Top 25 Brutal F1 Penalties
25. Sebastian Vettel - 2016 Mexican GP
Sebastian Vettel was forced to lose his podium finish at the 2016 Mexican GP for his defensive moves against Daniel Ricciardo.
24. Sebastian Vettel - 2019 Canadian GP
Sebastian Vettel lost the 2019 Canadian GP to Lewis Hamilton after a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. The German argued that he had nowhere else to go and was fuming after the race.
23. Sebastian Vettel - 2017 Azerbaijan GP
Sebastian Vettel received a 10-second stop and go penalty for slamming into Lewis Hamilton under the Safety Car at Baku in 2017. The Ferrari driver claimed that he was brake-checked by the Briton.
22. Red Bull 2014
In 2014, Red Bull found itself in controversy with the FIA over fuel flow regulations. While there was no one big instance, the tensions became quite evident in the paddock, including disqualifications.
21. Daniel Ricciardo - 2014 Australian GP
Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified from his home race in 2014 due to a fuel flow irregularity, a massive blow to the local hero.
20. Sebastian Vettel - 2012 German GP
Sebastian Vettel was handed a 20-second penalty for pushing Jenson Button off-track at Hockenheim in 2012. This resulted in a major loss of points.
19. Mercedes - 2013 secret Pirelli test
Mercedes was caught doing a secret tire test with Pirelli in 2013. After rival teams protested, the Silver Arrows were banned from the young driver test.
18. Romain Grosjean - 2012 Belgian GP
Romain Grosjean triggered a massive crash at the 2012 Belgian GP. The Frenchman was banned for one race.
17. Lewis Hamilton - 2011 Monaco GP
Lewis Hamilton had a bad run at the 2011 Monaco GP. He faced multiple penalties for collisions with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado.
16. Michael Schumacher - 2010 Monaco GP
Michael Schumacher's first Monaco GP on his return got hampered with a 20-second time penalty for overtaking Fernando Alonso at a Safety Car restart.
15. Charles Leclerc - 2022 Belgian GP
Charles Leclerc had bad luck at the 2022 Belgian GP. He was penalized for speeding in the pitlane by just 1kmph over the limit.
14. Lewis Hamilton - 2009 Australian GP
Lewis Hamilton and McLaren were disqualified from the 2009 Australian GP for lying to the stewards over a pass on Jarno Trulli.
13. Lewis Hamilton – 2008 Belgian GP
Lewis Hamilton faced a massive 25-second penalty for cutting the chicane at Spa-Francorchamps while battling Kimi Raikkonen.
12. Fernando Alonso - 2017 US GP
Fernando Alonso received a 35-place grid penalty at the 2017 US GP. This was due to the unreliable Honda engine, leading to McLaren using more than the engine component-limit.
11. BAR Honda - 2005
BAR Honda was disqualified from the 2005 San Marino GP and banned for two races after they were found running a secondary fuel tank.
10. Max Verstappen - 2017 US GP
Max Verstappen grabbed the podium at the 2017 US GP. However, the podium was taken away with a five-second penalty for corner cutting. This decision was met with immense criticism from fans.
9. Michael Schumacher - 1997 European GP
Michael Schumacher was excluded from the championship at the 1997 title decider after the German allegedly tried to take out his rival Jacques Villeneuve.
8. Jacques Villeneuve - 1997 Japanese GP
Jacques Villeneuve found himself on the backfoot in 1997 against Michael Schumacher, after he was disqualified from the Japanese GP for ignoring yellow flags.
7. Michael Schumacher - 1994 Belgian GP
Michael Schumacher was disqualified from the 1994 Belgian GP after his car was found with excessive plank wear. This gave Damon Hill an advantage in the standings.
6. Mika Hakkinen - 1994 British GP
Mika Hakkinen triggered a big first lap crash at the 1994 British GP. He was handed a suspended one race ban for the incident.
5. Benetton Pit Fire - 1994 German GP
At the 1994 German GP, Jos Verstappen's Benetton caught fire in the pitlane. F1 fined the team $100,000 after it was found that the team purposely removed fuel filters for faster pitstops.
4. McLaren - 2007 Hungarian GP
Fernando Alonso blocked Lewis Hamilton in the pitlane at the 2007 Hungarian GP. McLaren's was stripped of points it scored during the weekend.
3. Michael Schumacher - 1994 British GP
Michael Schumacher made an overtake on the formation lap at Silverstone in 1994, and went on to ignore black flags. This led to the German being disqualified and earning a two-race ban.
2. Renault Crashgate scandal - 2008 Singapore GP
Renault forced Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash on purpose at the 2008 Singapore GP to help Fernando Alonso. After Piquet exposed this scandal, Renault's senior figures were banned from the sport, and its title sponsor left the team.
1. McLaren Spygate scandal - 2007
McLaren was caught receiving confidential Ferrari information from a disgruntled employee in 2007. The FIA imposed an enormous $100 million fine on the team for this 'Spygate scandal.' McLaren was also excluded from the teams' championship.
