Our pick for the best-looking racer once the helmet comes off is Jenson Button, followed by Patrick Dempsey and Daniel Ricciardo. Looks are a matter of taste, so this is an opinion list and we label it as one. The first version of this article dates from 2016, when most of these drivers were mid-career. Ten years later nearly all of them have retired, changed teams or changed series, so the entries below carry the 2026 career status and leave the gossip out. The racing sits across Formula 1, MotoGP and NASCAR.
| Rank | Driver | Series | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jenson Button | Formula 1 champion 2009 | Retired from F1; Aston Martin F1 ambassador |
| 2 | Patrick Dempsey | Actor and sports car racer | Racing and team ownership in endurance racing |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Formula 1 | Retired 2025; Ford Racing ambassador |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | Formula 1 champion 2007 | Retired from F1 in 2021 |
| 5 | Jamie McMurray | NASCAR | Semi-retired, TV analyst |
| 6 | Dani Pedrosa | MotoGP | Retired; KTM test rider |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | Formula 1 | Racing for Audi |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Formula 1 | Racing for Ferrari |
| 9 | Luca Marini | MotoGP | Racing for Honda; moving to Tech3 KTM in 2027 |
| 10 | Rio Haryanto | Formula 1 | Former driver, 12 GPs in 2016 |
1. Jenson Button: Formula 1 champion turned ambassador
Button won the 2009 world championship with Brawn GP and left Formula 1 after the 2016 season. He then took the 2018 Super GT title in Japan with Naoki Yamamoto, and in 2023 drove part-time in NASCAR for Rick Ware Racing. From 2021 to 2025 he was a senior adviser to Williams, and ahead of 2026 he joined Aston Martin F1 as a team ambassador on a multi-year deal.
Our rank rests on the tan, the stubble and the fact that he still looks like he is on holiday while competing.
2. Patrick Dempsey: the doctor who races
Dempsey is best known as an actor, but he has spent more than a decade in motorsport, competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Daytona and the Baja 1000. He finished second in his class at Le Mans in 2015 with a team he co-owned. By his own account in 2014, racing had become as much a part of him as acting.
We could not verify his current racing program for 2026, so treat the table status as general.
3. Daniel Ricciardo: the smile that retired in 2025
The Australian of Italian descent (his father moved from Sicily at seven) won eight Formula 1 races, took three poles and stood on the podium 32 times. He finished third in the 2014 championship in his first Red Bull season and took his maiden win that year in Canada.
He retired in 2025 and became Ford Racing’s global ambassador. The smile survived the career.
4. Kimi Raikkonen: the Iceman
Raikkonen won the 2007 title for Ferrari by a single point, finishing with 21 victories, 103 podiums and 349 starts in a career that ran from 2001 to 2021. He also drove in the World Rally Championship between 2009 and 2011, which is why he was out of F1 for two seasons.
His reputation for short answers is deserved. He is the kind of driver who looks good because he plainly does not care whether you think so.
5. Jamie McMurray: NASCAR’s veteran
McMurray was rookie of the year in 2002 and won the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season. He did not return to Chip Ganassi Racing as a driver in 2019 and is now semi-retired, working as an analyst for NASCAR on Fox and on The CW.
He turned 50 in 2026. On the “ages gracefully” theory from the first version, the evidence continues to hold up.
6. Dani Pedrosa: the best rider never to win the title
Pedrosa spent 13 years in MotoGP with Repsol Honda, took 31 wins and 112 podiums, and finished runner-up in 2007, 2010 and 2012. He never won the premier-class championship. He retired after 2018 and now works as a test and development rider for KTM.
He has also returned as a wildcard, finishing tenth at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix and seventh at Jerez in 2023.
7. Nico Hulkenberg: from the Hulk to Audi
Hulkenberg won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche and, as of the 2026 US Grand Prix, has one pole position and one podium in Formula 1. He holds the record for most F1 starts before a first podium (239) and for most starts without a win (267). He now drives for Audi.
The old line about him driving for Force India dates the original piece. The nickname stayed.
8. Lewis Hamilton: seven titles and a Ferrari suit
Hamilton has seven world championships, tied with Michael Schumacher for the record, and 106 wins. He moved to Ferrari for the 2025 season, after 12 years at Mercedes. Off the track he is as known for fashion as for racing.
We have dropped the relationship rumors from the first version and stick to the clothes.
9. Luca Marini: Valentino Rossi’s half-brother
Marini is the maternal half-brother of Valentino Rossi. He was runner-up in the 2020 Moto2 championship, took his first MotoGP podium at Austin in 2023 and finished that season eighth with the Mooney VR46 team. He races for Honda HRC and will move to Red Bull KTM Tech3 for 2027. The first version of this article ran when he was a teenage Moto2 rookie; read more about his half-brother in our Valentino Rossi facts.
If you follow the sport, the highest-paid riders in MotoGP and how to watch it are the next reads.
10. Rio Haryanto: Indonesia’s only F1 driver
Haryanto raced 12 Formula 1 grands prix with Manor in 2016 and remains the only Indonesian driver to start in the series. He came up through GP3 and GP2, and his seat famously depended on raising sponsorship money.
He is a former driver now. We kept him here for the history, and for the fact that getting a seat at all is the hard part. See also our guide to the highest-paid F1 drivers for what the seat can eventually pay.
FAQ
Who is the best-looking racing driver?
It is subjective. Our list puts Jenson Button first, followed by Patrick Dempsey and Daniel Ricciardo.
Is Jenson Button still racing?
He left Formula 1 after 2016, won the 2018 Super GT title and raced part-time in NASCAR in 2023. In 2026 he is an Aston Martin F1 team ambassador.
Did Daniel Ricciardo retire?
Yes, in 2025. He won eight Formula 1 races and is now Ford Racing’s global ambassador.
Who is Luca Marini?
A MotoGP rider and the maternal half-brother of Valentino Rossi. He rides for Honda in 2026 and joins Red Bull KTM Tech3 in 2027.
Which drivers on this list are still active in 2026?
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) and Luca Marini (Honda). Pedrosa makes occasional wildcard appearances.
How we put this list together
This is an opinion list, ordered by our editors. Career facts come from public race records and team announcements.
Where careers have changed since the first 2016 version, the entries show the 2026 status and drop personal-life details.
Last updated: October 2026.
