The 25th Winter Olympic Games are almost upon us, with Friday’s opening ceremony marking the beginning of Milano Cortina 2026. This edition of the Games will feature over 90 nations, 2800 athletes and 116 events in venues across Northern Italy. Given the number of snow sport enthusiasts on the F1 grid, we’re sure plenty of the paddock will be tuning in during the 19-day action-packed event!
There’s a lot more that links the Winter Olympics and Formula 1 – did you catch Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali carrying the Olympic torch in the run up to the Games over January? Or do you remember test driver Luca Badoer performing some donuts in a Ferrari during the opening ceremony of the Turin Games of 2006? But perhaps most staggeringly… did you know that four F1 drivers have competed at the Winter Olympic Games?
It goes without saying that all F1 drivers are immensely talented, but it’s clear that these four drivers clearly took their adrenaline obsession to a whole new level, competing in a variety of events over the span of the late 20th Century – some even alongside their F1 careers.
Let’s take a look at these rather unique sporting careers…
Divina Galica – Alpine and Speed Skiing
Divina Galica is not only one of five women who have raced over an F1 Grand Prix weekend, but she’s also one of the greatest British skiers of all time. Aged just 19, Galica competed at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics, qualifying for the slalom, giant slalom, and downhill competitions.
She returned four years later in Grenoble, representing Team GB in the same events and claiming an impressive eighth place in the giant slalom. Her third consecutive Olympics at the 1972 Sapporo Games were her best yet as she improved to seventh in the same discipline.
Her first taste of motor racing came in the form of a celebrity event, and after some eye-catching performances, she made her debut at the 1976 British Grand Prix driving the Surtees TS16 F1 car. Although she failed to qualify for that race, and the other two she entered in 1978, she continued her racing career in sports cars and other categories, before making a stunning comeback to skiing.
Aged 47, she took part in the speed skiing competition at the 1992 Albertville Olympics – a demonstration sport that challenged athletes to reach the fastest speed they could. Galica’s legacy is an inspiring one, and she has remained involved in motorsport ever since hanging up the skis.
Alfonso de Portago – Bobsleigh
Alfonso de Portago drove in five F1 races over 1956 and 1957. The multi-talented Spaniard stood on the podium in his debut season, finishing P2 in a shared Ferrari car at the 1956 British Grand Prix. He later finished fifth in the Argentine Grand Prix in January 1957, before tragically passing away just four months later in a crash while racing in the Mille Miglia in Italy.
However, his love for winter sports was more of a family affair. In the midst of his F1 stint, De Portago, along with his cousins, featured in Spain’s first-ever bobsleigh team at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Games in 1956. In the two-man event, he finished an agonising fourth, just 0.16 seconds shy of the podium. The Italian also competed in the four-man bobsleigh event, finishing ninth.
Bob Said – Bobsleigh
American Bob Said participated in just one F1 race during his motorsports career, at the 1969 United States Grand Prix at Sebring, where in a stroke of bad luck he spun out and was forced to retire on the opening lap.
Before putting on his racing gloves, however, the American had already performed at the pinnacle of another sport – though clearly his love for speed and risk still shone through. A year earlier, Said was part of the US four-man bobsleigh team at the Grenoble Games of 1968, where he competed against fellow F1 driver Robin Widdows of Great Britain. After a successful first outing to finish 10th in Grenoble, he returned four years later for his second and final Winter Olympics at Sapporo 1972 to finish 14th in the four-man event and 19th in the two-man event.
Robin Widdows – Bobsleigh
In fact, there are a lot of parallels between the sporting careers of Bob Said and Robin Widdows… Not unlike his aforementioned American counterpart, British driver Widdows too featured in a sole F1 race over his motorsports career, which was also a home Grand Prix. At the 1968 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, Widdows was closing in on half race distance before he suffered an ignition problem, forcing him to retire his Cooper BRM.
Four years prior to his F1 debut, Widdows had already achieved a significant milestone in winter sports. He competed in the four-man bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics at Innsbruck in 1964, finishing 13th, returning four years later at Grenoble 1968 to achieve an impressive seventh place, three places ahead of Bob Said.
Honourable mention – Simona de Silvestro
To bring this right up to date with the 2026 Winter Olympics, fans should keep an eye out as former Sauber F1 test driver Simona de Silvestro is set to feature in the bobsleigh.
The Swiss-Italian racer is one of the highest profile female drivers in motorsport, having raced in the IndyCar Series between 2010 and 2022 as well as a stint in Formula E.
Aged 37, she will represent Italy in the monobob and two-person events at the Cortina Sliding Center – could more sporting success come her way?
