The 10 biggest shocks in the F1 driver market

[@corbinselanne7990]

Rosberg's shock retirement after winning the 2016 title causing Merc to buy out Valtteri Bottas' Williams deal caused Williams to re-sign Felipe Massa for one more season to partner Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who had originally been signed by Williams to replace Massa (the driver who originally intended to retire after 2016)

[@EverybodySMD]

Awkward for Massa… lol

[@UncleBoogieRF]

I got dizzy just reading that. LOL!

[@montruo000000007]

So what you’re saying is… Rosberg is responsible for Aston Martin being on the grid today?

[@tuffmanchannel]

@@montruo000000007 Not necessarily. Lance was gonna be in Williams in 2017 and 2018 whether Bottas stayed in the team or not, and Lawrence was gonna buy Force India in either case, so I don't see there being a change.

[@corbinselanne7990]

@@montruo000000007 No. As said earlier, Williams had committed to running Stroll in 2017 when Massa retired, only to sign him on for an extra year when Rosberg retired as champion and Merc bought out their deal with Bottas to replace Nico

[@oncameramastery]

I'd have put Danny Ric's move higher up the list, that one was a shocker that caused waves within Red Bull & Torro Rosso for years!

[@jonathankrsul3664]

I wouldn't have. It was pretty apparent that he wanted away from that organization, and that he was only the first of what we now know of the trouble Red Bull had with whoever drove the car opposite of Max

[@superduperbooper3987]

He revealed to the world, the flaws in Red Bull’s system

[@tt-nm4yj]

They need a familiar name in the first of the video to keep people watching

[@adrianhjordan1981]

Really?? That wasn't at all shocking to me

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@superduperbooper3987 yes. Also big flaws for Aston Martin.

[@GARBO96]

What I've learned from this video is Frank Williams is a great Talent spotter but not the best businessman

[@lukekelly5115]

Would be why his company went bankrupt despite being so dominant for so long lol

[@tuffmanchannel]

@@lukekelly5115 A series of bad decision after bad decision. It's a shame, really.

[@juanin200]

Yup, he got everyone he needed to get in order to build one of the most formidable teams in F1, then slowly lost all of them

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

Same with Lotus, people can laugh at Ferrari all they want for their shocking performances over the years but Ferrari understands business and that's why, they're the biggest team in F1 today.

[@tearinthebradsshaw]

@@lukekelly5115 his fleabag daughter ruined Williams

[@Euclides287]

For everyone who started watching F1 recently let me help you fully grasp the insanity around Lewis' decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2012 - Imagine *Verstappen* decided to quit Red Bull at the end of this year for *Alpine.* That's how crazy and baffling a decision it was.

[@frozenuruguayball6436]

imo it would be for the better if max went to alpine

[@namename3130]

@@frozenuruguayball6436 ditto, so long as the story doesnt follow as it did for hamilton

[@patrickhodgen9933]

That’s weirdly accurate. Alonso is the Schumacher in this situation - a returning champion that saw things not quite work out, while Ocon is the promising but “only one race win under his belt” Rosberg Type.

[@d.e.b.b5788]

Uh, no. Lewis hadn't won a WDC in 4 years when he jumped to Mercedes, and Vettel was on a 4 year roll with red bull, driving Lewis nuts over not having a competitive car. So that wasn't exactly a surprise.

[@khda891]

@@patrickhodgen9933 plus VER and Ocon are old rivals I believe

[@miguelrosas6893]

i think Checo’s should be up there too. he went from saving a F1 team and bringing them 4th on CC, they quit on him after what it was his best season, and redbull decided to trust on his experience instead of bringing back any of the other two young prodigies

[@barrywarry]

and he had a key role in the max his win. as max said Checo is a legend

[@ryandraper6894]

What? This is an all time list. Can’t be making all time list when you’re not even top 5 this season.

[@JnManuelAG]

@@ryandraper6894 Checo is a top 5 driver, what r u talking about?

