As you can probably imagine, karting was the starting point for the professional racing drivers who have found fame on the circuit. But, in order to make it in the world of motorsport, they all had to start somewhere! Well, what better way to start your career in racing than behind the wheel of a go kart? Here’s some of the famous drivers who began their passion for racing on the karting circuit.
Ayrton Senna
Known as one of the finest Formula 1 drivers of all time, the late, great Ayrton Senna was a huge fan of karting from an early age. Right up until his tragic death in 1994, he was known to obtain his need for speed not only behind the wheel of an F1 car, but also on the karting circuit too! Throughout his F1 career, he was able to storm to a total of 3 championship wins, in 1988, 1990, and 1991 respectively.
Lewis Hamilton
One of the greatest drivers in the history of British motorsport, Lewis Hamilton has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in recent years, earning himself four titles ever since he began to appear within Formula 1. However, back in his earlier days, Hamilton’s training ground was in fact the karting track at Hoddesdon! By the time he turned 8 years old, he was even competing on the track – forming the foundation for his professional racing career from an early age.
Michael Schumacher
German racing legend Michael Schumacher is one of the finest drivers ever to appear on the F1 circuit – earning a total of 7 titles, which is a record which is yet to be broken to this date. He started to take part in karting from the age of four, when his father built him his first kart. After he obtained his German racing licence, he was able to write his name in the history books by winning the 1984 German Junior Karting Championship – achieving the same feat the following year. Making his F1 debut in the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher was able to win his first ever F1 title just three years later – going on to earn his place amongst the F1 racing greats.
Jules Bianchi
Jules Bianchi was a French racing driver who appeared for the Marussia F1 team until he tragically lost his life in a fatal accident at the San Marino Grand Prix in 2015 – he was aged just 25 years old. Before he became a professional driver, Bianchi established his passion for racing when he was just 3, gaining exposure to karting thanks to his father who owned a karting circuit. By 2007, he made waves on the circuit which soon led to him on the path to greatness – leaving karting behind and instead he began to make a name for himself in French Formula Renault 2.0.
Sebastian Vettel
Starting out his passion for karting from the age of three, Sebastian Vettel has since firmly established himself within Formula 1, earning himself four F1 title wins to date. He began to compete from eight years old, and caught the eye of the Red Bull Junior team by the time he reached the age of eleven. In 2001, Vettel was able to earn himself a win at the Junior Monaco Kart Cup. Eventually, he was able to take his racing career to the next level when he made his Formula 1 debut in 2006.
Mark Webber
Australian former Formula 1 racer Mark Webber is widely known for his love of karting, which is hardly surprising considering he has said in the past that karting is the reason he became a professional racing driver. He may have retired from F1 in 2013, but he still loves nothing more than a good old race around the circuit! His racing passions once lay within motorcycling, although by the time he reached the age of fourteen, he switched allegiance to go karts – which certainly paid off as he went on to win the New South Wales Go-Karting Championship.
Conclusion
There’s been some big names in Karting Nation’s round up of drivers who started out in karting. Some have made a name for themselves on the circuit in the past, and some continue to do so. But, that doesn’t mean you have to leave all the racing action to the pros. You too can obtain your need for speed at one of our epic Karting Nation locations. So, take your pick and who knows, you might just follow in the footsteps of the some of the racing greats!