in the United States. Remarkably, his second career brought him back to the F1 paddock: Ribeiro later drove the sport’s Medical Car while continuing chaplaincy work, offering a very different form of support to athletes at the highest level.
Jaime Alguersuari – DJ and Producer
When Jaime Alguersuari debuted for Toro Rosso at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, the 19-year-old became the youngest driver in F1 history at that time. Just a few years later, his life looked completely different. After losing his seat at the end of 2011, he raced in Formula E and GT categories, but his passion for motorsport gradually waned. Still only in his mid-20s, the Spaniard walked away from racing entirely.
Another passion had been developing in parallel. Alguersuari had produced electronic music during his F1 career and turned to it full-time under the moniker Squire—a nod to his second surname, Escudero. He has since released music and performed internationally as a DJ and producer. Plenty of drivers speak of finding a new rhythm after Formula 1; Alguersuari took that literally.
Jody Scheckter – Farmer
Jody Scheckter’s F1 career concluded with the ultimate achievement already secured. The South African won the 1979 World Championship with Ferrari before retiring after a final season with the Scuderia in 1980. His first post-racing venture was unconventional: a successful firearms training technology business in the United States. Even that gave way to a more dramatic pivot—farming.
Scheckter established Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire, developing thousands of acres around natural and biodynamic principles. The operation became home to sheep, cattle, and a substantial water buffalo herd whose milk produces mozzarella. The farm also yields meat, ice cream, and sparkling wine, marking a world away from the grand prix paddock.
Jacques Villeneuve – Singer-Songwriter
Jacques Villeneuve achieved more than most drivers dream of before turning 27: Indianapolis 500 and CART titles in 1995, an F1 debut the following year, and a World Championship with Williams in only his second season. Yet a creative interest simmered in the background. He had written lyrics and played guitar for years, and after his final F1 start in 2006, he finally gave music serious attention.
The result was Private Paradise, a 13-track acoustic album released in 2007 featuring songs in both French and English. Villeneuve wrote six tracks himself, including “Father,” a tribute to his late father, Ferrari legend Gilles Villeneuve. While his musical career never scaled the heights of his racing one—Private Paradise did not trouble the upper reaches of the charts—few F1 World Champions can claim a bilingual acoustic-rock album as their follow-up act.
Alex Zanardi – Paralympic Champion
Alex Zanardi’s post-Formula 1 journey stands alone on this list. The Italian raced in F1 during the 1990s but found his greatest success in America, becoming a two-time CART champion in 1997 and 1998. In 2001, during a CART race at the Lausitzring in Germany, he suffered a catastrophic accident that resulted in the loss of both legs.
Remarkably, his racing career did not end there. Zanardi returned to competitive motorsport with adapted controls before discovering handcycling—initially tackling marathons before targeting the Paralympic Games. At London 2012, he won two individual gold medals at Brands Hatch, a circuit where he had raced more than two decades earlier, plus silver in the team relay. Four years later in Rio, he added two more golds and a silver, bringing his career Paralympic tally to six medals. Zanardi, who passed away in May 2026 at age 59, became one of the most decorated Para cyclists of his generation.
Stefan Johansson – Artist
Stefan Johansson’s racing career spanned the globe. The Swede drove for Ferrari and McLaren in Formula 1, competed in IndyCar, and won the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans. Alongside the racing, he quietly cultivated a very different skill.
He began painting in 1986 after the death of his close friend and fellow F1 driver Elio de Angelis, later explaining that art helped him process the experience. After stepping back from driving, Johansson channeled more energy into art and design. His work often draws directly from racing—abstract pieces capturing the sensation of speed, paintings of moments from his own career, and even an art car based on a Porsche fitted with an F1-derived TAG turbo engine.
Innes Ireland – Commercial Fisherman
Innes Ireland was never destined for a conventional retirement. A former paratrooper and engineer before reaching Formula 1, he became one of the sport’s great characters in the late 1950s and 1960s. He also secured a significant place in Lotus history by winning the 1961 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen—the team’s first World Championship grand prix victory.
After his racing career wound down, Ireland returned to Scotland and swapped racing cars for fishing boats. Based around Kirkcudbright, he operated trawlers and went to sea himself; local records show he bought and refitted an ageing Norwegian trawler called Vetrung and converted another Norwegian vessel for lobster fishing. Yet some old habits persisted. When a well-known motorsport magazine visited in the 1970s, Ireland returned from a fishing expedition and proceeded to spin his boat twice in the narrow harbour as journalists watched from shore. Different vehicle, same Innes Ireland.
Honorary Mention: Nigel Mansell – Member of the Magic Circle
Nigel Mansell may not have turned magic into a second career, but the 1992 World Champion pursued the hobby seriously enough to join The Magic Circle—one of the world’s most prestigious societies for magicians. Mansell took up magic later in life and has spoken about how learning tricks helped challenge and retrain his brain, eventually earning his place in the famous society after demonstrating his skills. Not quite a career change, but becoming a bona fide member of The Magic Circle is an impressive retirement pursuit by any measure.
No Comments