[@barrywarry]

@@ryandraper6894 it says: 10 biggest shocks in the f1 driver market... not: top 10 best drivers of all time? what u smoking?

[@SiVlog1989]

If Red Bull hadn't swallowed its pride, by taking on Perez, someone who previously had no connection to the Red Bull brand, instead leaving him without a drive, then it would be on the list. It would have been an absolute travesty if he had been without a drive in 2021 after the best season of his career as well as finally claiming his first race win in 2020 (in doing so, shattering Mark Webber's record for most attempts before taking a win). The mistake that Red Bull has made in the past was promoting young drivers up the grid far too early, leaving them struggling (Kvyat and Galsy were prime examples and they ended up getting kicked to the kerb by being demoted back to the "junior team," at the time called Toro Rosso). By recruiting Perez, Red Bull finally have someone in the second car who, while not known for his out and out pace (indeed, Jeddah 2022 was his first pole position and I feel that with better timing of the Safety Car, he could have won that race), has the race craft to get the car home relatively close in the races and most importantly, he's there if anything goes wrong for Verstappen

[@titan_fx]

Lewis to Merc back then shocked me. Like "WTF Lewis, why are you moving to midfield team?". Oh boy I was wrong.

[@princeendymion9044]

I remember Clarkson interview him and asking "Isn't that like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?". How the tables have turned

[@MrBboyflexibi]

Not really Mercedes in 2012 was on the up 🔝 while Mclaren was clearly struggling to compete with Red Bull , hence trying something different wasn’t a bad decision

[@soundscape26]

Lewis leaving McLaren - or signing for Mercedes if you prefer - was quite the shock at the time. Not sure how they missed this one.

[@corbinselanne7990]

@@MrBboyflexibi And then the engine regulation change for 2014 saw Merc immediately catch fire; despite a couple of setbacks for Lewis specifically (namely Turn 4 at Barcelona 2016, *THAT* engine failure in Malaysia, and Michael Masi botching the safety car rules in the 2021 finale) the only real trouble he's had with Merc in ten years with the team has been with the current aero regs' porpoising effect

[@mrterp04]

Good idea for a video: Smartest Driver Moves

[@Drrolfski]

Torro Rosso's announcement to have a 17 years-old rookie in their 2015 F1 seat was quite a shocker, as was the promotion of that very same rookie mid-season only the year after that to the Red Bull team.

[@chamindujanith6337]

It wasn't even mid-season. It was just after 4 races.

[@stephengoudie3025]

DR’s move from RBR to Renault should’ve been higher in my personal opinion, as it is, I think, part of the reason the RB driver academy has been an utter shambles over the last few years

[@that.guy11]

Ferrari choosing Badoer to fill in for Massa in '09 was pretty shocking...purely because what the hell were Ferrari thinking

[@Xiphactinus]

Seem to remember them considering Rossi for the seat, but I can't confirm it.

[@TwentyNinerR]

@@Xiphactinus IIRC, it was Schumi who recommended The Doctor for a seat at the Prancing Horse due to his sheer talent, but politics happened.

[@pz189]

@@TwentyNinerR Schumi had a bad neck at the time. Luca was a long term test driver and had "earned" it but I don't think anyone thought he'd be quite so slow

[@antasena6043]

@@Xiphactinus i think Rossi to Ferrari is about in 2006-2007 so Ferarri can get a dream team with the 2 bigest name of the Motorsport at that time in their team

[@corbinselanne7990]

@Xiphactinus @Antasena By Rossi, do you mean Valentino? If he'd made it over in, say, 2014, he'd have been able to use his MotoGP number 46 as his F1 number

[@coronasdelaurel]

Some moves that were also shocking in my opinion that didn't make it into this video: - Emerson Fittipaldi leaves McLaren to join his brother's team. - Niki Lauda walks out on Ferrari after winning the title with two races to go in the season to join Brabham. Also his first retirement walking out on Brabham with two races to go as well. - Carlos Reutemann walks out on Williams just two races into the 1982 season. - Alan Jones returns to F1 after almost 4 years to join the newly created Haas Lola team. - Juan Pablo Montoya is sacked by McLaren. - A 41-year-old Michael Schumacher returns to F1 with the returning Mercedes team.

