Football icon Gareth Bale would like to see the stars of Formula 1 go racing in identical cars.
Then, says the former Real Madrid and Tottenham star, we will get to see who is truly the “best driver.”
Formula 1: Spec series the future?
While popular series such as Formula E, Formula 2, and Formula 3 feature drivers racing with the same car design – IndyCar also following that approach but with Chevrolet and Honda engines available – Formula 1 sees each team design its own car, with a Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship up for grabs.
That has long since sparked debate over driver ability versus the impact of the car, with the general consensus being that it has become harder for a driver to make the difference in modern Formula 1.
So, that gave Gareth Bale an idea as he spoke to Sky F1 at the premiere of F1: The movie in London.
“It would be interesting to see if they all had the same car,” said Bale.
“See who is the best driver.”
And if Bale had just so happened to be an F1 driver rather than a footballing legend, which Grand Prix would he most like to win?
“I think Monaco or Silverstone,” he confirmed. “I think they are the two, for a Brit I guess, to win there [Silverstone] and Monaco, is I guess the glamour of F1.”
F1 2025 head-to-head standings
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
While trying to name the outright best F1 driver will always be consigned to entertaining debate, in the opinion of Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, Oscar Piastri is staking his claim for the title of best racer out there.
Piastri leads the F1 2025 Drivers’ Championship by 22 points over McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is 43 points off top spot, as he chases a fifth straight title.
Put to him by F1 Nation podcast host Tom Clarkson that “Lando is a brilliantly fast driver of racing cars, but he’s not as good a racing driver as Oscar Piastri,” Palmer responded: “I think Oscar, to be fair, is about the best racer in the field as well.
“So I think that match-up is tough. And I would agree with that sentiment.
“We’ve seen many times now Oscar be brilliant in wheel-to-wheel, and we’ve seen Lando a few times, not quite get it completely right.”
The efforts of Piastri and Norris has seen McLaren build what looks like an unassailable Constructors’ Championship lead, their buffer over P2 Mercedes 175 points as McLaren home in on back-to-back crowns.
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