Just like half of the rest of the world, I’ve become deeply obsessed with Formula 1 racing. As someone who hasn’t been a hardcore sports fan for most of their life, I really can’t say what it is about racing in particular. Maybe it’s the dynamics of having two-person teams, with every team member in a race at one. Maybe it’s something about how popular it is, and how fun it feels to clock in to the race every other Sunday or so to watch it with other superfans. However, as seems to be the case for most F1 fans and thos also attracted to men — it probably has something to do with the men. With as much time as I spend thinking about all of the different F1 drivers, I’ve decided to hop on the “what I’d feed” trend. I’m going to give each of these men a different meal, based on their publicly-revealed palates and overall vibes. Most of my information has been gathered through Elizabeth Blackstock’s Grand Prix Gastronomy series, so huge shoutout to her!
1. Logan Sargent – Traditional Apple Pie
Oh, Logan. The biggest underdog of the season. He is pretty much falling behind in every race. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t help but react to him like he’s a baby animal, gently aw-ing whenever they decide to focus the camera on him. Sargent deserves something comforting after a day of inevitably bombing it out on the race course, and as F1’s resident American, I think he’d like a nice big slice of apple pie.
2. Alex Albon – Pad Kra Pao
Alex Albon is such a sweetheart! While certainly not one of my favorites, I love Albon’s love for his pets, and I always get excited to see him break into the top 10 during a race. In the past, Albon has said his favorite food is pad kra pao, a spicy basil stir fry served with rice and a fried egg. For the sweetheart that he is, Albon can have his very favorite dish — specifically this recipe!
3. Kevin Magnussen – Danish Rye Bread
Kevin Magnussen has been around for a while, and more diehard fans may have more developed opinions on him. However, to me, he just feels like the grandpa of all the other drivers (finding out he’s only 31 was ASTONISHING). With all of his time in the sport, his food opinions have little documentation. So based on Magnussen’s Danish heritage, I decided to go with a nice traditional Danish rye bread, a classic “old man” snack.
4. Nico Hulkenberg – Avocado Sushi
I know more about Nico Hulkenberg’s partner, Kevin Magnussen, than I do about Hulkenberg. But unlike some other drivers, I have nothing against him. He seems nice! And he tends to do better than Magnussen, overall, during races. Like many athletes, he tends to be stricter about his diet to keep him in peak racing condition. Particularly, he tends to lean towards leaner meats and lower carbs. So I’m going to combine one of his favorite foods with one more gourmet to make avocado sushi.
5. Max Verstappen – Watery Tomato Soup
Okay, okay, I get it. Max Verstappen is pretty awesome. He’s the face of Formula 1 currently, with a banging theme song to prove it. And on top of that, he helps take care of his girlfriend’s kid and seems like an overall great guy! He’s pretty much at the top of the world — which is why I have to take him down a peg on this list. Okay, your favorite food is tomato soup and I’ll give it to you, Verstappen — but it’s gotta be a little watery.
6. Sergio Perez – “Checo’s Pizza”
On the other hand, I don’t like Sergio Perez nearly as much. This guy just isn’t interesting to me in any way. The only thing about him that slightly grabs my attention is his occasional physical resemblance to Tom Cruise. But it isn’t nearly often enough for me to genuinely care about it. I’m going to feed him one of his apparent favorite foods, though, as to me, it sounds…not great.
This is Checo’s pizza, a photo that went viral off of the racer’s Instagram. The pizza hosts tuna and french fries, a less than appetizing combination in my opinion. But hey, if this is what he likes, then maybe it’s what he deserves.
7. Zhou Guanyu – ChocoBanana Pecan Babka
Zhou Guanyu is a severely underrated driver who I secretly love. Pretty much everything I’ve heard about him has been undeniably good, and hearing about the racism he has experienced in the driving world is heartbreaking. From everything I’ve learned about him food-wise, Guanyu has a massive sweet tooth, primarily for fried sweet buns. I want to introduce him to one of my personal favorite sweet buns — babka. Specifically the chocobanana pecan babka from one of my favorite bakeries, Bakey. Hopefully, this roll is up his alley!
8. Valterri Bottas – Classic Grilled Steak
Bottas is a bit of a wildcard driver. I never know what exactly to expect from him, as he’s had a pretty solid career, but has plateaued a bit in his later years. My favorite part about Bottas, though, would have to be his constant cosplay as a cowboy. This Finnish driver’s favorite thing to do is seemingly present as a Western American driver, an aesthetic that works quite well for him. To match this aesthetic, he deserves just a classic, all-American grilled steak.
9. George Russell – Korean BBQ Burger
George Russell is my second favorite driver. There’s just something about his classic British poshness that’s very endearing. When looking up his favorite food, though, it turns out it’s just a plain burger. However, I want him to be eating only the best, so I think he deserves an upscale burger, combining his British sensibilities with his love for simple foods. Specifically, he could try one of these recipes, like the Korean BBQ Burger which easily takes this basic and adds some class.