[@periklaskyriakidis6064]

Agree about all of these. Also Alexander Wurz at Williams in 2007 must have been shocking, I mean that dude last raced a full season in 2000 and he was test driver for McLaren. Kinda same with Brendon Hartley, he was reserve driver for RB in 2009-2011 or 2010 I think and he entered F1 after 8 years

[@DimitriMoreira]

Schumacher was NOT 41 when he returned with Mercedes. Schumacher was announced by Mercedes on December 2009. He was 40 years old, not 41. Also, Mercedes had backed up most of his karting days and got him a seat at Jordan for 1991. Schumacher was always closely tied to Mercedes. EDIT: fix a typo

[@coronasdelaurel]

@@DimitriMoreira Michael Schumacher was born January 3rd 1969, so even if the deal was announced when he was still 40, by the time the 2010 season started he was 41.

[@DimitriMoreira]

@@coronasdelaurel He was 40, yes. Not 41. I did my math wrong but the point is still correct. You didn't say anything about "season start" you said "returns to F1 with the returning Mercedes team". He returned to F1 in December 2009 when he was officially announced by the team. As you correctly put it, he was 40. But again, not 41.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@coronasdelaurel 2023: Could be Ayumu Uehara replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes or replacing Vettel at Aston Martin.

[@remy090]

How is Hamilton to Mercedes not on here? People were so shocked by that, because at the time Mercedes were just a midfield team, who many said Hamilton was only going to for the money.

[@SiVlog1989]

Alonso to McLaren the first time was the second time in 3 years that McLaren signed up a driver a long way ahead of time. Midway through 2003, they signed Juan Pablo Montoya to join the team in 2005. Much like with Alonso, Montoya's time at the Woking team ended in acrimonious circumstances (Alonso felt like he was driving for a team that was favouring Hamilton, returning to the team he had left after 2006, Renault, and Montoya initially struggled with the McLaren car concept and as it became less competitive in 2006, he opted to join NASCAR for 2007, but Ron Dennis terminated his contract after he found out)

[@SiVlog1989]

I think now we can add at least two more to the list of honourable mentions: Alpine promotes Oscar Piastri to a race seat for 2023, only to be snubbed by Piastri himself and Fernando Alonso suddenly rejects Alpine to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin

[@michaelsanderson9562]

The biggest (and certainly most influential) transfer in recent years has to have been Hamilton to Mercedes, but the one that shocked me the most was Rosberg

[@matt_v_photo]

Anyone here after Piastri saying no to Alpine?

[@Sweaty__Sheep]

I love learning about the insider talk that doesn't see the light of day at the time. The behind the scenes info is so exciting to hear. Thanks

[@lukebartlett704]

How is Hamilton to Mercedes not on here?? I thought it was gonna be no 1, having not considered Rosberg admittedly

[@whassupg89]

This could easily be a list of 25+

[@visionnr2004]

Probably Schumacher returning in 2010 was the biggest surprise for me after his 2006 retirement

[@Cynon]

Hamilton to Mercedes, Montoya to NASCAR, and Kubica's rally injury should have been factored in, I think

[@antasena6043]

I wonder why Lewis's move from McLaren to Mercedez didn't come to the list, are those doesn't shocking enough or doesn't big enough to come to the list

[@thebestevertherewas]

@@WinWall3227 They were a distant 5th in the constructors, in 2012. So no, that would be like leaving RB and joining Alpine.

[@wayne1da121]

Damon Hill to Arrows, if he puuled of that victory in Hungary it would have been one of the greates victories in F1 history.

[@nicksurface3513]

More mystifying than leaving Williams was why he chose Arrows of all teams.

