Formula one drivers, are, by their very nature, risk takers who need a good thrill to keep them going. It might not seem like it with Kimi Raikkonen, but all of them need that sharp and powerful adrenaline that many of us try desperately to avoid through fear and nervousness. This can mean that their lives outside of Formula One also involve an element of risk taking. Sure they like to relax when not on the track but there is only so much time you can be away from the roar of engines, the hundreds of mile an hour speeds and the roaring crowds before you need something to get you going.
This off the track activity has taken many forms, a number of drivers have become famous partiers, Lewis Hamilton for example has long had a life that the tabloids have been interested in. He seems to love finding new and exciting ways to party when not on the track. Fernando Alonso is now taking his work from the track to the virtual world as he has launched his own esports racing team who will compete in a range of racing games. He clearly sees the thrill of management as a way to replace the buzz of being on the track. Having tried the Indy 500 and seemingly ready to give Le Mans a go it is clear Alonso is looking for things to distract him from his woes at Mclaren.
With the glamour and glitz of Formula One it is no surprise that many of them have turned their hands to casino games to get them going when they are off the track. When racing around Monaco it's no surprise that their heads gets turned by the amazing casinos and they then want to chance their arm at blackjack or roulette. They make such large sums of money that often they just need places to spend it and a beautiful casino is perfect.
Some racers have even been good enough to turn a passion into a side career. There are drivers who have actually been good enough to play in tournaments which is pretty amazing. Poker has been the game that has turned racers into tournament entrants and there have been three players in particular whose affinity for poker has gone beyond just playing for fun, one of them is even a legend of the sport.
Michael Schumacher
The man with the most championships in the history of the sport is also a huge lover of poker. He has not played a huge amount of real tournaments but played a large number of charity tournaments. He used to play with his friends and other drivers all the time. It was something he played while waiting around for races and in his downtime. Unfortunately following his skiing accident in 2013 he is unable to play at the moment but as he continues to make his steps towards a recovery hopefully he will be able to play poker again. He was so special on the track it's hard to imagine him being anything other than a top notch poker player.
Giancarlo Fisichella
While Fisichella was not the greatest driver of all time he did show some real promise and managed a fourth place finish in the 2006 World Drivers Championship, which is pretty impressive. He also became the first driver to be signed by a poker team owing to his great skills and clear knack for playing poker. He stressed the importance of practice using things like casino live dealers to practice playing poker online before hitting the tables for real. Live dealer casino games are now almost as realistic as the real thing and players like Fisichella clearly see them as useful. He signed for partypoker as an ambassador and worked hard to promote the game while also playing a few times on the tour.
Jaime Alguersuari
Alguersuari followed in Fisichella’s footsteps and also played with partypoker as part of their efforts to make poker more popular in Spain. He was only twenty at the time so helped to prove that younger players could both be good and also interested in playing poker. When signing he stressed how popular poker is amongst Formula One racers and it is likely to continue that way.
