Some of the finest drivers in the history of Formula One, not least a few world championships, have seen their careers scuppered by virtue of ill-chosen team switches. Many believe that Kimi Räikkönen’s F1 comeback in 2o12 with the Renault team will end in tears, too – and if it does, it won’t be far different from:
1. Emerson Fittipaldi (McLaren to Copersucar)
In 1972, Fittipaldi was the youngest Formula 1 world champion when he captured his first title driving the famous Lotus 72. Two years later, he moved to McLaren and won his second title. However, after finishing runner-up to Niki Lauda in 1975, he made a patriotic move to the new Brazilian-funded Copersucar team. He never won another race, and despite a few podium finishes, the team could not be considered a success. He retired from Formula 1 in 1980.
2. Jacques Villeneuve (Williams to BAR)
Jacques won 11 races in his first two years in Formula 1; in 1996 he was runner-up to Damon Hill in the championship, and in 1997 he narrowly beat Michael Schumacher to take the title, a feat his legendary father Gilles could never achieve. After an unsuccessful 1998, he joined the new British American racing team. He would never win another race.
3. Damon Hill (Williams to Arrows)
Damon won the Formula 1 world championship in 1996, but even before the year was out, he had a falling-out with team boss Sir Frank Williams. Hill joined the struggling Arrows team, led by Tom Walkinshaw, for 1997; The Englishman’s best result for the team was a second place in Hungary, but he would only take his last victory after joining the Jordan team.
4. Nigel Mansell (Williams to Mc Laren)
Following the death of Aytron Senna, Williams Renault promoted David Coulthard from test driver to Damon Hill’s number two. However, before the end of the 1994 season, Nigel Mansell, who had won the 1992 championship with the team, replaced Coulthard, and even won the last race of the championship in Australia. However, for 1995, Mansell joined McLaren, a move that could have been seen as being long overdue. However, Mansell did not adapt to the car at all, and after only a few races, he announced his retirement.
5. Carlos Reutemann (Ferrari to Lotus)
Despite winning four races in 1978 and finishing third in the championship, Ferrari replaced Carlos Reutemann with South African Jody Scheckter. Because Lotus had just won the championship, joining them seemed like a good move by Reutemann. However, it was the start of Lotus’s decline, and 1979 was an unsuccesful season for the team. Reutemann joined Williams the following year, and should have won the championship for them in 1981.
6. Eddie Irvine (Ferrari to Jaguar)
In 1999, Michael Schumacher broke both his legs in the British Grand Prix, giving Irvine, his team mate, a real chance to become World Champion. However, the Ulsterman lost out to Mika Hakkinen despite winning four races. For 2000, Rubens Barrichello replaced him at Ferrari, and Irvine joined Jaguar. This was a bad move, as Jaguar achieved absolutely no success at all in Formula 1.
7. Keke Rosberg (Williams to McLaren)
It has been said that Keke Rosberg did not want Nigel Mansell as a team-mate, so he left Williams as soon as his contract expired in 1985. He joined Mc Laren for 1986, but his French team mate, Alain Prost, overshadowed him completely, and became the first Formula 1 driver singe Jack Brabham in 1959/60 to defend his championship successfully. Keke did not win a single race that year, and to make matters worse, he realised that Williams had developed a superb car that gave the team the Constructor’s Chamionship in 1986 despite the fact that neither Nigel Mansell nor Nelson Piquet could win the Driver’s title that year. He retired at the end of 1986.
8. Fernando Alonso (Renault to McLaren)
This was one of the most eagerly-anticipated team switches ever. Alonso had become the youngest Formula 1 double world champion when he won his second titlefor Renault in 2006. Therefore, a move to McLaren seemed like a good idea. However, his team mate would be one of the most successful rookies in Formula 1 history, Lewis Hamilton. In a colsely-fought championship, the two Mc Laren team mates tied for second place in 2007, a solitary point behind Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen. The Mc Laren team was also stripped of all its championship points because of a spying scandal. Alonso joined Ferrari the following year.
9. Thierry Boutsen (Williams to Ligier)
In 1988, Boutsen frequently finished third behind the dominant Mc Laren duo of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in his Benetton. For 1989 he joined Williams, and won three races over the next two years. However, he was not considered a topline driver, and Nigel Mansell returned to the team for 1991. Boutsen joined Ligier, a team that scored a number of victories in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, but by 1991, the team’s best years were over.
10. Riccardo Patrese (Brabham to Alfa Romeo)
Patrese is one of the most experienced drivers in Formula 1 history. After several years with Arrows, he joined Brabham and started to win races. One of his most famous victories came in 1983 at Kyalami; Patrese won the race and his team mate, Nelson Piquet, the championship. However, the following year he joined Alfa Romeo, which had been in Formula 1 since 1979, but could never win a race. Fortunately, his career received a major boost when he joined Williams in 1988 and stayed with the team until the end of 1992.
