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F1’s Top Ten Driver Transfer Shocks

Fiona.mansell
Image shows Lewis Hamilton in the driver's seat of his Mercedes F1 car.

Fiona Mansell

Reflecting on ten of the biggest F1 driver transfer shocks and the chaos that has consumed the paddock over the years. 

2007: Fernando Alonso – Renault to McLaren

Despite back-to-back championships with Renault, Alonso transferred to McLaren for the 2007 season, in search of a new challenge. While at McLaren, Alonso’s then-rookie teammate, Lewis Hamilton, put pressure on the world champion as their feud developed.

Meanwhile, ‘Spygate’ was brewing at McLaren and it was no surprise that Alonso left after just one season.

Alonso for McLaren, 2016 | Image courtesy of Jake Archibald via Flickr. No changes have been made. Image license found here.

2010: Jenson Button – Brawn GP to McLaren

Button surprised fans when, against all odds, he and the Brawn GP team won the 2009 Drivers and Constructors World Championship. However, Button moved to McLaren to defend his title in 2010. The relationship with Brawn GP ended badly, with questions about the driver’s loyalty.

He went on to enjoy a friendly rivalry with teammate Lewis Hamilton at McLaren and won multiple races. In 2016, Button stepped away from driving, remaining as an advisor.

2010: Michael Schumacher – Retirement to Mercedes

After finishing second in the 2006 World Championship, Schumacher decided to retire. In 2010, he returned to race for the new Mercedes team headed by Ross Brawn. Critics questioned the potential risk to his reputation at a new team and Schumacher secured only one podium in three years. However, he expressed that he had enjoyed driving for Mercedes before returning to retirement.

https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1753026253202891142

2013: Lewis Hamilton – McLaren to Mercedes

Hamilton had an impressive history with McLaren, battling through the junior leagues and joining the F1 team in 2007. He secured second place, the most successful start for any rookie, and achieved his first World Drivers Championship the following year.

Hamilton failed to regain his World Championship title with McLaren so, in 2013, he announced he would replace the retiring Schumacher at Mercedes. The first season did not see much improvement for the driver. However, when regulation changes were introduced in 2014, Mercedes’ dominance began.

2015: Fernando Alonso – Ferrari to McLaren

Despite the turbulent history, Alonso returned to McLaren after five seasons with Ferrari. McLaren’s partnership with Honda gave hope that he could add to his two world championships from nearly a decade ago. In his first year, Alonso secured only 17th in the driver standings with teammate Button only one ahead. Unfortunately, in three years, he was unable to secure any championships. He retired at the end of 2018 but returned in 2021 and remains on the grid today.

2015: Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull to Ferrari

Vettel secured four consecutive World Drivers Championships with the Red Bull team. In 2014, he failed to secure a fifth title and decided to leave for Ferrari. Vettel expressed his disappointment with his departure from Red Bull. However, he wanted to fulfil his childhood dream to drive for Ferrari. Vettel left when Ferrari didn’t retain his contract after six years without another title.

2016: Max Verstappen – Toro Rosso to Red Bull

Red Bull announced Verstappen would be replacing Danil Kvyat at the 2016 Spanish GP and for the rest of the season. Many questioned the decision to promote the 18-year-old, believing he was too young. However, he was quickly hailed a future champion after becoming the youngest race winner in F1 history. Verstappen has since secured his third World Championship last season.

https://twitter.com/Max33Verstappen/status/1711118500989706463

2019: Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull to Renault

The Honey Badger quit Red Bull after multiple Grand Prix wins and signed a two-year contract to replace Carlos Sainz at Renault. In one of the strangest driver transfer of them all, he faced disappointment with the team and then again at McLaren later on in his career. In 2022, McLaren ended his contract, leaving him without a seat. He returned to Red Bull as a reserve driver before joining Alpha Tauri last year. Now we can see this driver transfer was a gamble that didn’t pay off, leaving Ricciardo now trying to earn back the seat he never should have left.

2021: Sergio Perez – Racing Point to Red Bull

Perez was a surprising choice for Red Bull to replace former driver Alex Albon who had been left out of a seat after being dropped by the team in favour of former World Champion Vettel. Red Bull broke tradition by choosing Perez, a driver from outside their junior driver programmes for the first time since 2007.

2025: Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes to Ferrari

Hamilton announced earlier this year he would be leaving Mercedes, the team he has been with since 2013 and secured multiple championships with. In the summer of 2023, he signed to stay on at Mercedes until 2025. However, he activated a release option within his contract, claiming that driving for Ferrari was a childhood dream of his. Time will tell if he will succeed at Ferrari and if he can secure an eighth title.

The F1 paddock has seen many shocks and gambles. In this season we can expect more surprising transfers with over half of the grid out of a contract, a competitive driver like Sainz looking for a seat and Mercedes offering availability.

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Featured image courtesy of Jake Archibald on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.

Fiona is now undergoing a master's degree in 'Visual Journalism' in Cardiff after recently graduating with first-class honours in 'Performance and Media.' Most of her writing focuses on her passion for motorsport.

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