{"id":154569,"date":"2025-06-03T10:31:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T10:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/154569\/"},"modified":"2025-06-03T10:31:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T10:31:20","slug":"when-anger-and-desperation-take-over-f1s-most-controversial-clashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/154569\/","title":{"rendered":"When anger and desperation take over: F1\u2019s most controversial clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dirty and deliberate incidents have been around for a long time in Formula 1. But are they becoming more frequent? Has their character changed? Do certain drivers stand out as repeat offenders?<\/p>\n

Take a look through some of the lowlights of F1 track behaviour history and judge for yourself!<\/p>\n

Hunt vs Depailler, 1975 Monaco Grand Prix<\/p>\n

Overtaking in Monaco has become a hot topic once again but it\u2019s always been difficult, as evinced by the fracas involving James Hunt and Patrick Depailler in 1975. By lap 64 of the wet-dry grand prix, accidents and mechanical attrition had left just 11 of the 18 starters circulating.<\/p>\n

That became 10 when Depailler, rightly known for his daring, launched his Tyrrell in an optimistic move up the inside of Hunt\u2019s Hesketh for sixth place on the run down the hill from Casino Square. With nowhere to go, Hunt came to a halt in the barrier at Mirabeau.<\/p>\n

Naturally he was furious and fought off the marshals attempting to remove both him and his car. No Safety Car in those days, just waved yellow flags and cars tearing past at barely abated speeds as Hunt stayed on the wrong side of the barrier.<\/p>\n

There he remained for a full lap so he could shake his fist in fury at Depailler as the Tyrrell passed by again. Then he stalked across the track \u2013 that would be a fine in itself nowadays \u2013 to drown his sorrows in the Tip-Top bar.<\/p>\n

Piquet vs Salazar, 1982 German Grand Prix<\/p>\n

In the pantheon of clumsy and borderline inexplicable F1 shunts, this ranks close to Ayrton Senna tripping over Jean-Louis Schlesser in the final laps of the 1988 Italian Grand Prix. But we cite this one in our list since the aftermath was more bizarre.<\/p>\n

Piquet, the reigning world champion, was leading the race for Brabham as the half-way point approached when he came up to lap Chilean backmarker Eliseo Salzar\u2019s ATS at the Ostkurve chicane. He clipped Salazar\u2019s front-right wheel as he turned in \u2013 opinions differ as to whether Salazar showed due deference under braking \u2013 and spun off into the barriers.<\/p>\n

Such was Piquet\u2019s fury that he literally tore off his seatbelts in his hurry to disembark the cockpit and remonstrate. Salazar still had his crash helmet on so Piquet was forced to resort to ersatz kung fu kicking to get his point across.<\/p>\n

Mansell vs Senna, 1987 Belgian Grand Prix<\/p>\n

Round three of 1987 and the wounds from the previous season \u2013 where warring team-mates Nigel Mansell and Piquet had taken points off one another, enabling Alain Prost to stay in contention and win the title \u2013 were still raw. That\u2019s one explanation for Mansell\u2019s post-race fit of pique after he and Ayrton Senna clashed on track early in the Belgian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

The other is that Mansell was on pole position by 1.5s at Spa; Piquet was off the pace, a result of the undiagnosed concussion he\u2019d suffered in a crash at the previous round. Nigel led away from the start \u2013 but an early series of shunts, followed by Philippe Streiff reducing his Tyrrell to scrap at Eau Rouge, forced a stoppage.<\/p>\n

Come the restart, Senna got his Lotus into La Source first, and Mansell hounded him around the opening lap before trying for the outside line around Stavelot. Senna didn\u2019t give up the corner and Mansell spun.<\/p>\n

Mansell was furious (as was Hunt on the British TV commentary, though he subsequently rowed back on his criticism of Senna). A contretemps followed in the Lotus garage as Mansell stormed in and grabbed Senna by the scruff of the neck, requiring mechanics to join the fray and escort \u2018Our Nige\u2019 to the door.<\/p>\n

Senna vs Prost, 1989 Japanese Grand Prix<\/p>\n

The rivalry between Senna and Prost had already built to a point where Prost had decided to leave McLaren for Ferrari, and enraged team boss Ron Dennis by dropping the Italian GP winners\u2019 trophy into the crowd.<\/p>\n

At Suzuka, Prost arrived with the points lead but Senna was on a mission, annexing pole by 1.7s. To win the race Prost needed to get away first and give his rival the slip; quietly on Sunday morning he had his mechanics remove a Gurney flap from his rear wing to reduce drag.<\/p>\n

\"Alain <\/p>\n

Alain Prost, McLaren, Ayrton Senna, McLaren<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

