Another major race in F1 means yet more major drama. This time, reigning champ Max Verstappen is at the centre of the maelstrom, having collided with George Russell’s Mercedes in Spain during the days leading up to the Canadian Grand Prix.
At the time of writing the Red Bull driver was looking at an extra three penalty points on his F1 super license and a potential suspension if he isn’t able to avoid collecting more points at Montreal and Austria.
And the damage hasn’t ended there: Verstappen has already slipped down in the rankings to 10th place, which has also seen motorsport odds for the title shot on 15th June shift. Currently, bookies favor Oscar Piastri in pole position, with Verstappen predicted to finish in third.
All factors considered, it seems unlikely that Verstappen will be sidelined, but this drama does raise a bigger question: how has Formula 1 dealt with drivers in the past? From black flags to license revocations, here’s a lookback at some of the sport’s more controversial disciplinary flashpoints.
Michael Schumacher (Silverstone, 1994)
The ‘94 British Grand Prix saw Schumacher disobey multiple signals after jumping the start and failing to serve a stop-go penalty. Despite being black-flagged (a direct order to pit) he stayed out and pulled up in second place.
The FIA struck hard: Schumacher was disqualified and banned for two races. This wasn’t just about protocol but also about optics.
The year in question had already been a challenging one for the sport, with the tragic deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger igniting plenty of discourse about racing safety. The FIA, under pressure, needed to reassert control.
However, many fans believed the ban was politically charged—essentially a power play rather than appropriate punishment.
Ayrton Senna (Suzuka, 1989)
Controversial ban? This one was nuclear.
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost tangled at the final chicane of the ‘89 Japanese Grand Prix. Senna rejoined the track illegally, overtook Alessandro Nannini and won the race, only to be disqualified post-race for cutting the chicane. The FIA also hit him with a suspended ban.
Fans, naturally, cried foul play. The incident felt like revenge from then-FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre, who was long seen as sympathetic to fellow Frenchman Prost. Even Senna went on record to call it “manipulation”.
Years later, the FIA would admit its decision was wrong, but it was too little, too late, as Senna’s rival had already snared the title.
Romain Grosjean (Spa, 2012)
Romain Grosjean’s ban came not from repeated offences, but from one singular but terrifying moment.
At the start of the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, the Lotus driver veered aggressively across the track, causing a massive crash that took out Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez. Even Kamui Kobayashi, the other Sauber driver at the race, was negatively impacted by the fray, eventually finishing in 13th place.
The stewards responded quickly with a one-race ban—the first given out for on-track behaviour since 1994.
Once again, opinion was divided among fans and sports analysts. Plenty felt that the ban was long overdue, since Grosjean had already been involved in seven first-lap crashes that season.
Yuji Ide (2006 Season)
Unlike some drivers who felt the full force of the FIA’s ire when driving a tad too aggressively, Ide was handed a ban for sheer incompetence on the track.
The Super Aguri rookie lasted just four races before the FIA made the serious decision to revoke his super license. Ide’s driving was erratic that season, with spatial awareness seemingly absent each time he accelerated out onto the track. However, the final straw came at Imola, where he caused a high-speed crash with Christijan Albers.
Pundits were quick to blame the team more than the driver. After all, Ide had been promoted without sufficient testing. Nevertheless, the FIA’s decision was final and Yuji Ide has never returned to the federation. He did, however, top the rankings of F1 Racing Magazine’s 2009 list of the worst drivers in F1 history.