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F1 drivers are more often than not, consummate professionals. They behave professionally, tend not to take things personally, and don't go beyond the norm when it comes to conducting themselves in public or even during racing events.
There have been moments in the history of the sport, however, where drivers have let their emotions get the better of themselves and reacted in a way that does not suit an F1 driver. In this piece, we will be taking a look at a few incidents where drivers got into physical altercations during or after a race.
#1 George Russell-Valtteri Bottas (2021 F1 Imola GP)
George Russell is a Mercedes driver right now and by the looks of it, the German team will be his home for a significant period. Having said that, in 2021, he was still a Williams driver fighting at the back of the grid. In that year's Imola GP, mixed conditions had helped Russell to run in the points.
Valtteri Bottas, in his Mercedes, was just ahead of Russell and struggling with tire temperatures. When Bottas messed up the launch in the last corner before the pit straight, it gave Russell a run on the Mercedes driver. The Briton, when trying to overtake Bottas around the outside, touched the wet part of the track, spun, and crashed into the Finn.
After the crash, the Williams driver was furious at what had happened as he went over to Bottas' Mercedes (who was winded by the accident) and tapped his head in frustration. The action raised tensions between the two drivers as Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had to get involved to ease things out between the two drivers.
#2 Max Verstappen-Esteban Ocon (2018 F1 Brazilian GP)
The 2018 Brazilian GP was a race where Max Verstappen had found the perfect setup and was running away with the race. He had everything in order, the car was fast, and Lewis Hamilton in second could not lap even in the vicinity of the times Verstappen was putting together.
A win looked certain for the Red Bull driver when, all of a sudden, everything turned pear-shaped. Esteban Ocon, on fresh tires, had come out on track behind Verstappen. The French driver was stuck behind the Dutchman on much faster tires and on the first turn, Ocon tried to unlap himself. Before Max Verstappen could realize what was happening, the two drivers crashed into each other. Verstappen would crawl his way to second in the race and went on to confront Ocon after the race.
The Red Bull driver would push the French driver and before things could get worse, both the drivers were separated from each other.
#3 Michael Schumacher-David Coulthard (1998 F1 Belgian GP)
The 1998 Belgian GP was another one of many spectacles that Michael Schumacher used to put together on the field whenever it rained. The Ferrari driver was in a league of his own in very heavy rain as he was lapping multiple seconds quicker than anybody else.
The Ferrari driver was about to lap the McLaren of David Coulthard, who was the teammate of Schumacher's main title rival, Mika Hakkinen. In a bid to let Schumacher through, Coulthard slowed down on the racing line. Unable to see it in the spray, the German was caught unawares as he clattered into the back of the McLaren.
Furious at losing out on a certain win and the dangerous maneuver by Coulthard, Schumacher stormed into the McLaren garage being chased by Stefano Domenicali of all people. The German was visibly furious and had to be separated by a group of people from Coulthard.
#4 Nigel Mansell vs Ayrton Senna (1997 F1 Belgian GP)
In the early stages of his F1 career, Ayrton Senna was considered a ferocious driver. Some of his wheel-to-wheel antics, however, had raised alarms amongst drivers up and down the grid. In the 1987 F1 season, it was the same thing that led to a rather colorful situation between two drivers. Senna, in the Lotus at the time, made a strong start to the race. Nigel Mansell in the Williams, however, was all over him.
When the British driver tried to make a move around the outside, the Brazilian ended up pushing Mansell too far and both drivers ended up in the gravel. Mansell was so furious with Senna that he confronted him after the race and reportedly punched him across the face.
#5 Nelson Piquet vs Eliseo Salazar (1992 F1 German GP)
Nelson Piquet was having one of his dominant drives in the Brabham in 1982. The Brazilian had a considerable lead over everyone on the grid and was streaking away in a race, becoming hard to catch. After a decent number of laps in the race, it did become evident that Piquet would cruise to a victory.
The backmarker Eliseo Salazar, however, had different ideas. As Piquet came across Salazar, he tried to overtake the latter. A slightly nervous Salazar, trying to give way to Piquet, however, moved over very late and ended up crashing into the Brazilian.
Piquet saw red after his crash and ran after Salazar at the spot of the accident and started throwing punches and kicks at his fellow driver. After a few moments, Piquet was controlled as he calmed down and the situation was diffused.