Prost\u2019s prospects were boosted by Senna\u2019s terrible start but by lap 40 the Brazilian was on his rival\u2019s tail and pushing the Frenchman hard. After seven laps of circulating together, Senna launched up the inside into the chicane. Prost nonchalantly took up his line and the two McLarens came to rest together with their wheels interlocked.<\/p>\n

Prost was out on the spot while Senna was able to resume, pit for a new nose and fight back to win the race \u2013 only to be disqualified for short-cutting the chicane to rejoin the track. Prost was crowned champion, while Senna fulminated in public that it was a stitch-up by the French FIA president, Jean-Marie Balestre.<\/p>\n

Senna vs Prost, 1990 Japanese Grand Prix<\/p>\n

The 1990 world championship once again distilled down to a battle between Senna and Prost, this time with Prost \u2013 now at Ferrari \u2013 as the points outsider going into Japan. Again Senna clashed with officialdom; having taken pole he made the reasonable enough request that it be moved to the left-hand side of the track, where the racing line passes.<\/p>\n

The stewards agreed but they were overruled by Balestre, moving Senna to fury \u2013 though he would only concede this later. At the start Prost got away faster on the cleaner line and Senna simply drove into him at the first corner, eliminating both cars and settling the world championship in his favour.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I said to myself] if on Sunday at the start, because I\u2019m in the wrong position, Prost gets the jump and beats me off the line, at the first corner I\u2019ll go for it,\u201d revealed Senna in an extraordinary press conference at the following season\u2019s Suzuka round.<\/p>\n

\"Alain <\/p>\n

Alain Prost, Ferrari 641 and Ayrton Senna, McLaren MP4\/5B collide at the start<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he had better not turn in, because he\u2019s not gonna make it. And it just happened, I guess. I just wish it didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wished that I could have had the start, because then we could go and go. It\u2019s unbelievable that it had to happen. He got the jump and he was turning in and I hit him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the result of the wrong decisions and partiality from the people inside that make the decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schumacher vs Senna, 1992 French Grand Prix<\/p>\n

Striking French lorry drivers blockading the roads threatened the very running of the 1992 French GP at Magny-Cours, but start it did \u2013 and Michael Schumacher, then an ambitious young upstart looking to make his name, contrived to knock Senna\u2019s McLaren into retirement at the Adelaide Hairpin on the opening lap.<\/p>\n

Senna, the sitting world champion, was displeased and made this felt when heavy rain forced the race to be red-flagged. Having changed out of his race overalls and donned a very early 1990s pastel-coloured sweater, Senna arrived on the grid, pulled Schumacher to one side, and engaged in a heated discussion now known as \u201cthe driving lesson\u201d.<\/p>\n

TV cameras captured the exchange but the brave soul who tried to introduce a microphone into the mix had it batted away angrily by Senna.<\/p>\n

\"Ayrton <\/p>\n

Ayrton Senna, McLaren MP4\/7A Honda is taken out by Michael Schumacher, Benetton B192 Ford at the Adelaide Hairpin on the first lap<\/p>\n

Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n

Schumacher vs Hill, 1994 Australian Grand Prix<\/p>\n

A tragic and depressing year funnelled down into an appropriately ugly conclusion on the streets of Adelaide. Damon Hill, having taken the mantle of team leadership at Williams following Senna\u2019s death, arrived one point behind Schumacher in the drivers\u2019 standings.<\/p>\n

Second-seat stand-in Mansell took pole in the other Williams but Schumacher and Hill got by at the start and the battle for the lead lasted until lap 36, when Schumacher tapped the wall at the exit of Turn 5, East Terrace corner. That section of the track is a succession of right-angle bends so Hill rounded the corner, saw his rival driving slowly for no obvious reason, and seized the moment to dive up the inside.<\/p>\n

Schumacher, well aware Hill was there \u2013 you can see him looking on the TV footage \u2013 turned in on him and took them both out of the race.<\/p>\n

Hill vs Schumacher, 1995 British Grand Prix<\/p>\n

Not quite the rematch of the 1994 denouement, but tensions were once again running high between Schumacher and Hill at Silverstone after Michael accused his rival of brake-testing him at the previous round. The highly partisan British crowd needed no further motivation to jeer at Schumacher after the events of 1994 so the atmosphere was febrile to say the least.<\/p>\n

Hill had pole position and led the early phase of the race but, as was the general state of affairs in that era, Schumacher\u2019s Benetton team made its rivals look lead-footed on the strategic front and the German emerged fractionally ahead as the pitstops panned out. On lap 46, Hill challenged Schumacher at Stowe but had to abort the move because of the presence of a backmarker.<\/p>\n

\"Damon <\/p>\n

Damon Hill, Williams FW17 Renault, crashes into Michael Schumacher, Benetton B195 Renault<\/p>\n

Under pressure now, feeling that his new-tyre advantage was eroding, Hill lunged again at Priory further around the lap, taking them both out. And this wasn\u2019t the end of the matter \u2013 within days the British press was reporting that Frank Williams had apologised to Flavio Briatore, his counterpart at Benetton, for Hill\u2019s clumsiness.<\/p>\n

