F1 road rage: When drivers take aim at each other and the public

Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Features

F1 road rage: When drivers take aim at each other and the public

Collisions in practice in Spain had us thinking back to previous angry moments

Rhys Thomas

Wednesday 26 June 2024 17:02

Whilst a glance at the FP3 timing sheet in Spain indicated a rather ordinary practice session, it was headlined by not one, but two instances of road rage.

First, Lance Stroll allowed his Aston Martin to wander into the side of Lewis Hamilton, who had inadvertently blocked the Canadian earlier in the corner.

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‘This f****** guy thinks he’s alone on the track’ was Stroll’s version of ‘boy, you’re driving me crazy’ as he reduced his steering lock and bumped into the side of the Brit.

Minutes later, a more serious incident saw Charles Leclerc - also swearing on the radio - swerve across Lando Norris and virtually park his Ferrari in front of the McLaren, causing significant contact between the pair.

Leclerc’s motivation was similar to Stroll’s, but intentional contact is never an acceptable retaliation in F1, not least because of the potential safety implications.

That said, Barcelona’s practice incidents, for which both perpetrators escaped with reprimands, are mild in comparison to the sport’s turbulent history of road rage.

From F1 legends to taxi drivers, from punches to punts, GPFans takes a look at the calculated crashes and purposeful punches which preceded Spain’s scraps.

Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc escaped penalties from the stewards

Hunt takes aim at a marshal, 1977 Canadian Grand Prix

James Hunt was somewhat apologetic after punching a marshal

James Hunt’s flamboyance off the track was hardly a secret, but a notable out-of-the-car moment came just seconds after taking his hands off the wheel.

Hunt used his newly unoccupied right hand to bury a fist into a marshal’s face after the helper handled Hunt whilst trying to direct the driver away from the track.

The 1976 world champion can be seen apologising - “Sorry, old man,” were his words of choice - to the floored marshal, who later successfully sued Hunt to add to his $2,000 fine.

Piquet vs Salazar, 1982 German Grand Prix

Nelson Piquet has also been on hand to deliver some physical violence, this time towards a fellow driver.

Leading in Germany, the Brazilian was lapping Eliseo Salazar when the two came together to end their races.

“Take that!” exclaimed Murray Walker on commentary as Piquet shoved Salazar before attempting to land a flurry of punches and kicks on the Chilean, whose failure to let the leader pass meant Piquet’s win in Canada remained his only victory that season.

Prost and Senna… the same circuit in consecutive years

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna were not always all smiles together

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna’s rivalry is one of the sport’s most famous, and is defined by two key incidents at Suzuka.

First, as McLaren team-mates in 1989, Prost turned into Senna as the Brazilian attempted to make a pass for the lead which would have put him in position to win the championship.

Senna continued with Prost out, but was later disqualified for re-entering the track illegally, and the Frenchman was awarded his third world championship.

A year later, Senna emerged with the title after coming together with Prost at the first corner of the first lap, knowing a DNF for both would secure the Brazilian his second drivers’ championship.

Prost later called Senna “disgusting” and “a man without value,” but whether cheating, road rage, or an accident, both collisions have been the subject of infamy ever since.

Gachot tear gases a taxi driver, 1991 in London

Michael Schumacher can thank Bertrand Gachot rage for his start in F1

An incident of F1-adjacent road rage which may be more relatable to us mere regular drivers occurred on the streets of London in 1991.

The relatable part is Jordan’s Bertrand Gachot being involved in a small collision and ensuing argument in the capital. The less relatable part is that the Belgian-French driver pulled out a tear gas can and sprayed his antagonist, a taxi driver, in the face with it.

Gachot served two months of his six-month prison sentence, but by that time his replacement had already impressed so much on debut that he was whisked away by Benetton, and became world champion just three years later.

That man was Michael Schumacher. Who would’ve thought a tear-gas road rage incident could have such a seismic effect on the course of F1 history?

Senna punches debutant Ervine, 1993 Japanese Grand Prix

Eddie Irvine later in his career at Ferrari

Eddie Ervine was another to enjoy a positive debut in the sport, at least until he was physically assaulted by Senna in the aftermath.

On his way to scoring a precious point for Jordan, the Northern Irishman had enough pace to lap Senna, which the triple world champion took serious issue with.

In the midst of celebrating his successful debut, Irvine was challenged, and then punched by Senna, who had won the race. The Brazilian was hit with a suspended two-race ban for his outburst.

Schumacher’s contrasting fortunes, Australian Grand Prix 1994

Damon Hill was on the receiving end of a controversial Michael Schumacher move

Of course, Schumacher’s tear gas-induced debut was not the end of his road rage days in F1.

In that 1994 title-winning year, the German secured the championship when he and Damon Hill collided after Schumacher’s error gave the Brit the chance to pass.

Hill went to the inside, but Schumacher slammed the door shut, sending his car briefly airborne and forcing Hill to retire as well, handing Schumacher the title.

Hill at least got his hands on the drivers' title two years later.

Three years on from his battle with the British driver, Schumacher knew that another double DNF for himself and his championship rival - this time Jacques Villeneuve - would give him a third title.

On lap 48 in Jerez, Villeneuve moved to overtake on the inside, but Schumacher turned in. However, the German retired and could only watch on as his Canadian adversary continued and took the points needed to secure his one and only title.

Schumacher seethes at Coulthard, 1998 Belgian Grand Prix

David Coulthard felt Michael Schumacher's wrath

With the helmets on, it is often difficult to see the ‘red mist’ actually descend on a driver, but Schumacher’s expressions and body language after hitting David Coulthard in Belgium in 1998 painted a vivid picture of the phrase.

“You tried to f****** kill me,” shouted Schumacher as he tried to confront the Brit, having stormed down the pitlane and into the McLaren garage.

Coulthard had been about to be lapped by the German when Schumacher smashed into the back of him in poor visibility, sending a front wheel flying and eviscerating Coulthard’s rear wing, leading both to pull into the pits to retire.

The Ferrari driver was just about held back by mechanics, preventing further contact between the pair.

Vettel slams into Hamilton, 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Baku 2017 is a blemish on Sebastian Vettel's career

More recently, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel lost his cool with Lewis Hamilton in Baku in 2017.

Under the safety car, Vettel ran into the back of Hamilton, causing visible damage to both cars.

Vettel, feeling that he had been brake-tested by Hamilton, drove up alongside the Brit and slammed his Ferrari into the Mercedes to demonstrate his anger.

Hamilton could barely believe what he had seen, and the stewards reacted by giving Vettel a ten-second stop-and-go penalty.

The German later apologised for his actions, admitting he had overreacted. He also pledged to dedicate time to informing younger drivers about the dangers of such actions; maybe he could not get through to a certain few.

Perhaps, with the legendary names and huge volume of F1 championship-winners featured, Stroll and Leclerc can consider themselves in good company.

That said, their minor tiffs in Spain leave something to be desired when it comes to true, pure, visceral road rage, as F1 title winners and regular road users alike can testify to.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari McLaren Lando Norris Charles Leclerc