'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
F1 drivers are fueled with passion and energy to make the most out of their racing careers. Once they feel that they have achieved their goals, most drivers opt to retire from the sport and finally hang up their helmets.
However, such hasn't been the case for many in the long history of the sport. Multiple drivers have returned to racing years after their initial retirements. Be it Michael Schumacher's return with Mercedes in 2010 or Niki Lauda's competitive challenge to the grid in 1982, these athletes have proven themselves consistently throughout the years.
Here is a list of five F1 World Champions who returned to racing after their initial retirements.
Michael Schumacher's second F1 stint with Mercedes
Schumacher is considered to be one of the greatest drivers to have ever stepped into the world of racing. He won his first two F1 World Championships with Benetton in 1994 and 1995. Later, he won five consecutive championships with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. After the team's dominance came to an end, Schumacher retired from the sport at the end of the 2006 season.
Trending
However, racing wasn't over for him just yet. In 2009, as Mercedes returned to the sport, they announced their all-German lineup with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher in 2010. The team was not in a shape to fight for wins but Schumacher showcased his brilliance on the track.
Upon his return, Schumacher regularly finished in the points and came in ninth in the championship standings. He returned for three seasons and also scored a podium in 2012 at Valencia, before finally hanging up his helmet at the end of that season.
Fernando Alonso returns with Alpine
The Spaniard is one of the most sensational drivers in the history of Formula 1. Debuting back in 2001, his career has featured 32 race wins and two World Championships. After retiring in 2018 post a disappointing stint with McLaren, Fernando Alonso returned with Alpine in 2021. He battled his way to a podium finish in Qatar that season.
He then moved to Aston Martin in 2023 and has claimed several podium finishes for the team, remaining competitive at the top. While the team is currently not in a shape to fight at the front of the field, Alonso seems to be focused on a longer stint with them.
Kimi Raikkonen's stint with Lotus
Raikkonen raced with McLaren in the early seasons of his career. His racecraft and focused driving brought him his first win in Malaysia in 2003. He was also the runner-up in the Drivers' Championship that season. Moving to Ferrari in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen bagged his first and only Championship. At the end of the 2009 season, the team announced that he was leaving, although he had a contract for 2010. After multiple failed negotiations, the 'Iceman' of F1 moved away from the sport.
This was until 2012, when he returned with Lotus. Posing a challenge to his competitors, he finished the championship in third place upon his return. He moved back to Ferrari in 2014 and bagged his final victory at COTA in 2018. Post that, he moved to Alfa Romeo in 2019 and finally retired at the end of the 2021 season.
Nigel Mansell's challenge with McLaren
Another legend of racing, Mansell made his F1 debut with Lotus in 1980. However, it wasn't until he moved to Williams in 1985 that he got a competitive car. Battling for multiple seasons within the top five, Mansell finally won the Drivers' World Championship in 1992, winning nine out of the sixteen races that season.
However, because of a conflict with Williams, Mansell stepped away from Formula 1. He took part in the Indy Car World Series for two seasons and then made a brief return to F1 in 1994. After Ayrton Senna's tragic death at Imola in 1994, David Coulthard was picked to initially replace him. However, after an agreement, Mansell raced for four races.
He then signed with McLaren for the 1995 season, but it turned out to be disappointing. Mansell was unable to fit in the cockpit of the car and was initially replaced by Mark Blundell. When the car was finally made fit for him before Imola, he faced extreme handling issues, and after just two races, decided to retire from F1.
Niki Lauda's exemplary stint with McLaren
In his second season with Ferrari in 1975, Niki Lauda won his first F1 World Championship. His excellence and competitiveness were unmatched on the grid. Despite his life-threatening crash at the Nurburgring in 1976, he returned to racing after missing only two race weekends and managed to finish as the runner-up in the championship. His rival at the time, James Hunt, picked up his first and only championship that season.
After collecting his second title in the following season, Lauda moved to Brabham. However, the next two seasons were mostly disappointing with multiple retirements. Nearing the end of the 1979 season, he returned to Austria to run his charter airline, 'Lauda Air.'
Returning to the sport in 1982 with McLaren, Niki Lauda surprised the grid with a P4 finish in the season-opening race at Kyalami. He then won the race in the US later that season. In 1984, Lauda won his third and final F1 World Championship with the team, marking his return as one of the best in the history of the sport.
