Educational level of F1 drivers

manchild · Post 20 Feb 2007, 19:08

Why is this almost always kept away from driver's biography? I can't remember reading about it.

I know there were highly educated drivers like Doctor Jonathan Palmer for example and than recently I've read that Fisichella left school when he was 14.

I mean no bashing with this thread but it would be interesting to know how educated F1 drivers are today in a sense of all those kids who start karting career in their pre-school age and push to F1 during their childhood and teenage days.

In the old days, some 20 years ago F1 drivers were usually considered as individuals who speak several languages, play some musical instrument or have some other talent, generally as cosmopolitan and open minded and I dare to say "knights". What is the situation today?

Fill list as you come up with data

Fernando Alonso
Kimi Raikonnen
Felipe Massa
Heikki Kovalainen
Jenson Button
Giancarlo Fisichella
Lewis Hamilton
Rubens Barrichello
Nick Heidfeld
Robert Kubica
R Schumacher
Jarno Trulli
David Coulthard
Mark Webber
Nico Rosberg
Alexander Wurz
Christijan Albers
Anthony Davidson
Takuma Sato
Scott Speed
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Adrian Sutil

zenvision · Post 20 Feb 2007, 19:54

I am not surprised that they leave that early from school. Read many times about drivers living abroad when they are of a relative young age like Fisico. If I remember well Kubica said he went to live in Italy in an interview with F1 Racing.

Tom · Post 20 Feb 2007, 20:41

I think Zanardi left school at 16 to go to a tech colledge, where I believe he dropped out.

Rally driver, but same game, Colin McRae left school at 16 to get an aprenticeship as a plumber, working for his father (and British Rally Champion) Jimmy McRae. He's a fully qualified plumbing and heating engineer which is reassuring for his co-driver when the radiator pops.

Ranald · Post 20 Feb 2007, 21:18

From what I have read Nico Rosberg is infact quite well educated. Aswell as speaking German, English, Italian and French (only a little Finnish) I believe he also studied engineering at School/College in Germany. Aparently he was offered a place at Imperial College, London to study aerodynamics. Obviously the age of F1 drivers really procludes them from persuing a University career.

manchild · Post 20 Feb 2007, 21:21

Sir Frank Williams quit school at age of 16 too so if there's excuse to quit school that age he is a perfect role model.

PNSD · Post 21 Feb 2007, 03:24

I know Alex Wurz is clever and very well technically minded.

Personally, he would imediatly be my number one test driver choice and number 2 driver. No hesitation.

Mika was clever apparently.

Ermm anyone know of Tom Chilton, was in BTCC? He is doing a mech eng degree.

kurtiejjj · Post 21 Feb 2007, 10:34

I believe Robert doornbos has finished high school (or how is a bachelor bussiness degree called in the UK?) because his father wouldn't allow him to race.

Phoenix · Post 21 Feb 2007, 10:43

kurtiejjj wrote:I believe Robert doornbos has finished high school (or how is a bachelor bussiness degree called in the UK?) because his father wouldn't allow him to race.

That is what my father has said to me. I cannot race until I graduate college, which I respect because he wants me to focus on my degree. Not that I can anyways

pompelmo · Post 21 Feb 2007, 12:22

shummy...a welder

Principessa · Post 21 Feb 2007, 12:38

I believe that Robert Kubica had a home tutor when he moved to Italy when he was 13.

pyry · Post 21 Feb 2007, 13:15

häkkinen is a mecanic. i believe kimi was halfway through his mechanics training but quite it. he is a corporal btw

SLC · Post 21 Feb 2007, 13:58

Ranald wrote:Aparently he was offered a place at Imperial College, London to study aerodynamics. Obviously the age of F1 drivers really procludes them from persuing a University career.

Shame, his time at Imperial would have overlapped with mine!

SLC · Post 21 Feb 2007, 13:59

pyry wrote:häkkinen is a mecanic. i believe kimi was halfway through his mechanics training but quite it. he is a corporal btw

Finland still has national service, so all men his age have a year's military experience.

f1.redbaron · Post 21 Feb 2007, 15:55

I know that he is not on your list, but Marc Gene has a degree in Economics

_mark · Post 21 Feb 2007, 16:11

Ranald wrote:From what I have read Nico Rosberg is infact quite well educated. Aswell as speaking German, English, Italian and French (only a little Finnish) I believe he also studied engineering at School/College in Germany. Aparently he was offered a place at Imperial College, London to study aerodynamics. Obviously the age of F1 drivers really procludes them from persuing a University career.

It depends from many factors. First of all: what you intend for an engineer? Till few years ago, becoming an engineer in italy was very hard: only best students and before 25-26 years a very, very rare case. So the degree was equivalent to a PhD of other countries.
In some nation engineer can be called also a simple mechanic, in others engineer is something with a culture near that of a scientist.
A sign that the times are changing very quickly is that montezemolo received a phd in physics when he probably don't know what F=ma means...