[@wayne1da121]

@@nicksurface3513 It was one of the only drives left.

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@nicksurface3513 Apparently Hill assumed he could get a drive for McLaren, but Dennis wasn't really interested in him so he made him such a poor offer (Dennis was literally just entertaining his sponsors who wanted hill) that Hill refused (thus Dennis could tell the sponsors "Look I tried"). Arrows were the only team to offer the money Hill wanted.

[@AJCrowley0153]

I found MSC's retirement quite shocking. So much so that it shocked me out of watching F1 until his return shocked me back into it.

[@jayb2705]

MSC coming back to F1 in 2010 should be on the list, it was a big shock.

[@alicewilson1913]

Biggest one for me was skipping the 2020 season entirely and then seeing Alonso and Kimi on the grid at the first race of 2021

[@elliottdodson4912]

Now imagine you stop watching after 2007 and you see alonso and kimi STILL racing 😂

[@isthatrubble]

@@elliottdodson4912 I stopped watching after 2013 and then started again halfway through last year....... that was probably the thing that shocked me the most!

[@bennynagon9322]

@@isthatrubble lol me too 🤣

[@blakechambers732]

Next one could be top 10 underdog performances in f1?

[@wolfgangvan-uber6515]

Senna - Monaco 1984 Panis - Monaco 1996 Hill - Hungary 1997 Webber - Australia 2002 Sato - Canada 2007 Vettel - Italy 2008 Fisichella - Belgium 2009 Maldonado - Spain 2012 Gasly - Italy 2020 Ocon - Hungary 2021 There you have it

[@alifted8271]

I still remember back in 2013 when Ham decided to move to Merc and most of the F1 community bashin him some say hes in it for the money.

[@JAY-RIZZY]

To think what bombshells came after this - Red Bull saving Pérez' career after he was sacked by Racing Point/Aston Martin - Hamilton joining Ferrari for 2025 - the whole Alpine meltdown of 2022

[@SolidSonicTH]

Hamilton going from Mercedes to Ferrari is both surprising yet appreciable. The notion he would be looking for a ticket out of Mercedes after they didn't really heed his advice on how to make the car less wonky does seem inevitable, even if it is a shock nonetheless.

[@BlackFantasy470]

Wasn't there even a rumour that one of the 1996 Ferrari cockpits would be filled with Alain Prost?! The biggest "shock" for me was when Lotus signed Kimi.

[@vasekkosar3931]

I'm surprised Hamilton's move to Mercedes or Jean Alesi's move to Ferrari aren't there.

[@namefinder]

Williams deciding to drop Hill was the biggest shock for me.

[@sandalphoncpu]

F1 Drivers: I wanna join Ferrari Irvine: I was robbed to Ferrari

[@galetinm]

Not what happened. Eddie Irvine didn't say that, Eddie Jordan did, it's a bit misleading if you don't read what says on the screen. Eddie Jordan first convinced Michael Schumacher that Irvine would be a good team mate, then when Michael made the suggestion to Jean Todt, Jean Todt said he wouldn't pay the buyout clause of $4-6mil. Eddie Jordan then played hardball saying that it would cost him too mich to lose Irvine. So Ferrari did eventually pay $5mil. It was Eddie Jordan who played them, so he said that it was a daylight robbery, meaning that he was the one who robbed Ferrari i.e. the one wearing the mask.

[@1_5RCBiker]

Emmo leaving McClaren to join Copersucar in '76. No one saw that coming, not even McClaren or Philip Morris.

[@alvarsdzenis4739]

The real deal re Rossberg according to family insiders was Merc wanted him to let hamilton win next year, (team orders). Rossberg decided that that stifles his chances of multiple, consecutive championships and quit knowing Merc had the best cars, and driving for a team that can't win was pointless. So we have an undefeated champion.

