The 25th Winter Olympic Games are almost upon us, with the opening ceremony kicking off Milano Cortina 2026. This edition will feature more than 90 nations, around 2,800 athletes and 116 events across Northern Italy. With so many snow-sport fans on the F1 grid, plenty in the paddock will be watching the 19 days of action.
There are several links between the Winter Olympics and Formula 1 — from Kimi Antonelli and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali carrying the Olympic torch in January to Luca Badoer doing donuts in a Ferrari at the Turin 2006 opening ceremony. Perhaps most surprising: four drivers who have raced in or around F1 also competed at the Winter Olympics. Here are their stories.
Divina Galica — Alpine and speed skiing
Divina Galica is one of only five women to have raced across an F1 Grand Prix weekend and is among Britain’s most accomplished skiers. She made her Olympic debut at 19 in Innsbruck 1964, entering slalom, giant slalom and downhill. She returned for Grenoble 1968, placing eighth in the giant slalom, and improved to seventh in that event at Sapporo 1972.
Her first motorsport exposure came via celebrity events and led to an attempt in F1 with the Surtees TS16 at the 1976 British Grand Prix; she failed to qualify in that outing and in two more attempts in 1978, then continued in sports cars and other categories. Remarkably, at 47 she came back to Olympic competition in 1992 at Albertville to take part in speed skiing — a demonstration event measuring top speed. Galica has remained involved in motorsport since retiring from competitive skiing.
Alfonso de Portago — Bobsleigh
Spanish aristocrat and racer Alfonso de Portago competed in five F1 Grands Prix across 1956–57, finishing second in a shared Ferrari at the 1956 British Grand Prix and fifth at the 1957 Argentine Grand Prix. He was killed months later in the Mille Miglia.
De Portago’s winter-sport credentials came with Spain’s first Olympic bobsleigh team at Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956. Paired with relatives, he narrowly missed a podium in the two-man event, finishing fourth by 0.16 seconds, and was ninth in the four-man competition.
Bob Said — Bobsleigh
American Bob Said’s single F1 start came at the 1969 United States Grand Prix at Sebring, where he spun out and retired on the opening lap. Before and after that brief F1 appearance he was a dedicated bobsledder.
Said was part of the US four-man team at Grenoble 1968, finishing 10th, and returned for Sapporo 1972, placing 14th in the four-man and 19th in the two-man events.
Robin Widdows — Bobsleigh
British driver Robin Widdows also made just one F1 start, at the 1968 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, retiring with ignition trouble around halfway through the race. He had already established himself in winter sport: Widdows competed in the four-man bobsleigh at Innsbruck 1964, finishing 13th, and improved to seventh at Grenoble 1968 — three places and notably ahead of Bob Said that year.
Honourable mention — Simona de Silvestro
Bringing the link up to Milano Cortina 2026, former Sauber F1 test driver Simona de Silvestro is set to compete in bobsleigh for Italy. The Swiss-Italian racer, one of the better-known female drivers in motorsport, raced in IndyCar from 2010–2022 and has experience in Formula E. At 37 she will contest monobob and two-person events at the Cortina Sliding Center — another motor-racing crossover to watch.