Faith and F1
Choosing motor sports is not for the faint of heart. Dangerous is an understatement if you drive a 1,050 horsepower V6 turbo-charged racecar on a narrow track at more than 350kph. It is a risky job but some of these daredevils have deep religious faith that confidently keeps them pushing pedal to the metal.
In an article published in Aleteia and written by Christine Ruoselle, here’s a look of some of Formula 1’s famous Catholic drivers.
MARIO ANDRETTI – Born into a Catholic family, they migrated to the US when he was in his teens. He was 1978 F1 World Champion and was on the podium 19 times during his F1 career. He and his son Michael also raced in other series. In a 1988 GTE World Challenge of Tampa sports car race, both refused to drive their car with stickers promoting Dianetics, a Scientology book, unless the stickers were removed. The team owner reluctantly took the stickers off.
ROBERT KUBICA – Being Polish, he’s devoted to St. John Paul II. The only driver form Poland to drive in F1, he raced in a helmet with “John Paul II” written on it. He suffered a serious crash in 2011, and his right hand was almost cut off and most concluded that his racing career was over. He requested several relics of St. John Paul II, including a vial of his blood to aid his healing. Kubica returned to racing in 2019 with a full-time seat with F1’s Williams and last raced in 2021.
ALAIN PROST – In 1985, 4-time F1 world champion Prost and his wife had a private audience with Pope John Paul II and gifted the Pope with a model of the McLaren car he drove that season and two books on Formula One. “I am a practicing Catholic so the meeting will remain as one of the dearest memories of my life”, the Frenchman said.
MICHAEL SCHUMACKER – 7-time F1 world champion Schumacker met Pope John Paul II twice. He first met the Pope in 1999 as part of a group of celebrities playing a soccer game. He met the Pope again in 2005 as part of the Ferrari delegation. The German driver, born to Catholic parents, described the meetings as “the most beautiful day of my life.”
Recovering in his home in Switzerland since his skiing accident in 2013, Schumacker had Pope Francis pray for him and was visited at his home by Archbishop Goerg Ganswein, former personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
AYRTON SENNA – One of best drivers of all time, the Brazilian was a 3-time world champion and a teammate of Prost. He reads the Bible on long flights and spoke to the media on his faith in God. “Just because I believe in God, just because I have faith in God, it doesn’t mean that I’m immune. It doesn’t mean that I’m immortal.” Senna was killed in a crash on May 1994 and his tombstone reads, “Nada pode me separar do amor de Deus”. “Nothing can separate me from the love of God.”
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