[@soberhans4209]

What evidence is there of this? Makes no sense they would want Hamilton to win the *following* season without seeing how they are each performing. If they wanted Hamilton to win that badly they would not have let them race the prior season

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

The Rosberg was the biggest shock to me also. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@JackIsRacing]

I reckon Emerson Fittipaldi to Copasucar, and then sticking with them through to the end of his career is a bit of a shock personally

[@motorsportsenthusiast23]

I think Lewis’s move to Mercedes was the biggest shocker. He truly must’ve seen the future.

[@DiggyT]

Great video, really a breath of fresh air to not talk about current F1 drama

[@aifrench14]

Glad Irvine to Ferrari made the list as that was pretty crazy. Interestingly Alonso's Renault departure kind of echoed Schumi's departure from the Enstone Team in 1995, still Benetton back then, as there was rumours as early as Monaco that he was off to Ferrari despite their dominance.

[@danielalonso6223]

No one was shocked by Vettel and Ferrari splitting. I’m more surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Other than that, solid list. Maybe Ferrari sacking Rene Arnoux after the first race in 1985 could be up there as it’s never really been explained, or Villeneuve and Fittipaldi both walking away from title winning cars for new teams.

[@TheWookiee1977]

I'm shocked that Lewis Hamilton's move from McLaren to Mercedes-AMG Petronas wasn't one of the top 2, let alone that it was completely left out.

[@Edittname]

Clarkson even said 'Is that not a bit like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?' in his interview with Lewis, everyone was shocked back then..

[@ayakid921]

Rosberg's announcement was shocking for the reason that at such a peak age and just winning there was really no outside reason to stop there. it was so bizarre.

[@arlindosilva2557]

Emerson Fittipaldi leaving McLaren to join his brother Wilson in Copersucar, Niki Lauda going into retirement right after renewing his contract with Brabham or Alain Prost being sacked by Reanult days after losing the World Championship in 1983 were bigger shocking news than all of these.

[@BimaAgungSaputra-gt4px]

Can't believe no one mention max and kvyat in-season switch

[@darthconquerus]

Difficult to argue with Ricciardo at the time on his doubts about the Honda engine given what happened at McLaren

[@patrickracer43]

Could add Juan Pablo Montoya leaving McLaren to rejoin Chip Ganassi Racing but as a driver for Ganassi's NASCAR program (with some ARCA starts to allow NASCAR to see how well he could handle himself on the superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega)

[@johncitizen306]

Nobody cares about some bean boy going to fatcar

[@SiVlog1989]

Here's an example that would make the list, circa the time of commenting, Lewis Hamilton signs for Ferrari. Before 2024 preseason testing had even started, and having signed a new Mercedes deal until 2025, Hamilton activated an early exit clause in his contract to join Maranello for 2025 instead. What makes this all the more shocking was that Carlos Sainz was given the impression that he was on the verge of being retained by Ferrari, getting a new contract. But with Hamilton being snapped up by Ferrari, and many of the top seats taken, Sainz is scrambling for a seat anywhere on the grid. At the time of commenting, he appears to be either heading to Williams or the future Works Audi team

[@rayEvo9mr]

Is no one going to mention CHECO PEREZ to REDBULL??? No one expected Perez to be picked because he wasn’t a Redbull up and coming driver

[@9adriano21]

Also Checo leaving RP/AM was a shock, considering he saved that team

[@ajegelin]

I was more than mental stress of being a number to Driver by design that caused Nico to leave rather than the pressure of racing Lewis. But then again this is the race.

[@Jorge.Painkiller]

Sauber replacing Kobayashi for Gutierrez has to be one of the worst decisions they ever made

[@jj-qs7hw]

Latifi is the biggest shock for me

[@ashooaway]

The biggest shock is that you are making a video on this topic but I love it!!

[@9adriano21]

Racing Point/AM dropping Pérez… considering he literally saved that team from disappearing and was performing really good that year

[@omar-oi6zg]

Danny Ric's move from Red Bull still puzzles me.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

That was Danny's choice not red bulls. He knew he'd be a number 2 to max and left.