It was this incident, along with an impression that Hill was making heavy weather of the championship in a superior car, which persuaded Williams to drop him \u2013 a decision taken long before Hill won the title in 1996.<\/p>\n

Schumacher vs Villeneuve, 1997 European Grand Prix<\/p>\n

Another Williams driver who made winning the world championship in the best car on the grid look as challenging as a free solo ascent of El Capitan was Jacques Villeneuve. Somehow Jacques contrived to arrive at the deciding around one point behind Schumacher in the palpably slower Ferrari.<\/p>\n

Villeneuve qualified on pole but Schumacher beat him to the first corner and led for the majority of the race. On lap 48, Villeneuve launched a move up the inside into Jerez\u2019s Curva Pedrosa, then better known as Dry Sac.<\/p>\n

As at Adelaide three years earlier, Schumacher turned in regardless \u2013 but this time the professional foul didn\u2019t come off. It was Michael who ended up in the gravel while Villeneuve went on to finish third behind the two McLarens, prompting conspiracy theories about collusion between Williams and McLaren.<\/p>\n

While the race stewards declared the Schumacher-Villeneuve contact a no-further-action racing incident, FIA president Max Mosley took a different view and summoned Michael to a disciplinary meeting, where he was formally disqualified from the championship.<\/p>\n

Schumacher vs Coulthard, 1998 Belgian Grand Prix<\/p>\n

30 August 1998 is not a day David Coulthard recalls with huge fondness. On lap one of the Belgian Grand Prix he was one of several drivers to lose control at La Source on the wet opening lap, precipitating a multi-car accident. The fickle Ardennes microclimate continued to cause havoc during the race as Schumacher pulled into a commanding lead over the rest of the field, with Hill\u2019s Jordan at the head of the chasing pack.<\/p>\n

On lap 24 there was a misunderstanding between Coulthard and Schumacher as the McLaren driver lifted off the throttle to allow Schumacher past at the Bus Stop chicane. But Michael was unsighted by spray, couldn\u2019t see the corner and ploughed into the back of the McLaren.<\/p>\n

Later there was a repeat of the Mansell-Senna fracas of 1987 as Schumacher stormed into the McLaren garage, face set in a rictus of disgruntlement, and attempted to throw a punch. Coulthard, wisely, had kept his helmet on and Schumacher was escorted out before he could do any further damage to his fist.<\/p>\n

\"Michael <\/p>\n

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F300, with missing front wheel and wing, and David Coulthard, McLaren MP4-13 Mercedes, with missing rear wing, in the pitlane<\/p>\n

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n

Schumacher vs the wall, 2006 Monaco Grand Prix<\/p>\n

After five years of dominance (and consecutive drivers\u2019 championships), Schumacher was well defeated by Fernando Alonso in 2005, chiefly as a consequence of Ferrari\u2019s tyre supplier adapting less well to new rules that year. For 2006 the controversial no-tyre-changes rule was rescinded and the Ferrari-Renault battle was very much back on.<\/p>\n

In this era each driver had two sets of tyres available for Q3. Schumacher went fastest on his first run in Q3 but, on the second runs, Alonso was on a flier which would have put him on pole\u2026 until Schumacher came to a halt against the barrier at the Rascasse, bringing out yellow flags. Nobody was fooled that this was a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stewards can find no justifiable reason for the driver to have braked with such undue, excessive and unusual pressure at this part of the circuit,\u201d said the stewards\u2019 document, \u201cand are therefore left with no alternative but to conclude that the driver deliberately stopped his car on the circuit in the last few minutes of qualifying, at a time at which he had thus far set the fastest lap time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only was Michael sent to the back of the grid, he had to suffer an uncomfortable press conference in which he was repeatedly pressed on the subject of whether he had cheated. It emerged several years later that the potential to bring out a yellow flag and disrupt qualifying somehow in these circumstances had been discussed at a Ferrari engineering meeting.<\/p>\n

Piquet vs the wall, 2008 Singapore Grand Prix<\/p>\n

A foul so egregious that the rest of the grid couldn\u2019t believe the audacity. Under pressure after a disastrous 2007 season and a so-so 2008, the Renault F1 team\u2019s principals concocted a scheme to pervert the outcome of the Singapore Grand Prix after Alonso suffered a fuel problem in Q2, consigning him to 15th on the grid.<\/p>\n

In this era, drivers making it to Q3 had to qualify with their race fuel load aboard. The plan, shaped by team principal Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds, along with at least one engineer who subsequently turned whistleblower (\u201cWitness X\u201d), was to bring Alonso in for an early pitstop, then team-mate Nelson Piquet (Junior) would deliberately crash in such a way as to force a Safety Car.<\/p>\n

