F1 Explained: Every driver to receive a race ban after Lando Norris FIA demand

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F1 Driver Bans

Every F1 driver to receive a race ban after Lando Norris FIA demand

Over the years, eight drivers have been forced to sit out races

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Tuesday 29 September 2026 15:48

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Lando Norris' call for Franco Colapinto to be suspended by the FIA after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix got us thinking about which F1 stars have been banned from the sport before.

Over the years, several F1 drivers have been affected by differing degrees of suspension, with some of the greatest drivers that the sport has ever seen among the names forced to miss a race, or races, throughout the years.

Norris demanded Colapinto be the latest of them after that multi-car pileup in Baku that saw the Argentine driver take out the McLaren car on Saturday, as well as his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly.

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The reigning F1 champion has since apologised for those comments, and Colapinto is only set to serve a five-place grid penalty in Malaysia this weekend. However, some drivers in the past did not escape so lightly.

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Which F1 drivers have been banned from races?

Eddie Irvine, 1994

The most severe F1 ban ever handed out was to Eddie Irvine in 1994, forced to miss multiple races while driving for Jordan that year.

Irvine's punishment came after he caused a four-car collision at the season opener in Brazil, with the FIA initially banning him for one race.

However, after Jordan appealed, the FIA extended Irvine's ban to three races, with the Irishman going on to miss the Pacific, San Marino and Monaco Grands Prix.

Eddie Irvine driving the Jordan 194 in 1994

Michael Schumacher, 1994

While Irvine's punishment came as a result of an incident at the season opener in 1994, eventual seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher would go on to receive punishment for an incident in the middle of that season.

Schumacher's initial crime was overtaking pole-sitter Damon Hill during the formation lap ahead of the British Grand Prix, but things escalated when Benetton argued with the FIA and the German failed to serve his five-second time penalty.

The FIA subsequently showed Schumacher a black flag, which he also initially ignored, before he then came into the pits and served his initial five-second penalty.

He went on to finish second on the track, but his disqualification was later confirmed for ignoring the black flag, and he was also banned for two races. Benetton appealed, meaning Schumacher raced at the German and Hungarian Grands Prix in the following weeks, but when that appeal was rejected, he was forced to sit out races in Monza and Estoril.

Michael Schumacher was racing for Benetton in 1994

Nigel Mansell, 1989

Nigel Mansell is another F1 icon who found himself unable to take part in a grand prix during his career.

The incident in question this time came at the Portuguese Grand Prix in 1989, when Mansell, driving for Ferrari, overshot his pit box and reversed back into it, having been leading the race at the time.

The British star was shown the black flag as a result, but ignored it, eventually going on to collide with Ayrton Senna later in the race, taking both of them out of the grand prix.

The black flag meant he was disqualified in Estoril, and Mansell was subsequently handed a $50,000 fine and a one-race ban, forcing him to miss the following round of the season in Spain.

Nigel Mansell, left, during his Ferrari era, alongside Riccardo Patrese

Mika Hakkinen, 1994

Something must have been in the air in F1 in 1994, with eventual two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen also being handed a race ban that season.

Hakkinen was initially handed a suspended one-race ban for three races after a collision with Rubens Barrichello at the British Grand Prix, but it was later activated when he caused a multi-car crash at the very next race in Germany.

The McLaren man was forced to miss the Hungarian Grand Prix as a consequence, much to Ron Dennis' (then McLaren chief) dismay.

Mika Hakkinen went on to win two world championships in 1998 and 1998 after his race ban in 1994

Jacques Villeneuve, 1997

Unfortunately, the list does not stop there. Later in the 90s, Jacques Villeneuve was also given a one-race suspension in the year that he won his F1 championship.

Villeneuve was one of five drivers given a suspended race ban for ignoring yellow flags at Suzuka in the penultimate race of that season after a crash for Jos Verstappen, but because he had already committed the same offence three times earlier, it was activated for the next event, which was that weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Williams appealed, and with no time to hold the hearing, Villeneuve still took part in the race. However, the appeal was later rejected, with the Canadian losing the two points he had picked up, leaving him trailing championship rival Michael Schumacher by one point heading into the season finale.

Villeneuve went on to win the title by three points in Jerez, so no harm done in the end.

Jacques Villeneuve received a race ban the same year he won F1 title

Other F1 drivers to be banned

Three other F1 drivers have also found themselves forced to sit out of the action over a grand prix weekend.

Most recently, Kevin Magnussen was forced to miss the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku after an incident at the Italian Grand Prix saw his penalty points total hit 12, resulting in an automatic suspension from the FIA.

12 years earlier, Romain Grosjean had found himself sitting on the sidelines for the 2012 Italian Grand Prix, having caused a massive multi-car pileup into turn one at Spa the round earlier.

Romain Grosjean caused a huge pile-up at Spa in 2012

Riccardo Patrese was also forced to miss the United States Grand Prix back in 1978, although he was not officially banned.

Instead, his missing a race came as a result of pressure from the drivers on the event organisers, with some of the sport's biggest stars at the time saying they would not race unless Patrese was suspended following a 10-car crash at the Italian Grand Prix, following which Ronnie Peterson later lost his life in hospital.

Several years later, in 1981, Patrese was legally cleared of being at fault for the crash, acquitted of manslaughter in a Milan court.

Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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F1 FIA Lando Norris Michael Schumacher Franco Colapinto Kevin Magnussen