[@soundscape26]

He anticipated a Vettel/Webber 2.0 scenario.

[@MrSkeleton131]

@@soundscape26 Exactly, it absolutely would've turned into that

[@no1washerezz]

baku 2018... red bull failed to side with ricciardo when it was evidently max's fault.

[@mgers75]

Montoya basically quiting Williams mid race and signing with McLaren the next day should definitely be somewhere in this t10

[@kylehansen3333]

Could we get some Indy car KZbin content on the race? Love the Indy car podcast and would like to see some indycar KZbin coverage.

[@grimm6jack]

Rosberg made what Vettel should've done as well. Rosberg knew that he had to leave aside his family and commit almost 100% of himself to F1 if he ever wanted to be a World Champion. And he's right... If you are a F1 champion, and want to go for more, that's what you have to sacrifice. Vettel before 2014, had no kids and had a commitment to F1 like no other driver post-Schumacher. And what did that result? Into him being the sensational driver he was between 2008 and 2013. After the end of 2013, he became a father for the first time, had to have less commitment to F1 and that resulted in his performances not being the same anymore. He still showed World Champion performances in his first 3 years at Ferrari, but after having a 2nd kid, and then a 3rd one in 2019, we all saw how he went down, and he even now also has his mind focused on world problems rather than F1. So yeah, if anything, we actually have to respect what Rosberg did. Hamilton as we all know has no kids, he has a few businesses outside of F1 but he has people to handler that for him. He has an easy going life, and that's why he can commit to F1, he himself says F1 is his life, which is why Hamilton consistently across his career aside from or two other years, has delivered World Champion worthy performances. But again, with Hamilton you can tell that he also is focusing on other things since 2020... And it's been noticeable his drop in performance since 2018. It may have not looked like it because in 2019 and 2020 he had a rocketship under him and a teammate that's a midfield driver at best. But 2021 showed... His car was still the best but this time not by much, and even despite the bad luck his opposition had in several DNFs, he still lost the championship. I have no doubt in my mind that if in 2021 Hamilton had the same commitment he had the years prior to 2018, he would've been champion for damn sure even before the last race in Abu Dhabi. Max and Leclerc, are young and also like all these world champions before them, when young, have little else to commit to other than F1. Wait until they start having other responsabilities and things to focus on and you will also notice them drop in performance.

[@peppamintyy]

Reminds me of Damon Hill's interview by Top Gear, in which he said by a certain age, or after you have a family, there's a voice in the back of your head that says "You know, if you don't push too hard, you can live longer" or something similar.

[@shotarokaneda5922]

Imagine if Nico had negotiated a return in 2019 with a team like Red Bull... We could've had Nico VS Max VS Lewis in 2021. WHY, NICO, WHY???

[@juanin200]

Red Bull had spent enough money, time and resources into Verstappen to let another driver take their first Championship since 2013. That's why Max couldn't get a good team-mate since Dani Ric, they were always going to be treated as Verstappen's rear-gunner.

[@Welshguy78]

Williams sacking Hill and the fallout from that action, has to rank as the biggest mistake in the history of F1. The sheer arrogance and spiteful attitude of Frank and Patrick during that period destroyed a once great team. I loved Williams in that period, but they got what they deserved.

[@jiboo6850]

that's why i was pissed off when people were praising him when he died. gutted i was. this dude made his downfall by himself with Patrick. even though patrick was a bit more wise.

[@titchlilly1294]

Frank was not a great businessman at all stubborn etc. His behaviour towards Hill was awful considering Hill dragged that team kicking and screaming after sennas death to even have a shot at wdc was remarkable. Hill to this day is still very sporting and is the gentleman that his father was.

[@MrSniperfox29]

You have to remember, Williams never wanted to give Hill the drive to begin with. Originally it was going to be Mika Hakkinen, but Lotus played hardball and Williams had to back down and only gave Hill the drive because his mechanics liked him. While he did perform well in 1994, the fact he fell completely apart in 1995 (when he had the best car) was the nail in the coffin as far as Hill getting a long term deal out of it.

