Life after Formula One - what some drivers did after retiring

At 44 years of age, Michael Schumacher has gone back to karting after F1

Talking about retirement, especially in a sports career which is generally shorter than any other, I remember just one thing – “what is the end of a caterpillar, is the beginning of the butterfly”.

Mark Webber, who is retiring from F1 at the end of the season, has decided to join Porsche’s World Endurance Championship team next season.

It’s not very surprising to see a racer continuing to race at another series. Here are some of the ex-racers who have gone to venture into the other branches of the occupation after retiring from one of the crown jewels of motorsport – F1.

Drivers like Damon Hill and Martin Brundle have become the true ‘voices of F1′. After worldwide recognition as Formula One winners, Damon and Martin have established themselves in the media world of Formula One as ‘pundits of commentating’.

Both the ex-drivers are now a part of the SkyF1 team, providing exceptional coverage for the inquisitive fans all over the world. Damon Hill was also mentoring his son, Joshua along his racing career, which he recently ended.

Michael Schumacher, who retired once again last year has gone all the way back to the very roots of motorsport – karting. This 44-year-old can’t just have any kind of occupation, he needs to race.

Earliest reports claimed that Schumacher will be testing for the famous kart producer ‘Tony Kart’ but later sources from El Mundo tell us that he will be racing in the KZ class. And it doesn’t stop there! Apart from burning rubber on the track, he has also arranged for a new kart track in Cologne, Germany, designed by the well-known F1 track designer, Hermann Tilke.

Niki Lauda, the 3-time world champion who too retired twice, was managing the Jaguar team earlier. But in September 2012, he was named the non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas team. He was majorly responsible for the contracts and negotiations in the signing of Lewis Hamilton this year.

Lauda has become a part of the team management and is also helping the team with his extensive knowledge and experience in its development. The Austrian also handles the Concorde Agreement details shared between Mercedes and Bernie Ecclestone.

Nick Heidfeld, who has 13 F1 podium finishes from 183 starts under his belt, retired from Formula One at the end of the 2011 season, along with his departing teammate, Vitaly Petrov. Just like all F1 drivers, racing runs in his blood.

Heidfeld was confirmed by Rebellion Racing for 2012 and 2013 to race in the Le Mans 24 hours and selected races of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Though his ventures into the world of Le Mans and WEC weren’t all that very successful, Heidfeld continues to improve on his previous year’s results.

How about going around the world at 200kmph, and later sit home, making pasta? Yes, that’s what Paolo Barilla, a former Minardi driver did!

His motorsport career in F1 was not the most impressive and was very short lived. Barilla’s impressive win at the 1985 Le Mans will be a highlight of his career. His major funding came from the pasta business that his family owned.

So, after his motorsport career met its end, Barilla set off to continue his family’s tradition, which has now become the world’s leading pasta brand, ‘Barilla’.

Apart from all the rivalry they had on the track, with the hardcore wheel to wheel racing, sometimes fair and sometimes otherwise, Alain Prost supported the Sennas in every way possible after the tragic accident of 1994.

From the opening of the Instituto Ayrton Senna to being a trustee of it, the 4-time World Champion has helped Vivian Senna, who runs this institute (in memory of her brother) to educate children of Brazil.

Alain Prost also mentored Ayrton’s son Nicholas Prost through his career in motorsport. The Frenchman was an avid bicycle racer, having competed in famous championships in and out of France. He is also the brand ambassador of Renault, taking up the role as consultant and adviser.

Apart from these drivers, Juan Manuel Fangio, a 5-time World Champion, sold cars after retiring. While a driver like Jody Scheckter runs a farm after his run in Grand Prix racing, which he ended only aged 30!