The Brave and the Bald

Fans expressed shock when 33-year-old Sebastian Vettel revealed his new “aerodynamic” hairstyle on his first day at Aston Martin. Yet, the history of Formula One features plenty of follically challenged participants.

Male pattern baldness has been with us for millennia and it would appear from his first snaps in his new Aston Martin colours that Sebastian Vettel is the latest victim. 

Whilst many will joke that this is a result of his 5 disappointing years at Ferrari or from too many hours wearing a crash helmet, this is a very common thing to see from a man his age. Not only that, but it’s good to see that he’s dealing with it on his own terms, rather than trying to hide it with increasingly fiendish comb-over tricks. 

Nevertheless, F1’s newest hair-challenged hero is in good company. Some of the greatest and best-loved drivers in the history of the sport also experienced similar challenges. 

Stirling Moss

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_Moss

It’s hard to imagine the late great Stirling Moss with a great mane of hair. That’s because during his most successful years Britain’s own “Mr Motorsport” was easily recognisable by his bald head and piercing stare. 

Moss is remembered as a gentleman racer and it’s a title that’s well deserved. He famously vouched for fellow Brit, Mike Hawthorne when his Ferrari was facing disqualification for a perceived rules infraction. This decision would ultimately cost Moss the 1958 world title.

Whilst he would never taste championship glory himself, he would attain a legendary status as perhaps one of the greatest drivers never to win the title. He would also remain a popular figure in the world of motorsport until his death at age 90 in 2020.

John Surtees

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Surtees

Formula One’s only champion on two wheels, as well as four, was also another notable sufferer of male pattern baldness. Similarly to Vettel, he underwent a tense relationship with Ferrari that would also end in acrimony. 

In Surtees's case, that partnership would ultimately result in world championship glory. Nevertheless, he ended up walking away from the Scuderia midway through 1966 after falling out with Enzo Ferrari, potentially costing him a second drivers title.

However, he wasn’t done with manufacturer teams entirely. He would later race for Honda before turning his attentions to his own self-branded team in the 1970s. He remained deeply involved with motor racing until his death in 2017.

Denny Hulme

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_Hulme

Another former world champion who was also lacking in the hair department. Denny was known as “the bear” as, despite the fact he was missing a few follicles on his scalp, he boasted plenty more on the rest of his body, as well as a gruff figure. 

The 1967 champion was a mainstay in the sport from the mid-60s to mid-70 driving for Jack Brabham’s and fellow Kiwi Bruce McLaren’s eponymous teams. He remained a popular figure in ANZAC motorsport until his sudden death in 1992 at Bathurst. 

Teo Fabi

Source: https://www.pinterest.es/pin/623326404674562481/

Teo Fabi was a solid midfield driver in the 1980s. Yet to many, he will be remembered as the king of the combover. 

At a time when such ‘hair-o-dynamic’ engineering was still common amongst sportspeople (just look at first division football at the time for example), Fabi was perhaps motor racing’s best example.

During his career, at the height of Formula One’s last turbo era, he drove both at the front and back of the grid with Toleman, Brabham and later Benetton, with his best results being 3 pole positions and a couple of podium finishes. 

Roberto Moreno

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Moreno

The talented Roberto Moreno never quite got his hands on the machinery that let his ability shine. Yet, whilst he was never short of talent he was short on hair coverage, even in his younger days. 

Moreno is beloved for his ability to drive anything he could get his hands on. This, unfortunately, meant driving for lamentable outfits such as Forti, Andrea Moda, Coloni and Eurobrun.

It almost all came good when he got the chance of a lifetime to drive for the frontrunning Benetton team in 1990, which he vindicated by scoring a podium place in his first race for the team. Unfortunately, a certain Michael Schumacher would end up poaching his seat after his impressive debut in 1991.

Special Mention: Jacques Villeneuve

Source: https://www.pinterest.es/pin/392094711278499055/

The 1997 world drivers champion was a man who had a way with hair; what little he had of it. Noticeably thinning when he made his debut in 1996, he would seem to be just on the cusp of going bald for much of the last 20 years without actually seeming to do so.

Of course, in the case of Villeneuve the story was always about his hair dye after taking on his memorable platinum blonde look during his championship-winning year. Sadly, his career (and perhaps his hairstyle) peaked from that moment and after what turned out to be a sensible-on-paper but disastrous-in-practice move to BAR, his time in F1 was marked by a slow and steady decline over the next 10 years.

It’s clear from the drivers featured in this article that no hair doesn’t necessarily mean no talent. Of course, no matter what coif they sport, the drivers that make the cut in Formula One always have more than just luscious locks to make their mark on the competition. Unless you’re Lewis Hamilton of course.