The times when an F1 driver got fired during the season

Daniil Kvyat: Red Bull -> Toro Rosso

Pilot of the Red Bull Academy and Formula 3 champion back in 2013, the Russian arrives at Toro Rosso in 2014. Although he finishes behind the Frenchman Jean-Éric Vergne in the championship, it is on him that Red Bull relies in 2015 to replace the four-time world champion: Sebastian Vettel, who left for Ferrari. Daniil Kvyat has a very decent 2015 season, even managing to surpass the sensation of the year 2014, Daniel Ricciardo, in the championship.

However, his aggressive style on the track is causing a lot of talk in the paddock, which leads to a heated discussion with Vettel in the cool room. In the following Grand Prix in Russia, he collides with Vettel twice at the start. A mistake that Helmut Marko uses to demote him without mercy in favor of Max Verstappen!

This occasion was also an opportunity to place a certain Dutch prodigy, Max Verstappen, in the Red Bull seat, as other teams began to covet the native of Hasselt. Demoted to Toro Rosso, Kyvat is not considered when it comes to replacing Daniel Ricciardo in the main team, and Red Bull will ultimately rely on the new generation by pairing Pierre Gasly with Max Verstappen.

Pierre Gasly: Red Bull -> Toro Rosso

Arriving in 2018 at Toro Rosso, considered as the little sister team of Red Bull Racing, he immediately achieves very strong performances. In his second race, he finishes just one place away from the podium, while his teammate ends up outside the points. Throughout the season, the Frenchman scores 29 points out of 33 for Toro Rosso, a season that convinces Red Bull to choose him as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, who is being outshone by Verstappen and is leaving for Renault. However, the 2019 season doesn’t go as planned and Gasly quickly struggles and suffers in comparison to Max Verstappen as well. In the first 12 races, he only finishes ahead of his teammate once, with a 4th place at Silverstone. Even worse, two races later, his teammate laps him, which is difficult when both drivers have the same car. Before the break, Christian Horner states in the press that he wants to give Pierre Gasly time to develop. But during the Belgian Grand Prix, Alexander Albon replaces the French driver. A huge disappointment for Gasly, who returns to Toro Rosso, 6 months after leaving. Despite everything, he achieves the best performances of his career there; at Monza, opportunistically winning the Italian GP due to a series of events, and in Brazil, where he finishes 2nd behind Max Verstappen, with a much superior car.

Juan-Pablo Montoya: fired from McLaren

Juan-Pablo Montoya was fired by the McLaren-Mercedes team in 2005 for several reasons. Montoya was involved in a controversial incident during the 2005 United States Grand Prix. During the race, Montoya lost control of his car and crashed into the wall. However, what sparked controversy was that Montoya later explained that the accident happened because he was distracted by an insect that had gotten into his helmet. This explanation was poorly received by the team and raised doubts about his focus and commitment.

There were already tensions and frictions between Montoya and the McLaren team. The Colombian had difficult relationships with McLaren’s chief engineer, Adrian Newey, and also had disputes with Ron Dennis, the team principal.

Shortly after the incident in the United States, Montoya announced that he would leave McLaren to pursue a career in the United States. This decision was viewed as an early breach of contract and led to his dismissal from the team.

It is important to note that the incident at the United States Grand Prix was the major trigger that led to Montoya’s departure from McLaren.

Jacques Villeneuve: replaced by Robert Kubica

In 2005, Villeneuve joined the Sauber team after spending a year outside of Formula 1. Unfortunately, his performances did not live up to expectations. He struggled to adapt to the car and achieve solid results. His teammate Felipe Massa obtained better results and was more competitive, which increased the pressure on Villeneuve. However, he maintained his position for 2006 with a new teammate, Nick Heidfeld.

Furthermore, there were internal tensions within the Sauber team regarding the relationship between Villeneuve and key team members. Differences over strategies, car settings, and relations with engineers created frictions, which affected the working atmosphere.

At the German Grand Prix, Villeneuve collided with Nick Heidfeld and then had a single car accident into the wall. He informed his team that he will not be physically able to compete in the next race, but BMW took advantage of the opportunity to terminate his contract and promote Kubica as the lead driver.

Alain Prost: sent back to a race at the end of the season

Alain Prost left Ferrari in 1991 following a number of internal conflicts and tensions with the team. Here are the main factors that led to his departure:

Prost had a tense relationship with Luca di Montezemolo, who was then the sporting director of Ferrari. Both men had strong personalities and different views on team management, which created underlying conflicts.

Prost was known for being candid in his comments, especially to the media, about the car’s performance and the team. He had made critical statements about Ferrari and its lack of competitiveness, which harmed the team’s reputation and created additional tensions.

Indeed, at the Japanese Grand Prix, which he barely finished in 4th place, he declared that his car was undrivable, that it resembled a truck, and that even a driver with big arms could have done just as well as him. Ferrari takes advantage of this media outburst to fire him. Gianni Morbidelli replaces him for the last race of the season.

After leaving, Prost will join Williams-Renault and continue his successful F1 career, winning his fourth World Championship title in 1993.