When Kimi Raikkonen made his Formula One debut 15 years ago the FIA president said it was “wrong” for him to be given a superlicence.
Route to F1 articles archive
Hamilton’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onLewis Hamilton’s childhood passion for motor racing was fired by his idolisation of Ayrton Senna, whose former team played a vital role in bringing him into F1.
Sergio Perez’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onOne of his first team bosses called him “totally unprofessional” but Sergio Perez has now racked up five F1 podiums and will start his first home race next month.
Max Verstappen’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onMax Verstappen caused a sensation when Red Bull launched him into F1 at the age of 17 with just a year’s racing experience under his belt. Here’s how he got the chance.
Daniel Ricciardo’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onDespite agonising championship near-misses in 2008 and 2010, Red Bull kept faith in Daniel Ricciardo – and now he’s their F1 team leader.
Daniil Kvyat’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onTwelve months ago Daniil Kvyat didn’t have an F1 seat – now he has a Red Bull contract in his pocket for 2015.
Kamui Kobayashi’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onNext week’s Japanese Grand Prix could be Kamui Kobayashi’s last drive before his home crowd. Here’s how Toyota led him to an F1 debut at Suzuka five years ago.
Nico Hulkenberg’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onNico Hulkenberg’s unusual route to F1 included successes in now-defunct championships such as A1 Grand Prix and GP2 Asia.
Sebastian Vettel’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onSebastian Vettel’s crushing 2004 campaign – with 18 wins out of 20 in Formula BMW – put him on the route to F1. Here’s how Germany’s second world champion made it to the top.
Jenson Button’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onJenson Button had only been out of karting for two seasons when he made his grand prix debut. He made his start in racing thanks to his father John, who died earlier this year.
Nico Rosberg’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onHaving a famous surname helped Nico Rosberg get to F1 but he still had to prove his worth along the way. Here’s how last year’s Monaco Grand Prix winner made his way to F1.
Fernando Alonso’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onFernando Alonso was the first Spanish driver to achieve major success in F1. Ahead of his home race next week, here’s how he made his way to the top of a sport which was not widely followed in his home country.
Mark Webber’s Route to F1
Route to F1
Posted onMark Webber is set to retire from F1 at the end of the season after over 200 grand prix starts. This first instalment of a new series looks at how Webber reached the top flight of motor racing.