Being a Formula 1 driver used to mean one thing above everything else: turning up on a Sunday and getting the car round the track faster than everyone else. That’s definitely still the job, but it’s no longer the whole picture. A modern F1 career basically is surrounded by simulation software, real-time data, gaming platforms and a level of digital reach that didn’t exist a generation ago (thanks “Drive To Survive”).
Some drivers are quietly building businesses around that exposure while they’re still racing and others have taken what they learned on the grid and turned it into a second career once the helmet comes off.
Why F1 Drivers Are Getting Involved In Tech
Drivers already spend so many hours working with simulators and data engineers who track everything from tyre performance to lap times. Many of them have also built audiences through gaming and digital media rather than relying just on the traditional press conferences and media interviews.
A driver moving into sim racing, recovery technology or start-up investing isn’t stepping into completely unfamiliar territory. They’re extending their interests and skills that are already part of the job – it’s just what they do with that exposure that changes from one driver to another.
1. Max Verstappen
Verstappen has been involved with Team Redline, one of sim racing’s longest-running teams, even before his first world title. In March 2026, Team Redline was rebranded as Verstappen Sim Racing and brought under the wider Verstappen Racing name. According to Verstappen Racing, the aim is to bring the virtual and real sides of racing closer together, with everything from sim racing and driver development to GT3 racing which sits under the same umbrella.
So this isn’t just Verstappen spending his evenings racing online for fun, even though he does clearly enjoy it. The team is also being used to help develop drivers and give sim racers a route into real-world motorsport.
2. Charles Leclerc
In early 2025, he became an athlete ambassador and investor in Eight Sleep, a company developing technology around sleep and recovery. According to Eight Sleep, its system uses temperature regulation and personalised data to help improve sleep.
For a driver travelling around the world for 24 race weekends a year, getting proper sleep probably isn’t something he can afford to ignore. Leclerc himself has said the feedback from the technology helps him and his trainers understand how hard he should push himself in training.
3. Lewis Hamilton
Lewis isn’t building a gadget or investing in a sleep system – instead, his career shows how technology has changed what an athlete can do with the audience they’ve built. His business operation was relaunched as Lewis Hamilton Ventures in 2025. According to the company, it brings together his racing career, investments and businesses including Dawn Apollo Films.
Dawn Apollo Films has already taken that audience into entertainment; the company was involved in F1: The Movie, with Hamilton being one of the producers of the film. Apple describes the film as being made with Dawn Apollo Films among its other production partners.
It probably doesn’t sound like the typical technology story, but it shows how much the internet has changed an F1 driver’s reach. A driver can build an audience through social media and then take that audience into films, gaming, media and other businesses.
4. Fernando Alonso
Alonso got into esports quite early, launching FA Racing G2 Logitech G in 2017 with G2 Esports and Logitech G. According to Motorsport.com, the team was created to compete in F1 esports and other online racing competitions.
He didn’t stop at having his own esports team either; in 2019, Alonso became an investor and board member of Motorsport Games. Motorsport Network said at the time that the company was behind a number of racing esports competitions, including NASCAR and the Le Mans Esports Series.
Getting involved in gaming made sense alongside his racing career – sim racing lets people experience motorsport without an actual race car sitting in front of them, while the technology behind it can also be used for driver training. Alonso was getting involved in both sides of that world rather than just putting his name on an esports team.
5. Nico Rosberg
After retiring from F1 in 2016, he moved into venture capital and began investing in technology start-ups. According to Tech.eu, Rosberg Ventures closed its third fund at $100 million in January 2026, taking the firm’s assets under management beyond $200 million.
Rosberg Ventures started out mainly investing in other venture funds but has since then moved into direct investments in technology companies too. Tech.eu reported that its investments have included ClickHouse, a company that builds data and analytics software.
Rosberg isn’t building the technology himself; he’s putting money behind the people who are. After years of making decisions under pressure in F1, he’s now doing something similar in a completely different setting.
Five Drivers And Five Different Routes In Tech
Looking at these five drivers, it’s quite obvious that there isn’t one way to move from F1 into technology. Verstappen is connecting sim racing with real-world motorsport. Leclerc is backing technology focused on sleep and recovery. Hamilton has taken his digital audience into entertainment. Alonso got involved in esports before it became such a big part of the racing world, while Rosberg has gone from racing cars to investing in the companies building what’s next.
Drivers aren’t just using technology to go faster anymore – they’re using it to build businesses, reach new audiences, improve performance and even create opportunities for the next generation of racers.