One of the quirks of the rules in the 2000s was that the pitlane was closed in the early stages of a course neutralisation and only reopened when all the cars were running in formation behind the Safety Car. Alonso therefore gained track position having stopped on lap 12, two tours before Piquet gyrated into the wall at Turn 17.<\/p>\n

\"Nelson <\/p>\n

Nelson Piquet Jr., Renault F1 Team R28 crashes into the wall<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

Alonso also benefitted from Ferrari releasing Felipe Massa before his fuel hose was detached, and Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica running so low on fuel that they had to stop before the pitlane was officially open, incurring penalties.<\/p>\n

In the immediate aftermath, many in the paddock were suspicious \u2013 after all, you would only pit that early if you knew a Safety Car was coming. But there was no smoking gun until Piquet was dropped the following season and decided to take his knowledge to the FIA.<\/p>\n

Vettel vs Hamilton, 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix<\/p>\n

Tempers often run higher in the land of fire. Seldom more so than when Sebastian Vettel felt Lewis Hamilton had brake-tested him while they were running behind the second Safety Car of the 2017 Azerbaijan GP.<\/p>\n

Hamilton had been complaining, not for the first time, that the Safety Car was driving too slowly when Vettel ran into the back of him at the exit of Turn 15. Believing that Hamilton had brake-tested him since the restart was in the offing, Vettel pulled alongside and banged wheels.<\/p>\n

Vettel continued to assert his version of events but the stewards, after pondering the data, saw nothing to indicate Hamilton had slowed deliberately. Vettel was given a 10-second stop-go penalty and three penalty points.<\/p>\n

Ricciardo vs Verstappen, 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix<\/p>\n

If you can recall that far, there was a time when Red Bull was able to field two similarly competitive drivers. Its young-driver development ladder was seemingly buzzing with talent, enough to weather the loss of four-time champion Vettel to Ferrari in 2015. But Daniel Ricciardo, who had seen off Vettel, had met his match in the form of the ferociously competitive Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n

In 2018 the Red Bull-Renault package was only good enough for occasional wins given the deficit in the engine bay, but the battle between Ricciardo and Verstappen for the less elevated positions was as ferocious as if it had been for victory. In Baku the race was for fourth and fifth early on, Max ahead of Daniel, each determined to be ahead of the other come pitstop time, where the driver ahead would take priority.<\/p>\n

It was brutal. Lap after lap, Ricciardo would almost get by on the main straight under DRS, only for Verstappen to make him go the long way round and fail to make it stick. Finally the Aussie got by, only to emerge from the pitstop sequence behind his team-mate again because Max had benefitted from a tow ahead of his stop.<\/p>\n

\"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB14 and Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB14 crash<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

Battle rejoined, Ricciardo went to the inside under braking as Verstappen moved to close the outside line \u2013 then Max cut back in. Robbed of downforce at the crucial moment, Ricciardo ploughed into the back of his team-mate\u2019s car.<\/p>\n

There were long-term consequences: the FIA forbade double movements under braking, and Ricciardo, feeling that the team had taken Max\u2019s \u2018side\u2019, decided to leave ASAP.<\/p>\n

Hamilton vs Verstappen, 2021 British Grand Prix<\/p>\n

The hors d’oeuvre before it really kicked off in 2021, the British Grand Prix of that season lit a fire of toxic fandom which has burned ever since. It was supposed to be a happy weekend since the easing of lockdown restrictions in the UK meant this was the first race to be held in front of a full house since the end of 2019.<\/p>\n

Instead the capacity crowd witnessed a bizarre incident on the opening lap as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled throughout, culminating in a coming-together at Copse corner.<\/p>\n

The launch trajectory towards this incident can be traced back to the preceding day, when Hamilton had pole position for the sprint race but made a poor start and lost out to Verstappen. For the grand prix they were on the front row again and this time Hamilton got off the line more smartly. While the wheel-to-wheel combat between the two through the opening corners was dramatic, it seemed to gain intensity as they bore down on Brooklands, through Luffield, and onto what used to be the start-finish straight.<\/p>\n

Towards Copse, Hamilton got alongside, but his approach angle meant he was going to have to back off slightly. Verstappen had no intention of giving up the corner. They touched \u2013 front left of the Mercedes to right-rear of the Red Bull.<\/p>\n

Verstappen went off and had a heavy hit against the barrier, while Hamilton survived \u2013 both the impact and a 10-second penalty \u2013 to win the race. This naturally rankled with those whose allegiances lay with Max.<\/p>\n

Red Bull went as far as using a filming day and test driver Alex Albon to recreate the accident and suggest Hamilton should be given a stiffer penalty. It did not meet the bar for a fresh review, a finding which did nothing to alleviate the sting for those who felt aggrieved.<\/p>\n

\"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing after the crash<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

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