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How many F1 drivers had kids before and after becoming champions?


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#1 Chick0

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Posted 05 October 2022 - 22:17

Was just having a beer tonight with some F1 loving friends. And the topic of Mika seemingly losing it in 2001 came up. 

 

My (McLaren supporting)  pals thought he lost his edge due to having a baby. 

 

It had never really occurred to me.. Seems like they might have been on to something ( Casy Stoner in MotoGp seemed to loose it after his first born?  Vettel never won a Championship after his ). 

 

 

So i thought i would ask here. How many champions seemed never to be the same after having their first kid. 

 

 

Also, how many F1 champions won titles before having a kid and then won them after having them? (Schumi i know won championships before and after)..



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#2 Ruusperi

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Posted 05 October 2022 - 22:47

Evidence beyond F1 shows no correlation. For WRC:

- Sébastien Loeb won 4 championships before his daughter Valentine was born (19 November 2007) and then went to win 5 more titles.

- Sébastien Ogier was a 3-time champion when his son was born in 2016, after which he won another 5 titles.

- Tommi Mäkinen won all his 4 champions after his son Henry Verneri was born in 1996.

- Juha Kankkunen won his 4 titles years before his son Tino was born in 1995. He drove well after that, until season 2000 which was difficult compared to his team mate Richard Burns. But by then Kankkunen was 41 years old anyway (his second son Niko was born in 1999).



#3 Louis Mr. F1

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Posted 05 October 2022 - 23:27

Flavio Briatore said back in the mid 90s that each baby costs a driver 0.3 sec a lap.

#4 Chick0

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Posted 05 October 2022 - 23:38

Evidence beyond F1 shows no correlation. For WRC:

- Sébastien Loeb won 4 championships before his daughter Valentine was born (19 November 2007) and then went to win 5 more titles.

- Sébastien Ogier was a 3-time champion when his son was born in 2016, after which he won another 5 titles.

- Tommi Mäkinen won all his 4 champions after his son Henry Verneri was born in 1996.

- Juha Kankkunen won his 4 titles years before his son Tino was born in 1995. He drove well after that, until season 2000 which was difficult compared to his team mate Richard Burns. But by then Kankkunen was 41 years old anyway (his second son Niko was born in 1999).

 

 

Great stats..  Thanks for posting..  I have watched the WRC for 25+  years, been to many WRC events,  but i have never known much about the drivers personal life's ( outside of Colins :( ).  I'm Scottish. 

I was not expecting any real correlation. Was just posting to see some random stats.. 



#5 Chick0

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Posted 05 October 2022 - 23:45

Damon Hill  has a son was that was born in 1989, and a daughter born 1995. 


Edited by Chick0, 05 October 2022 - 23:46.


#6 Hank

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 00:02

Michael Schumacher?



#7 ARTGP

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 00:16

Evidence beyond F1 shows no correlation. For WRC:

- Sébastien Loeb won 4 championships before his daughter Valentine was born (19 November 2007) and then went to win 5 more titles.

- Sébastien Ogier was a 3-time champion when his son was born in 2016, after which he won another 5 titles.

- Tommi Mäkinen won all his 4 champions after his son Henry Verneri was born in 1996.

- Juha Kankkunen won his 4 titles years before his son Tino was born in 1995. He drove well after that, until season 2000 which was difficult compared to his team mate Richard Burns. But by then Kankkunen was 41 years old anyway (his second son Niko was born in 1999).

 

 

There is usually a very big talent gap in the WRC to be fair.


Edited by ARTGP, 06 October 2022 - 00:18.


#8 Chick0

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 00:36

There is usually a very big talent gap in the WRC to be fair.

 

 

How do you mean ?  F1 talent  v WRC talent  ?


Edited by Chick0, 06 October 2022 - 00:37.


#9 ARTGP

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 00:53

How do you mean ?  F1 talent  v WRC talent  ?

 

I mean within the category. The likes of Sebastian Ogier and Sebastian Loeb were so far ahead of their peers that even in their decline they were winning rallies at a canter. Loeb won the Monte Carlo rally this year even. The fact that they still won championships after having kids doesn't necessarily mean they didn't slow down a touch after having kids. You might also see it as them being so wildly ahead of the curve that even when they lost a touch, there still wasn't anyone who could touch them. 



#10 Wuzak

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 01:16

Michael Schumacher?

 

2 championships before children.

5 championships after children (Gina-Marie b 1997, Mick b 1999).



#11 D28

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 02:07

Jack Brabham. Two of his sons were born after 1959 and before 1966, the other  born in 1952. Children had no effect on his driving.



#12 LB

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 03:01

Damon Hill  has a son was that was born in 1989, and a daughter born 1995. 