[@frr1107]

Huge respect for Mansell

[@cosmostrek2001]

the mansell move is number 1. you could hear the williams guy say everything is agrees live on tv. this is number 1. because it started the slow decline of williams into the last place team they have begun. williams has always been cheap skates and treated their driver terribly i do not know why the ex drivers want anything to do with them.

[@POzziee]

What about adding "Hill to Arrows" after Williams dumped him? Mansell coming back to guest race in 94 for Williams after Senna's death. Then expecting to partner Hill in 95, only to loose out to the cheaper option of Coulthard. Then the mess that was his signing for McLaren. To me it felt like Adrian Newey followed Coulthard around, trying to make him a WDC winning cars that others (Hill, Villeneuve, Hakkinen and Vettel) did the job in?

[@ralfhtg1056]

About pronounciation: Vettel is actually pronounced "Fettel" as the letter v is more often than not pronounced like a very harsh f.

[@101Altaaf]

please make a video explainning Williams current struggles

[@moonmandesign]

Surtees quits Ferrari - 1966, joins Honda for ‘67.

[@riggerthegeek]

I love how reigning world championship retires is a massive shock when Rosberg does it, but not when Mansell does it - Mansell retired so many times

[@MulettoMotorsports]

Reutemann retires two races into the 1982 season. Leaving Williams shuffling between Mario Andretti and Derek Daly.

[@robertnguyen3925]

I think looking back, Lewis' decision to move to Mercedes after Singapore 2012 was beyond shocking. However, I couldn't be more wrong. Singapore 2012 will forever be a pivotal moment in Hamilton's career. I remembered watching the race from the Padang grandstand and was in complete disbelief when the McLaren's gearbox gave out on lap 23. All week leading to the race, so many rumors about Lewis joining Mercedes. Less than a week later, well the rest is history. If it wasn't for the double DNFs in Italy and Singapore, combining the bad luck in Spain with the blown tire. 2010 could have been Hamilton's year. 2012, if McLaren has a more reliable car on both the mechanical side and race trim. F1's history could be so much different by now with all the what ifs? The 2009-2012 era was something to behold... well except 2011. Different weekends, different teams on form. McLaren, Red Bull, Lotus-Renault and Ferrari (thanks to Alonso) like usual. Then we would have a surprise midfield team joining the podium and even victory fight. One week it would be Mercedes, Force India, Sauber or Williams. Probably the most competitive era of F1's history from my viewpoint in terms of both drivers and teams' competitiveness. But well, that's racing...

[@KlaximumSkroeft]

Pretty clear that Ferrari's decision to stop hiring champions and make their own is going to pay off. Sainz and Charles can both do it and they'll be looking good doing it.

[@flammenjc]

Ferrari dropping Vettel wasnt shocking at all.. his performances just got worse and worse. Maybe it was a bit sooner than expected but not shocking at all.

[@SilverScarletSpider]

The biggest shock is that in 2022, Lance Stroll and William Latifi are still in F1

[@SuperWowwowwowwowwow]

Ferrari and Williams being the "why is it always you two" bunch in this one

[@jgagnier]

I would've guessed a top 3 of Rosberg, Hamilton's switch and Villeneuve's departure from WIlliams. Well, I got one right :)

[@RCMgb]

Anyone know the first song in the background?

[@Not_Matt]

Can we get a video on F1 drivers that walked away from their teams mid-season?

[@grooviegroovz]

Super interesting!

[@AkersJohn]

Danny Ric not re-signing at RB caused Gasly to get promoted (prematurely, in hindsight) from then Torro Rosso, in conjunction with Sainz signing with McLaren, after being on loan to Renault. Additionally, it allowed Albon to have a seat as TR needed to fill a place, and all the RB juniors haven't really panned out (Albon was cut from the RB jr program pretty early on and he was going to drive in Formula E after finishing behind George and Lando in F2). I wonder if Danny Ric regrets leaving, as while he's won races at McLaren and Renault, he'll never drive a World Championship winning car again? It was his decision, and RB wanted him back, he made a mistake in leaving.

