GALLERY: Celebrating F1’s greatest moustache wearers

Oct 27, 2018 12:00am UTC

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.
15th - 17th May 1987.
Nigel Mansell (Williams FW11B Honda) retired, — Nigel Mansell became so synonymous with his famous moustache that when he shaved it off, many fans were in uproar. Red five just wasn’t Red Five without his trademark soup strainer.

HARALDERTL%20(1).jpg — Ok, so technically this is a moustache/beard combo, but we simply couldn’t leave 70s racer Harald Ertl off this list for the sheer splendidness of his curly ‘tache.

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 01: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing looks on — Is this an elaborate set of sideburns or a moustache that’s got over-excited? Either way, we loved the face furniture that Daniel Ricciardo rocked at the 2014 US Grand Prix.

Frank Williams and Keke Rosberg (FIN)
Formula One World Championship — Flowing locks, chest rug, gold necklace and a Grade-A crumb catcher. 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg looked as fast as he drove.

L-R Jo Siffert (SUI) BRM and team manager Tim Parnell (GBR).

1971 Formula One World — Swiss star Jo Siffert – a two-time Grand Prix winner in the late 60s and early 70s – clearly took styling cues from silver screen legend Clark Gable. And who can blame him? With the aviator shades it’s an extremely strong look.

HOCKENHEIMRING, GERMANY - JULY 22: (L to R): Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes-AMG F1, Dr. Dieter — The iconic whiskers in between Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton belong to Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars

Silverstone, England. 12-14 July 1979.
Clay Regazzoni (Williams FW07-Ford), 1st position and Rene — What was it with Williams and moustachioed drivers? But before Rosberg and Mansell there was Clay Regazzoni, who took his famous lip sweater onto the podium after winning Williams’ first ever race at Silverstone in 1979.

1950 Italian Grand Prix.
Monza, Italy.
1-3 September 1950.
The Alfa Romeo team before the start. — F1’s early pioneer of the moustache - Emmanuel 'Toulo' de Graffenried – made 22 Grand Prix starts in the 1950s. He was also a Swiss Baron – go figure.

Graham Hill (GBR) — Forget bushy bristles, for the debonair Graham Hill – world champion in 1962 and 1968 – it was all about a suave pencil-style moustache.

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari.
Formula One World Championship, Rd8, British Grand Prix, Qualifying, — The soon-to-be-departing Fernando Alonso has sported a variety of beard combos over the years, but the closest he got to emulating F1’s great moustache wearers of the past was in 2013 when he sported this Muskateer-esque ensemble.

Colin Chapman (GBR) Team Owner Lotus chats with Nigel Mansell (GBR) Lotus.
1981 Formula One World — In the 80s Lotus sported F1’s ultimate moustache line-up, with Mansell racing under the guidance of team boss, founder and technical wiz Colin Chapman. Will we ever see a similar combo again? We can only hope...

Sergio Perez, Racing Point Force India with moustache at Formula One World Championship, Rd19, — SPOILER ALERT: This is not a real moustache. But oh boy, we really wish Sergio Perez would give it a go for real...

This year’s Mexican Grand Prix has seen race organisers partner with the Movember Foundation, the global men’s health organization, which engages men to grow moustaches all over the world in the month of November, raising funds and awareness for important causes: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, men’s mental health and suicide prevention. In honour of the partnership, we present a gallery of the greatest lip ticklers in Grand Prix racing history…

To make a donation, click here.

Next Up