Damon himself was born in 1960 which is before Grahams two titles. Its actually fairly easy to go through everyone

Farina - ok not that easy he did get married in 1949 but I haven't found any kids
Fangio - had a son in the 40's but that was only confirmed well after his death, 
Ascari - had two kids born in the 40's
Hawthorn - had a secret son that he knew about
Brabham - had 1 son for his first 2 titles and 3 for his third
P Hill - children born well after his title
G Hill - had two kids for title 1, 3 for title 2
Clark - Childless I think - though I did find out he met Yuri Gagarin (and Gagarin knew exactly who he was) which is kinda cool 
Surtees - Had 3 kids a long time after he retired
Hulme - had two kids I'm not 100% sure on dates but I think he had a baby son in his title year
Stewart - Paul and Mark were born prior to Jackies titles 
Rindt - Had a daughter 
Fittipaldi - Has 7 kids 5 of which were around when he was winning Indy 500's as for F1 well the first was born in 1974 when he was busy winning his second title.
Lauda - Has 5 kids First 3 were born between his second and third titles 
Hunt - Two sons, well after his driving career.  
Andretti -  Had 3 kids long before his F1 title hell Michael was before he had even first done indy
Scheckter - had 6 kids 1 (Toby) before his title win
Jones - has kids, I think he had 1 before the title win but not sure
Piquet - 7 kids, 1 prior to the first two titles 2 by the third.
Rosberg - Nico was after Kekes title 
Prost - Nico was before Prosts titles ,Sasha after title 3 and his daughter after he retitred
Senna - Childless sadly
Mansell - All three children came during his career before his title
Schumacher - is described above
Damon Hill - also above
Mika Hakkinen - has 5 kids all after his titles 
Alonso - no kids 
Kimi - has a couple of kids after his title
Hamilton - childless
Button - two kids in the last couple of years

Rosberg - had 1 kid before his title 1 after 
Max - doesn't have a kid, but his girlfriend does if that counts?
 



#13 Wuzak

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 05:11

Mansell - All three children came during his career before his title

 

 

First son was born in 1985, before his first real title chance (lost because of tyre blow-out).

Second son born in 1987.

 

Can't find what year his daughter was born.



#14 PlatenGlass

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 09:15

Villeneuve?

#15 Sterzo

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 09:28

Flavio Briatore said back in the mid 90s that each baby costs a driver 0.3 sec a lap.

Wouldn't it be fun to ask all the children LB listed (after your post) and ask them what they think of Flavio Briatore?

 

Going back to the opening question, there's probably some coincidence between age, the centre of one's interests shifting, and having children. Years ago, there would also have been the risk to haunt some dads. But maybe (as LB's list might indicate) the ruthless streak in a natural champion makes those concerns less likely for them than for the average driver.



#16 Steve99

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 09:30

"though I did find out he met Yuri Gagarin (and Gagarin knew exactly who he was) which is kinda cool " This is the sort of oblique stuff I love about this place!



#17 Marklar

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 09:42

I think it depends on the person and circumstances.

Obviously a driver doesnt *think* in the car "oh no, I have to drive careful because I cannot afford to die now", but subconsciously you may have become more risk-averse because you have become in your general lifestyle more risk-averse and it carried over.

Furthermore a child potentially less time to dedicate to training etc (tho this can actually be positive)

Then of course there is not really much correlation because most become fathers on or around their peak anyway.

It would be interesting to figure out which driver has become better after becoming a dad (other than those who were young parents)

#18 BRG

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 10:17

I think the basic premise of the thread has been disproved. For instance, Graham Hill achieved the whole Triple Crown whilst being a father.

 

Historically, drivers were older than they typically are today and so much more likely to be family men, even though the risk of death was far higher back then.  Now with youngsters in the sport who haven't got round to settling down (and who have spent their adolescence racing rather than chasing skirts) the likelihood of children and the risk to life are both far lower.



#19 Coral

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 11:07

First son was born in 1985, before his first real title chance (lost because of tyre blow-out).

Second son born in 1987.

 

Can't find what year his daughter was born.

Chloe, born 1982. :)



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#20 MattK9

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 11:09

Some drivers appear to need much more preparation time to be fast. This is going to be stereotypical, but I thinking drivers like Vettel/Rosberg etc appear to really study the data and maximise time in the simulator. These type of drivers will be more impacted by having a child (and therefore less spare time) than other drivers who appear to have a more natural ability to go fast like Lewis or Max. (Again this is a stereotype and I'm not saying Lewis or Max dont do their homework)

 

As father I would also suggest that having two children takes up so much more of your time than just one.



#21 H0R

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 12:45

Damon himself was born in 1960 which is before Grahams two titles. Its actually fairly easy to go through everyone

Farina - ok not that easy he did get married in 1949 but I haven't found any kids

[/snip]

[/snap]

Max - doesn't have a kid, but his girlfriend does if that counts?
 

 

And to the utmost surprise of exactly no one Briatore has been talking bull **** again.



#22 PlatenGlass

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 13:26

I doubt it's a time thing. They're contracted to do a certain amount of stuff. It's not like they're going:

 

"I need to take this afternoon off because my wife's going shopping so I need to look after the kids."

 

"I didn't know you kept goats?"

 

"What?"



#23 Currahee

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Posted 06 October 2022 - 18:24

"though I did find out he met Yuri Gagarin (and Gagarin knew exactly who he was) which is kinda cool " This is the sort of oblique stuff I love about this place!


They also died 10 days apart.