The Spanish Grand Prix saw the ugly side of Formula One rear its head again as Verstappen deliberately crashed into Russell after letting him pass. Verstappen is not the first and will certainly not be the last driver to see the red mist descend and take actions at the wheel which are almost certainly regretted in the cold light of the debrief room. Here we take a look at some past instances where drivers have crossed far beyond the line.
Prost v Senna – Suzuka, Japan 1989 & 1990
We start with a classic of the genre between Prost and Senna. It began in the 1989 Suzuka GP where tensions were already high between the two teammates. Prost had gone into the race 9 points ahead, which meant Senna had to win and anything less would hand the Championship to Prost. A tense 45 laps ensued before, on lap 46, Senna made a move. Prost though was not in an accommodating mood and he went to close the door, causing contact with both cars heading off the circuit.
While Senna was able to get a push-start and eventually finish first, Prost’s race was over. However, Prost was saved in the Stewards’ room when Senna was disqualified for cutting the chicane, handing Prost the Championship. While strongly suspected at the time, it was only confirmed in later years during an interview that Prost knew it was a ‘win or crash’ moment and that he preferred the accident to being passed.
Just a year later, at the same circuit, the two men were involved in another controversial moment when Senna deliberately crashed into Prost at the first corner at high speed, taking both out of the race. Senna later admitted that the move was revenge for the previous year and there were claims after that he should have been fully disqualified from the Championship. As it was, he was not punished for the move, although changes were made to the sporting-code post-season. The crash gave Senna the Championship, and was seen as entirely predictable with both of them starting on the front row.
Given the safety standards at the time, these actions were arguably far more risky and dangerous than some of those we will discuss below from the more modern era.
Michael Schumacher v Damon Hill – Adelaide, Australia 1994
The first of a couple of mentions for Schumacher is perhaps his most controversial as it is the one he was not punished for.
He led Hill by just one point going into the 1994 finale, and was leading when on lap 35 he went wide and hit the wall, damaging his own car. Hill, following closely behind, made his move at the next corner down the inside. Schumacher, almost certainly sensing that the Championship was about to slip through his fingers with his already damaged car, turned in on Hill, breaking the front-left wishbone of the Williams.
While it sent Schumacher straight into the tyres, Hill carried on but subsequently retired in the pits, ending his own Championship hopes. In what would be seen as a shocking decision in today’s environment, the stewards deemed the collision to be a racing incident. Should Hill have bided his time instead? With hindsight yes, but Hill did not know the extent of Schumacher’s damage, and in any event a penalty should still have been applied (as it was for the next incident).
Michael Schumacher v Jacques Villeneuve – Jerez, European GP 1997
The second incident involving Schumacher again took place in a title decider. Schumacher was one point ahead of Villeneuve and leading him on lap 48 of the race. Villeneuve was applying significant pressure and made a controlled move down the inside. Schumacher though was not willing to let him by under any circumstances and promptly turned his steering wheel to the right, running into the side pod of Villeneuve.
This time though, as well as being a much more obvious attempt to deliberately take out an opponent, it also backfired as he ended up beached in the gravel while Villeneuve was able to come home in third place, securing the title. The consequences for Schumacher did not end there though, as the FIA proceeded to strip him of all 78 points from the season, erasing his runner-up status and only stopping just short of a full disqualification from the season.
Nelson Piquet Jr. – Singapore, 2008
While not a deliberate crash into an opponent, Piquet’s crash to bring out a safety car at the inaugural night race in Singapore is one of the sport’s most controversial moments.
In what was a tightly fought Championship, having put Alonso onto a strategy that required an early safety car, Renault found themselves in a bind when one did not appear. That is, until his teammate Piquet crashed at turn 17. The perfectly timed safety car got Alonso the win (and harmed Massa’s own Championship chances).
At the time there were rumours but nothing concrete, and it was only in 2009 when Piquet was dropped by Renault that he turned whistleblower and gave the FIA proof of his deliberate actions to crash the car. Alonso was absolved of any contribution, but Renault and others were given varying bans and suspended sentences.
Sebastian Vettel v Lewis Hamilton – Baku, Azerbaijan 2017
Before Vettel entered his more senior years and became far more likeable there was a significant proportion of F1 fans who did not like him. This view was only reinforced by his actions in Baku.
Under a safety car restart, Vettel was following Hamilton and felt he was brake tested by the Brit. The red mist descended and he drew alongside Hamilton before gesturing and then swerving into his opponent’s car at low speed. While not really dangerous given the speeds the incident shows a loss of control at the wheel. It was shown that Hamilton never braked, and Vettel later apologised for his actions.
Max Verstappen v Lewis Hamilton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2021
We come full circle to discuss another controversial Verstappen moment during the infamous 2021 season. Verstappen, again slowing down to cede a position to Hamilton, tried to do so before the DRS detection zone to allow him a chance to overtake on the next straight. Hamilton was wary of this and also slowed down. Verstappen then braked sharply, causing Hamilton to rear-end him. The Stewards reviewed the telemetry and awarded a 10-second penalty.
There were claims of deliberate brake testing from some quarters – others argued it was simply trying to game the DRS system. Either way, it is another instance of Verstappen creating a dangerous situation on the track, and it is perhaps fitting to end on this note given that Verstappen’s latest actions are what spawned the inspiration for this article.
Which is your favourite? Have we missed any notable instances? Any questions or comments? Get in touch and subscribe for notifications of further content like this.