[@squidcaps4308]

Hill to Arrows.

[@pizzabagerenmujaffa8123]

Kmag to haas is the biggest for me

[@tomeddie14]

Schumacher not on this list? Odd.. Schumacher to Benetton after Jordan, his move to Ferrari after 2x WDC, his shock retirement first time round, his return to F1?

[@jiboo6850]

dude do you realize how much represent 15 years career in F1? he was super tired and needed a break. his decision wasn't that hard to take. he just took the opportunity of Ferrari's changing mind to have a rest. he came back only 3 years later for another 3 years which means he has a 18 years carrer. it's HUGE for a champion.

[@joachimvanwing8741]

Enzo Ferrari signing Villeneuve after his 1977 debut race with McLaren? Toyota signing Trulli as a future DWC contender?

[@StuntcatTV]

Once you're considered second driver at Ferrari, they don't give a damn about you anymore

[@jayb2705]

With all the top drivers now signing these huge long term deals, we may not see a big shocking move for a while.

[@tuomoseppala]

K-Mag to HAAS 2022 is missing!

[@gofurmia6997]

Imagine if vettel had stayed one more year at Rb and then going to Mercedes. The fights would be unreal

[@TheBlackopsbeast360]

Imagine Ricciardo in the Alpine. It’s going to develop nicely over the course of this year.

[@selder_7]

I’ve so much respect for Rosberg’s retirement

[@aikanaro236]

Montoya ans riccardo i think are the biggest ones.

[@Vindicator18]

I think Perez to Red Bull in 2021 should be there, Senna to Williams in 1994, Kimi to Ferrari in 2007, The Michael's first retirement at the end of 2006, Hunt to McLaren in 1976, and Hamilton to Mercedes in 2013 (I think it was 2013).

[@MrSniperfox29]

With Perez there are two lines of thought Red Bull hadn't signed a non-Red Bull driver for nearly15 years so would they look outside of the box now? Hulkenberg "fans" were convinced he was the better option and because Max was misquoted as saying he preferred Hulkenberg (he actually said he didn't care who his teammate was) they tried to claim he was toing to get the drive over Perez (they have been proven wrong)

[@TheCardude98]

Soon people will find this video and know that Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari would be number one for this

[@SolidSonicTH]

It's not THAT shocking. If he wants his final chance to take a title he needs to part from Mercedes. Though I don't know if Ferrari has the punch to do it either.

[@1973HenkY]

Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes should have been in this. Max Verstappen going to Red Bull could also have been in this.

[@richardstreet7605]

Why not have a fine 10* the overspend and give the money to their rivals (and it doesn't count to their cost cap).

[@adriangonzalez3474]

Senna to Ferrari would have been the biggest shock of all

[@jamesmcclarty-miller]

Ferrari did Seb Dirty ....

[@MrBboyflexibi]

I think Vettel to Ferrari was a huge shock tbh

[@DedMan28]

Weird that Vettel's retirement in 2022 did not make the cut...

[@mikoku921]

It's quite shocking how bad the Williams HR seems to have been in the 90's by losing 3 WDCs following their titles.

[@feke5987]

Alonso tried to go to RedBull for 2015??? Damn can you imagine Ricciardo and Alonso at RedBull.

[@frankg2003]

I don’t know where they get Alonso trying to get a seat at RB. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that, and I read everything F1.

[@andreipop1]

I see a common theme here with Ferrari. 😂

[@mplwnmp]

No Fittipaldi movement to Copersucar? Hmm…

[@AlonsoRules]

I reckon Hamilton going to Mercedes in 2013 was the biggest. McLaren were very competitive in 2012 and could have nicked the title without unreliability. Mercedes at the time were a solid Q3 runner and occasional podium finisher. I thought Hamilton was throwing away his career.