25 Unluckiest F1 Drivers Ever
25. Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas got the chance to race for Mercedes during the team's dominant years. Unfortunately, he was put alongside Lewis Hamilton, and had no chance of beating the Briton.
24. Felipe Nasr
Felipe Nasr showed glimpses of brilliance at Sauber in 2015 and 2016. However, the Swiss team sacked him after his funding dried out.
23. Mika Salo
Mika Salo never got the chance to show his full potential in F1. He was forced to play supporting roles such as facing team orders at Ferrari in 1991.
22. Nyck De Vries
A Formula E champion struggled in F1. Nyck de Vries never got off the mark at AlphaTauri and was replaced without a second thought midway through his only season in 2023.
21. Nick Heidfeld
Nick Heidfeld was a well respected driver in F1. But he never had a real shot at victory after the failure of BMW Sauber.
20. Jolyon Palmer
Jolyon Palmer was known for his technical knowhow. However, the Briton was replaced even before his second season at Renault could finish. He deserved another shot on the grid.
19. Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly was replaced midseason at Red Bull in 2019. He was never given enough time to even adjust to his new team. Following his switch to Alpine, the Frenchman is stuck with underwhelming cars.
18. Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli's entire career was marred with unreliable and underperforming cars, be it Toyota or Lotus. This never gave him a real chance to showcase his talent.
17. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Heinz Herald Frentzen was considered to be a future star. Unfortunately, his career never took off due to reliability or bad luck, despite winning a race with Jordan.
16. Jules Bianchi
Jules Bianchi was supposed to be Ferrari's future before Charles Leclerc. Sadly, the French driver passed away after a tragic incident at the 2014 Japanese GP.
15. Gilles Villeneuve
Gilles Villeneuve was undoubtedly one of the best drivers of his time. Though his career was cut short after a horrifying crash in 1982 that took his life.
14. Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx deserved to be a world champion. Unfortunately, his career was full of bad luck and uncompetitive cars. This never allowed him to truly achieve what he was capable of.
13. Stefan Johansson
Stefan Johansson had a lot of bad luck in F1. When he joined Ferrari, the team was in a decline, and he couldn't match his teammates at McLaren.
12. Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean's tendency of having collisions took away his chances of ever getting a good car. He was forced to race in midfield teams like Lotus Renault and Haas.
11. Clay Regazzoni
Clay Regazzoni got overshadowed by Niki Lauda at Ferrari. Moreover, he also faced reliability issues. Regazzoni was left paralyzed after an incident at Long Beach in 1980.
10. Andrea de Cesaris
Andrea de Cesaris may be infamous for his crashes in F1. However he did face a lot of bad luck. He started in 208 races, but never came close to winning a single Grand Prix.
9. Mark Webber
Mark Webber fell unlucky when he faced Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull. The Australian driver almost gave up himself with his number 2 driver outbursts.
8. Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Reutemann's career was full of heartbreak. Apart from reliability issues, he even lost the 1981 title by a single point.
7. Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss is often considered to be the greatest driver to never win a title. While he did showcase immense sportspersonship on track, he never had good luck.
6. Ronnie Peterson
Ronnie Peterson was one of the fastest drivers in the 1970s and earned the nickname 'Super Swede.' Sadly he passed away in 1978 before he could ever fight at the front of the grid for a title.
5. Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi is perhaps the most deserving Ferrari driver who never won a title. Alesi was stuck with unreliable cars at the Scuderia in the 1990s.
4. Chris Amon
Chris Amon is often considered to be the best driver to never win a race. Despite his best efforts, he simply never had the right circumstances to clinch victory.
3. Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg holds the record for the longest wait before a podium in F1. He came close to even winning a race back in the day, but his luck always ran out.
2. Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso is infamous for making bad decisions, be it leaving McLaren after 2007 or joining McLaren in 2015. The Spanish driver is the best example of being at the right place at the wrong time.
1. Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica could've been a Ferrari star. He reportedly even had a contract with the Scuderia. Unfortunately, a tragic rallying incident in 2011 completely derailed his career.
