The reigning world champion rolled up to the British Grand Prix in a vintage Jaguar E-Type. His teammate — or someone in the McLaren camp — parked a $2.25 million Speedtail next to it. And two spots over in the Red Bull section, Isack Hadjar’s Ford Ranger sat quietly among the exotica like a contractor who wandered into the wrong party.
Welcome to the Silverstone paddock parking lot, where the cars behind the cars tell you everything about the politics, sponsorships, and personalities of Formula 1 in 2025.
The Drive’s Jerry Perez made his first pilgrimage to the birthplace of the world championship this past weekend and documented every driver’s ride. The results are a fascinating study in contrasts. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc arrived in matching Purosangue SUVs — the house uniform, naturally.
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll pulled up in Aston Martin DBXs, because when your team owner builds grand tourers, you drive them.
Sponsorship obligations produced some of the most entertaining pairings. Max Verstappen, a three-time world champion worth tens of millions, was spotted in a Ford Explorer EV — the European-market version unavailable in the States. His Red Bull teammate Hadjar had the Ranger.
Over at VCARB, the junior Red Bull outfit propped up by Ford’s backing, Liam Lawson drove a Mustang Mach-E. These are not enthusiast choices. These are contractual ones.
The Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto showed up in identical A390 EVs, the brand’s upcoming electric crossover, though Gasly’s had a bumper sticker that apparently got a laugh. Alpine, soon to be draped in Gucci branding, is leaning hard into lifestyle positioning. Matching company cars fit that script.
Then there were the drivers who clearly chose their own rides, and those were the best ones. Esteban Ocon parked a Toyota GR Yaris next to Oliver Bearman’s Ferrari Dino at Haas. No corporate mandate, no brand obligation — just two drivers with actual taste.
At Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell both showed up in blue Mercedes models, staying on brand without being boring about it. Cadillac’s Sergio Perez — still getting used to that sentence — drove a Lyriq. His teammate Valtteri Bottas pedaled his bicycle from four miles out, which might be the most Bottas thing imaginable.
Williams offered its own class divide. Alex Albon arrived in a Volvo XC60, the most anonymous crossover in the lot. Carlos Sainz brought a Bentley Bentayga — same team, very different tax brackets.
Lando Norris dominated the weekend chatter not just for his track performance but for that gorgeous E-Type, a car that turns heads at any car show, let alone an F1 paddock. The Speedtail beside it — possibly belonging to McLaren CEO Zac Brown — is a hybrid hypercar that McLaren built only 106 of. Together they made the McLaren bay look like a curated concours display.
Monaco gets the attention for its yacht-and-supercar theater. But Silverstone, the circuit where the championship started 75 years ago, reveals something more honest. When drivers park at the home of British racing, surrounded by engineers and mechanics who live down the road, the choices feel less performative.
A GR Yaris and a Dino say more about a driver than any fleet of matching SUVs ever could.
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