F1 drivers' pets: Roscoe, Leo, Nino and Verstappen's cats

Between telemetry, travel and interviews, Formula 1 drivers have little home life, and yet some of their pets are almost as well known as they are. Dogs accompany several drivers in the paddock, sneak into race-weekend photos and generate one of the few stories in the sport that almost nobody argues about.

Roscoe, the bulldog who became famous in the paddock

Roscoe, an English bulldog adopted by Lewis Hamilton in 2013, was for years a regular presence at race weekends. He died in September 2025 after pneumonia and a coma, and Hamilton, who missed a Ferrari tyre test to be by his side, dedicated an emotional message to him on social media that outlets around the world picked up. Roscoe shared his home with another bulldog, Coco, who died in 2020.

Leo, Leclerc's golden

Charles Leclerc adopted Leo, a golden retriever puppy, who accompanies him on most race weekends. One of the best-remembered anecdotes was when Leo relieved himself in the Imola paddock and Leclerc admitted he did not have the bag. In 2024, Leo met Roscoe, the dog of his future team-mate Hamilton, in an encounter Sportskeeda turned into news.

Verstappen: three cats and a dachshund

Max Verstappen lives with three cats —the media mention their names— and has added a dachshund puppy, Nino, who he said on a Red Bull podcast "terrorises the cats a bit". His earlier dog, Spyke, died in December 2020 after 11 years by his side. GPFans also reported an anecdote about a cat that threw him off before a race.

One article also cites Nico Hülkenberg, whose pet is called Zeus, with no further details. For Norris, Piastri, Russell and the rest of the grid we have found no pets published by reliable outlets and we prefer not to make them up.