10. Lewis Hamilton – Vegan Curry
Lewis Hamilton is possibly the coolest Formula 1 driver. He’s been around for a long time, and only seems to get cooler as time goes on. His food tastes are just as cool as he is, varied in culture and flavors. However, Hamilton has made a point to stay vegan, and keep his meals as healthy as possible. With curry being his reigning favorite food, Zac Efron’s famous vegan curry seems perfect.
11. Fernando Alonso – Solid Slice Of Pizza
Aston Martin as a team is probably my least favorite this season. Fernando Alonso has less solid reasons for my strong opinion, though. He is one of the older drivers, and I don’t want to make it seem like that’s why I’m not a fan, but he definitely loses some interest for me there. Alonso’s favorite types of food are paella and pizza, and while I don’t like him enough to gift him with something as amazing as paella, he’s allowed a singular, solid slice of pizza. Just one, though.
12. Lance Stroll – Stale McDonald’s Fries
Lance Stroll is close to my least favorite driver. Being a nepo baby in the car racing world is significantly less than in the acting world. It’s taking a lot for me to not make a silver spoon joke here, so I’m just going to use his favorite food answer of french fries to give him a bag full of stale McDonald’s fries and call it a day.
13. Charles Leclerc – LEC Ice Cream
Charles Leclerc is one of Formula 1’s biggest heartthrobs, dubbed as “Italian Jesus” by the entirety of Italy according to season 6, episode 8 of the F1 docuseries, Drive to Survive. His reputation is kind of scary, and as much as I love him personally, I have no clue what is worthy of his personal tastes. So I’m going to stick to the safe side of things and feed him his very own ice cream brand, LEC. Specifically, I feel like his vibes most match the Peanut Caramel Tango flavor.
14. Carlos Sainz – Tortillas
Carlos Sainz is another very popular driver, but not one who I particularly like. This is definitely the least popular F1 opinion I hold, especially among my friends. This is mostly because of the often torrid interpersonal relationships with other drivers he has, particularly with the McLaren boys who I have a soft spot for. However, I do respect Sainz more than I do some other drivers I’m not particularly fond of, and for that, he’s allowed to have his favorite food of tortillas, with a few different options to choose from.
15. Yuki Tsunoda – Tarako Spaghetti
Tsunoda is one of my problematic faves. While he has received penalty after penalty this season, mostly for his excessive inappropriate language, this kind of only endears me to him. Tsunoda is also the self-proclaimed foodie of the drivers, having a very diverse palate. His favorite types of food are Japanese and Italian, so I found a recipe for Tarako Spaghetti I think he may enjoy. The dish is a fun mix of classic pasta recipes and Japanese flavors.
16. Daniel Riccardo – Gravel
Daniel Riccardo is my least favorite driver in all of Formula 1. He’s cocky, yet doesn’t have the race wins, or even stats frankly, to justify this. So nice and easy — he gets gravel off of one of the F1 race tracks. It’s what he deserves.
17. Esteban Ocon – Mashed Potatoes
Esteban Ocon is just one of those drivers who have never really stuck out to me. There’s not a lot about him that’s particularly noteworthy in my opinion, and he’s always just another driver to fill up the track. His favorite food is reportedly mashed potatoes, and I don’t see a good reason he shouldn’t be allowed them.
18. Pierre Gasly – Light Tuna Pasta
When thinking about underrated drivers, Pierre Gasly might top that list. While he isn’t consistently breaking the top 10 or anything, Gasly has shown some of the best character out of any of the drivers. Whenever arguing this, I always point to his friendship with the late Anthoine Hubert, a Formula 2 driver who died while racing. Every year when racing at the racetrack that took his life, the Spa in Belgium, Gasly pays tribute to his friend. So for this, I want to follow his diet to a T. He enjoys dishes that he can indulge in while still following a calorie limit, which is why I think a light tuna pasta would really hit the spot for him.
19. Lando Norris – Loaded Fries
Lando Norris is my best friend’s favorite driver, and therefore any less-than-stellar opinions I have of him are unacceptable and must be hidden. And to be fair, I like the F1 driver for the most part! He’s fun, and one-half of my favorite team this season. He does have many child-like tendencies, though, and one of those is definitely his taste in food. His favorite foods are fries and mayo, so I’ve decided nothing suits him better than some classic loaded fries.
20. Oscar Piastri – Whatever He Wants! (Probably Chicken Parm Pasta)
Oscar Piastri is my favorite driver and the all-around best boy in F1. Truly, I would feed him whatever he wants. However, after extensive research, I can conclude that that’s probably some chicken parmesan pasta. Here’s a delicious recipe he could follow, and here’s to hoping he wins another race this season!