F1 drivers who raced other series’ mid season

Max Verstappen has been a busy man lately, racing in sportscars, alongside his attempts to get something from this new era - albeit to little avail this far. Drivers sampling other series’ is not unusual, although it’s much less common than it used to be. With that in mind, here’s some examples of drivers who’ve found themselves busy mid season.

Lance Stroll - 2017, 2018 (pre-season) & 2026

Lance Stroll will make a foray into to GT3 racing alongside Mari Boya and Roberto Merhi this weekend, but it’s not his first time racing sportscars.

In 2017 and 2018, the Canadian raced in a star studded Daytona 24 Hour line up with Felix Rosenqvist, Robin Frijns & Dani Juncadella, finishing 15th overall.

Fernando Alonso - 2017

Fernando Alonso’s racing outwith Formula 1 is well documented, with his most recent as an F1 driver being skipping the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix to attempt at the Indy 500 (he was not an F1 driver for his 2020 attempt).

The Spaniard qualified an impressive fifth for the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ on debut, becoming Rookie of the Year in the process. He led 27 laps of the event before his Honda engine gave out - in true Alonso-Honda fashion that year.

Nico Hülkenberg - 2015

Nico Hülkenberg is famed for his consistent driving style and consistent drivers suit LMP (Le Mans Prototype) driving like none other.

In 2015, Hülkenberg entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche, sharing the car with Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, winning the race at his first, and only attempt. Very impressive.

Sebastian Bourdais - 2009

Sébastian Bourdais has race in many, many different series’ and is notably a Le Mans winner, a Champ Car multi champion among many other achievements.

In 2009, a season that saw him unceremoniously dumped by Toro Rosso in favour of Swiss rookie Sebastian Buemi, he managed a Le Mans entry alongside his other race plans. The Frenchman joined Peugeot, alongside Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin in an all French lineup - finishing second.

📸Image credits: Formula Motorsport Limited, 24h of Le Mans, NTT IndyCar Series, Marca.