Have you ever wondered what it would look like if the Formula 1 grid swapped helmets for homework and pit stops for problem sets?

Every Formula 1 fan has had that burning question: if their favorite driver went to college, what would their major be? Well, I’m here to tell you what each driver’s major would be if they were a student at Columbia University. 

Lando Norris: Dance

He’s got the musicality and the moves to go with it. If you haven’t seen the clip of him partying on Kingsday with Martin Garrix, go watch it, because it’ll definitely highlight his dancing skills. He would do amazing, composing his own choreography at the Barnard dance studios. Someone get this man in a hip-hop or modern dance class this instant. 

Max Verstappen: Biology

Pre-meds are the most dedicated of everyone. He is definitely dedicated. You have to be dedicated to win four Formula 1 championships. It probably consumes his every waking moment, just like biology majors. 

Oscar Piastri: Statistics 

He’s all about numbers. During the Japanese Grand Prix, he kept saying he had the pace to win (he didn’t). I don’t really know how he knew that from in the car, just like I don’t know how statistics majors understand those graphs. Not to mention he’s super mysterious, and I’ve never met a statistics major before. 

George Russell: Economics

He just exudes money vibes. I would say finance bro, but unfortunately (or fortunately), Columbia does not have a finance major, so econ is the most similar option. He would get along great with the Econ bros here. I can picture him in a study room in Uris, calculating something complicated about money that I could never understand.

Kimi Antionelli: Visiting Student

Youngest driver on the grid, and youngest ever driver to lead an F1 race. He is also still in high school. He’s got the stats to get into Columbia, but he’s not college age yet. See you on campus next year!

Charles Leclerc: Art History

People say that Alexandra St Mleux is Charles’s WAG, but he’s really her WAG. An art curator would only date an art historian (obviously). But Charles truly does look like one of those sculpted marble busts one would study in art history. 

Alex Albon: Psychology

A man who has that many pets has to understand how classical conditioning works. He also is constantly psychoanalyzing Williams’ decisions, if you haven’t seen his radio messages from the Japanese Grand Prix. 

Lewis Hamilton: Political Science

He already champions causes on and off the track. He’s super well-spoken and would be amazing at presentations and debates. He would minor in Human Rights, no question. 

Esteban Ocon: Women’s and Gender Studies

The first F1 driver to have a female race engineer. Need I say more? 

Lance Stroll: Business

It’s giving daddy’s money. But seriously, I think he would be a killer businessman. He was basically raised to be one. His dad probably donated a building for him to get in, though. 

Nico Hulkenberg: Environmental Science

This man does amazing things when the weather is terrible. Give him a rainy race and he’ll for sure score points. However, he has never gotten a podium, much like how environmental scientists will most likely never beat global warming (pessimistic, I know). 

Oliver Bearman: Italian 

He’s British, but he spends so much time in Italy that he has developed an Italian accent. At Columbia, he spends so much time in Italian classes that he has fully become an Italian. You can find him with the international students sitting outside of Butler. 

Isack Hadjar: Drama and Theatre Arts

“NO! I DESTROYED THE CAR!” This quote alone shows how he would thrive as a theater major. The dramaaaaa. Take a bow, Isack. 

Yuki Tsunoda: Physics

How can someone so short do so well in a Formula 1 car? He also had to defy physics to get that Red Bull seat back from Liam Lawson.  

Carlos Sainz: Engineering

This man literally became Alex Albon’s race engineer during the Australian Grand Prix. He also apparently took online classes on how a Formula 1 car works during COVID-19. He clearly knows how a car works. He might even be able to build one from scratch. He would definitely join the Columbia University Formula Racing Club as an engineer.

Pierre Gasly: French

He’s just so French. I mean, his middle name is Jean-Jacques. I can’t see him studying anything else. 

Fernando Alonso: History

He is the oldest driver on the grid. But seriously, this man is living history with two world championships to his name. He’s probably who Max Verstappen studied to get four world championships. He would study history because he is history. 

Liam Lawson: English

Was ghosting Racing Bulls his villain origin story or a metaphor for something great? Discuss in seminar. I feel like he would write a killer essay about why we should side with the anti-hero.  

Jack Doohan: Architecture

I feel like it’s the haircut that’s giving me these vibes. 

Gabriel Borteleto: Computer Science

He just radiates tech vibes. His father founded one of the largest internet service providers in Brazil. Not only that, but his girlfriend is also a computer scientist. Sounds like a computer science major to me. 

Should I assign each driver to a dorm next? 

Image via Wikimedia Commons