Brutal cuts: The harshest F1 axes in recent history
General
The 2024 Formula 1 season has seen two mid-season sackings. Logan Sargeant was removed from his post at Williams after the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, and more recently, Daniel Ricciardo was sacked after the Singapore Grand Prix. This list compiles a few examples of what may be deemed as the toughest F1 sackings in recent history, for drivers and fans alike. Do you believe that these drivers were poorly treated, or was their team's actions justified? Let us know...
Daniel Ricciardo (2024)
The Australian was axed from VCARB after this year's Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. 'The Honey Badger' returned to Red Bull's second team in 2023 after they fired Nyck de Vries. Ricciardo hoped to prove himself at VCARB after a relatively unsuccessful stint at McLaren. The aim was to return to Red Bull, the team where he achieved seven F1 victories and the majority of his success. Unfortunately, his plan was unravelled after breaking his wrist at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. His replacement, Liam Lawson, also impressed Red Bull. For the next year, Ricciardo kept his seat and showed flashes of his former self - but it wasn't enough. Emotionally, the iconic Australian was swiftly replaced with Lawson, who will complete the rest of the 2024 season. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has since said that he wanted Ricciardo out of the car much earlier in the season. A sad fate for a modern F1 star.
Logan Sargeant (2024)
Sargeant had a tumultuous term with Williams. The American scored just one point over his season and a half in F1 and made several errors, which cost Williams an awful lot of money. The issue with his sacking didn't come with his performance, but the treatment he received from his Williams team before his axing. The Grove-based team resigned him for 2024 but almost immediately knocked his confidence in Australia when they demanded him to sit the race out after teammate Alex Albon destroyed his chassis earlier in the weekend. The better-performing Thai driver used Sargeant's chassis for the race instead. Of course, team boss James Vowles was clear that Sargeant wasn't performing to the world's media, which many deemed as tough on the American.
Jolyon Palmer (2017)
The now F1TV analyst found out that he was sacked by Renault on the internet. He would be replaced by Carlos Sainz, but no one from the French works team had bothered to even tell him about what was coming. Palmer struggled for form at Renault and completed a season and a half before he was replaced. The British driver scored nine points in 35 races but was consistently outperformed by teammates Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen in his short F1 career.
Kevin Magnussen (2014)
The Dane also makes his way onto this list. On his 23rd birthday, Magnussen was told by McLaren that his services would no longer be needed by email. It was an unremarkable year for him in 2014 at the British team, par one podium on his first start. He finished on less than half of the points of teammate Jenson Button and became a reserve driver in 2015. McLaren made the decision to email Magnussen to tell him that he was no longer needed as a reserve driver.
Nelson Piquet Jr (2009)
The son of three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet was sacked in what could be the most controversial goodbye of them all. The Brazilian joined Renault in the 2008 season, partnering two-time champ Fernando Alonso in his debut year. It wasn't an incredible season, as he was outperformed by Alonso throughout it. Towards the end of the year, however, Piquet Jr began to find his feet. He stood on his first and only podium in Hockenheim and finished the season on 19 points. In 2009, Piquet was dropped at the halfway stage after scoring no points by team boss Flavio Briatore. The Italian, controversially, has returned to the Enstone team recently. After his firing, Piquet revealed details about 2008's 'Crashgate' scandal, in which the Brazilian deliberatley crashed to bolster teammate Fernando Alonso's chances of winning the race. Criminal proceedings began, but Piquet Jr's allegations turned out to be true. The rest, of course, turned into the biggest F1 scandal in history. Piquet Jr, in turn, never drove in Formula 1 again.
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