Dirtiest drivers in F1 history
Discussion
Morning everyone. This should get some good chat going hopefully. 
Who are the least ethical drivers on track that you have seen since you have been watching F1? We all know that at the top of an ultra-competitive sport none of them are angels and pretty much all will take things right to the limit on occasions. But what we are looking for here are those who went beyond what was considered acceptable on several occasions, or even regularly.
I started watching F1 in the mid-1970s and have missed no more than half a dozen races since then. In my time watching, I'd put the dirtiest drivers as:
1. Michael Schumacher.
2. Ayrton Senna.
3. Max Verstappen.
4. Pastor Maldanado.
5. Going back a bit further here. Perhaps Andrea de Ceasaris or Rene Arnoux later on in their careers. Both became liabilities!
Who are the least ethical drivers on track that you have seen since you have been watching F1? We all know that at the top of an ultra-competitive sport none of them are angels and pretty much all will take things right to the limit on occasions. But what we are looking for here are those who went beyond what was considered acceptable on several occasions, or even regularly.
I started watching F1 in the mid-1970s and have missed no more than half a dozen races since then. In my time watching, I'd put the dirtiest drivers as:
1. Michael Schumacher.
2. Ayrton Senna.
3. Max Verstappen.
4. Pastor Maldanado.
5. Going back a bit further here. Perhaps Andrea de Ceasaris or Rene Arnoux later on in their careers. Both became liabilities!
Tricky to pick Dirty or Mistake-Prone. Pastor was agressive and a bit s
t, meaning he caused crashes. I dont believe he was malicious. Same for loads of drivers at times really.
Senna+Shu+Max all TRY to be argressive and dirty and they are deffo my top 3 (from the F1 years I've watched - late 80's on)
t, meaning he caused crashes. I dont believe he was malicious. Same for loads of drivers at times really. Senna+Shu+Max all TRY to be argressive and dirty and they are deffo my top 3 (from the F1 years I've watched - late 80's on)
I’ve always blamed Senna for making the ‘professional foul’ part of F1. But Schumacher took that to a new low, and I have never had respect his achievements, despite his obvious talent.
Verstappen pushes the limits in a way I find abhorrent, and is the worst of this generation, but I don’t think he’s as bad as Schumacher.
Verstappen pushes the limits in a way I find abhorrent, and is the worst of this generation, but I don’t think he’s as bad as Schumacher.
I heard pundits discuss this before and as they said sportsmanship is all well and good but when you've sunk everything into a team / car, who would you want to drive it ?
The answer has to be the one who will do anything to win
It's not about being nice it's about winning at all costs
The answer has to be the one who will do anything to win
It's not about being nice it's about winning at all costs
Don't think you can say any one driver was dirty but some had a greater propensity to play dirtier than others.
Didier Pironi, for example.
Jim Clark?
Didier Pironi, for example.
fatbutt said:
Every F1 world drivers champion since the dawn of the sport with the possible exception of Button.
Damon Hill? He's was pretty clean. Jim Clark?
At interview Stirling Moss stated that he had been warned to “watch out for that b
d Farina”.Probably with justification. Nino Farina, our first WDC in 1950, had a reputation for ruthlessness and dirty tactics on track. Depending on your sources he was perhaps directly responsible for 2 fatal accidents involving competitors during the pre-war years and carried his questionable tactics over into his post war Grand Prix career.
Slightly more recently Gregor Foitek is generally held responsible for some dodgy dealings including the Brands Hatch accident that nearly crippled Johnny Herbert. I had been following JH’s career in F3000 and was at Brands that day. Arguably it was Foitek who confined Herbert to becoming a GP good rather than a GP great.
Edited by moffspeed on Saturday 26th October 13:36
StevieBee said:
Don't think you can say any one driver was dirty but some had a greater propensity to play dirtier than others.
Didier Pironi, for example.
Jim Clark?
Jackie Stewart. Didier Pironi, for example.
fatbutt said:
Every F1 world drivers champion since the dawn of the sport with the possible exception of Button.
Damon Hill? He's was pretty clean. Jim Clark?
Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff