FORUMula1.com

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1 – Ian Burgess



Ian Burgess competed in 16 grand prix between 1958 and 1963 for Cooper, Scirocco and Lotus . As his career ended he was jailed for 10 years for allegedly dealing drugs – specifically heroin. He developed heart disease and diabetes which ultimately took his life in 2012.

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2 –Thomas Enge



Thomas Enge only competed in 3 grand prix during 2001. His career was short lived largely because he was forced to take several hiatuses due to failing several mandatory drug tests. His first ban was in 2002 and resulted in him not only being stripped of all of his previous Formula 3000 titles, but also ended his Formula 1 hopes.

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3 –Andre Guelfi



Andre Guelfi competed in just one Formula 1 race back in 1958. He was tangled up in a scandal involving politicians Dumas, Kohl and Mitterand which earned him a 3 year suspended jail term and around 1 million Euros in fines. He never managed to get back on the track after that.

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4 –Eddie Irvine



Eddie Irvine competed in 146 races between 1993 and 2002. On retiring from driving Irvine dabbled in show business until 2014 when he got himself into legal trouble following a brawl in Italy. He was sentenced to 6 months, but there is little chance he will ever spend time in jail. It did tarnish his reputation though!

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5 –Chris Irwin



Chris Irwin raced in 10 grand prix between 1966 and 1967 until being involved in a major crash in 1968. He sustained some fairly substantial injuries and was never able to make a full recovery. As well as extensive scarring, the crash also caused him to develop epilepsy.

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6 –Frank Montagny



Former Super Aguri driver Frank Montagny essentially ended his own racing career when he tested positive for a cocaine derivative in 2014. He admits his own fault in the matter. In an interview following his suspension he stated, ‘At the end of the race, I see the guy who tests signalling me. There, in my head, I understood immediately. I knew it was dead.’

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7 – Adrian Sutil



German Formula 1 driver Adrian Sutil was handed an 18 month suspended jail sentence for GBH after assaulting Lotus co-owner Eric Lux in a nightclub. Although he did not lose his super license he has struggled to get a full time driving position since the conviction. He is currently a backup driver at Williams.

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8 – James Hunt



For a time in the seventies, James Hunt was the golden boy of Formula 1 and he could do no wrong. However, off the track he also fancied himself as a bit of a playboy and was often seen drinking and womanising. This soon began to impact his performance and his life spiralled out of control. Hunt died aged just 45 from a heart attack.

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9 – Michael Schumacher



Michael Schumacher has had a long and successful Formula 1 career with 91 wins in 306 races and 7 Championships. However, in December 2013 his life changed forever when he was involved in a near fatal skiing accident. He was placed in a medically induced coma for 6 months. He regained consciousness in June 2014 and began his long rehabilitation. As of now, he remains in a wheelchair and has paralysis and severe memory issues.

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10 – Maria de Villota



Maria de Villota was paving the way for women in Formula one in her role as a test driver for Marussia. However she crashed into a loading ramp and she ended up losing an eye. She needed multiple surgeries to correct the damage to her skull and face. Her racing career was over before it really began. She died a year later from ongoing complications from her injuries.

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11 – Alex Zanardi



Alex Zanardi was involved in a crash in 2001 which resulted in him having both of his legs amputated. His life fell apart. However, he was not one to be defeated and he made a triumphant return to racing about 2 years later when he competed in the FIA World Touring Car Chmapionship for BMW. He then switched to handcycling and competed in the paralympics in 2012.

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12 – Yuji Ide



Japanese driver Yuji Ide will go down in history as one of the worst drivers ever to grace Formula 1! He was one of the oldest rookies ever – making his debut in 2006 aged 31. He pretty much only got his spot on the Super Aguri team because they had a brief notion of an all Japanese team. However, his teammate Takuma Sato was much faster and Ide even failed to finish in his second race in Malaysia. In Australia he shouldered the blame for blocking Rubens Barrichello and then, following an opening lap crash with Christijan Albers the FIA had finally had enough and revoked his Super license – ending his Formula 1 career. It was all down hill form there for Yui Ide.

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13 – Giovanna Amati



Giovanna Amati was set to be the first woman to be a F1 driver. In 1991, Giovanna made her debut testing for Benetton. However, her accomplishment was marred by talk of her having a relationship with the team principle. She then signed to drive for Brabham in 1992 making her debut in South Africa. However, it was a complete disaster. She then failed to qualify in Mexico and BRazil and was sacked to be replaced by Damon Hill.

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14 – Al Pease



Canadian Al Pease had a successful career in Canadian motorsport, even getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. It wasn’t until he gave Formula 1 a try that his life began to go down hill. He is the only F1 driver in history to be disqualified for driving too slow! In the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix he was given the black flag for being a general menace and battling with race leaders despite being several laps behind them!

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15 – Kevin Magnussen



Kevin Magnussen is the McLaren driver who ousted Sergio Perez after just one season. However, he only held onto the spot for one season as well before being demoted to a test driver. Other drivers have gone so far as to say that McLaren have ruined the young driver’s career by demoting him. Although he got to race in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix in place of Alonso who was not medically cleared, he was released from McLaren in October and is still seeking a new team.