Top 5 F1 drivers who were banned from racing

It's not common to see F1 drivers getting banned from racing. Drivers are now far too professional and know how they are being monitored. They know very well how closely each step gets judged, applauded, and criticized as well. Moreover, rules are defined in a much better way than they were in the past.

It's commendable that the sport has grown and matured so much that an F1 driver was last banned more than a decade ago.

However, there are still prominent names in the paddock that have faced race bans during their careers. In this feature, we will take a look at the top five most prominent drivers who have faced race bans before.

#5 Eddie Irvine (1994 F1 Brazilian GP)

Eddie Irvine was always an interesting character and had a flamboyant personality. The Irish driver did ultimately end up fighting for the title in the 1999 F1 season. However, he fell short by just one point to Mika Hakkinen.

However, before he reached those glorious heights with Ferrari, there were some dubious lows as well.

One of the biggest for Irvine was an episode in the 1994 F1 Brazilian GP. The Irish driver, then driving a Jordan, was involved in a horrific four-car crash. The incident involved the Benetton of Jos Verstappen and the McLaren of Martin Brundle. Eddie Irvine was found guilty of the crash and was slapped with a one-race ban for irresponsible driving.

#4 Nigel Mansell (1989 F1 Portuguese GP)

It's hard to believe that a World Champion would feature on this list. Imagine Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso getting banned for something these days. The late 1980s was a different time though. Nigel Mansell was caught for regulatory infringement as the British driver reversed in the pitlane after a botched pitstop.

The driver received a black flag, but ignored it. However, the final nail in the coffin was Mansell's collision with Ayrton Senna that led to him getting banned for one round.

#3 Romain Grosjean (2011 F1 Belgian GP)

Romain Grosjean developed a reputation for being a rash driver upon his return to the sport in 2011. The driver completed a few races in 2009 before getting dropped by Renault. When he returned in 2011, he was more ready to take on the challenges of the sport. At the same time, though, there was one thing that was clearly missing.

It was his wheel-to-wheel racing acumen. Grosjean had shown a tendency to get involved in too many accidents at the start of the race. There were incidents in Australia, Malaysia, and Monaco. Even before the circus had reached Belgium, the paddock was growing tired of Grosjean's lack of spatial awareness.

It all reached its peak at Spa, where, at the start of the race, Grosjean squeezed Hamilton who had nowhere to go. The French driver then missed a braking point to take out not one, but multiple drivers. The collision included championship contenders Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Tired of these many accidents from the French driver, the stewards handed Grosjean a one-race ban for the Italian GP.

#2 Mika Hakkinen (1994 F1 German GP)

You might find it strange to see the affable, good-natured Finn on this list. Nonetheless, Hakkinen did have a mean streak to him early in his career. The Finn was fast, but just like any other young F1 driver, he had a tendency to be slightly rash.

Hakkinen was banned for three races for his incident with Rubens Barrichello at the 1994 F1 British GP for a late race aggressive maneuver. Since it was a suspended ban, the Finnish driver did not have to serve it.

However, things got worse when Hakkinen triggered another multi-car crash at Hockenheim, receiving another ban. This time around, since he was already serving a suspended ban, he was banned from the 1994 Italian GP.

#1 Michael Schumacher (F1 1994 British GP)

Yes, you read that one right. Even the great Michael Schumacher faced a ban in Formula One earlier in his career. However, the way in which the entire situation was handled was somewhat questionable. It all started when Schumacher overtook Damon Hill during the formation lap, only to give the place back.

According to the regulations, the German was given a black flag that meant disqualification. The German did not acknowledge the black flags and continued with the race as Benetton (Schumacher's team at the time) protested with the stewards. The protests did not amount to anything as they resulted in the German getting a further two-race ban.