Famous Drivers That Started With Go-Karting

In the USA, there are already around 15,000 go-kart tracks. With the popularity of this fun pass-time constantly increasing, it's not surprising that so many tracks are available to race on.

But even the biggest go-kart racing fans may not know that many famous drivers found their love for driving on the go-kart track. With dedication and practice, these driving superstars grew from go-kart racers to legends of the road.

Read on to find out which famous drivers began their careers in go-karting.

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel is known for his spins around the F1 tracks for Aston Martin. He's known for his skill, precision, and speed and currently boasts an incredible 53 wins on the Formula 1 tables. 

But Vettel's entry into the world of racing was much more humble. He found his love for vehicles in go-karts at the very young age of three. By age eight, Vettel was already racing go-karts in competitions and often coming out on top. 

He was spotted by the Red Bull Junior Team when he was eleven, and the rest is history. Vettel, indeed was born with some natural racing skill. But what made him the driver he is today was the practice he put into his talent, which all started on the go-kart track. 

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is another driving legend who got his beginnings in go-karts when he was very young. He began racing them at just four years old. But his win in the 2007 Dutch Minimax competition when he was ten set the wheels of his career in motion. 

He continued to race go-karts until 2013, when he moved on to cars. Verstappen now has 15 racing wins, an impressive feat for someone so young. 

Alain Prost

Alain Prost is a legend in driving circles. The four-time F1 drivers champion is still revered as one of the best drivers of all time. And all his skill was learned at 14 when he first took to go-karting.

Prost stumbled upon the hobby by chance. He decided to try it out on vacation with his family to pass the time. This led to him finding a deep love for the sport and entering competitions throughout his teenage years. 

All this practiced skill led to one of the most successful racing careers of all time. And Prost wouldn't have found it if he hadn't taken a chance with go-kart racing in the first place. 

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna had a go-kart built for him by his dad when he was only four years old. This ignited a love of go-karting that made him utterly devoted to it while growing up. 

Although he moved on to Formula One, Senna has described go-karting as "the purest driving experience." His love for go-karts cannot be underplayed. It's what caused the beginning of a record-breaking career.

So, if you or a loved one want to be like Senna and are eager to race, visit our go-kart tracks in Toronto or Mississauga!

Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi Raikkonen became part of this talented group of go-kart racers when he was eleven. After that, he dedicated ten years to honing his driving skills around go-kart tracks. He then switched over to Formula One racing. 

Raikkonen is genuinely a master of whatever track he sets his wheels on. And this is a skill that started with go-karting. It shows that working hard to improve a skill can launch legendary careers. 

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher also started go-karting early with a go-kart his father built for him at four years old. He quickly got involved in his local go-karting clubs, initially just for fun.

But Schumacher soon took on go-kart racing competitions that proved he had a remarkable gift for racing. He go-karted for six years before he made his move to F1 racing. 

Robert Kubica

Kubica is known for his skills not only in F1 competitions but also in go-kart racing events too. He won six Polish Karting Competitions in just three years, a testament to his racing talent and precision.

His love of go-karts began when he was four years old. He would practice using plastic bottles to hone his reaction times and speed skills.

He was the Grand Prix winner of 2008, his only win to date. However, he's had some tough competition from the other drivers on this list, all of whom got their start on go-kart tracks. 

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton was eight years old when he got into go-karts. However, it was apparent that he was going to go on to do great things on the race track. He was winning karting competitions almost as soon as he started. 

Hamilton has since gone on to drive for McLaren and Mercedes and is considered one of the best drivers in the world. And without refining his racing talent on the go-kart track, it never would have happened. 

Go-Karting Can Pave the Way to Your Future in Racing

Go-karting is not only one of the most fun hobbies out there. It also builds skills like hand-eye coordination, managing speed, and vehicle control and even increases reaction times.

That's why the famous drivers above were able to find their calling on the go-kart track. They took their racing careers to the next level with practice and dedication. Some of them are considered among the top drivers in motorsport and the world today, and it all began with a love of go-kart racing. 

If you'd like to learn more about the wonderful world of indoor go-karting in Toronto or Mississauga, contact us for more information. Spend time on the track, improve your race times in our Karting Academy, or test your skills in one of our tournaments! 

See you on the track!