The 10 biggest shocks in the F1 driver market 

Rosberg's shock retirement after winning the 2016 title causing Merc to buy out Valtteri Bottas' Williams deal caused Williams to re-sign Felipe Massa for one more season to partner Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who had originally been signed by Williams to replace Massa (the driver who originally intended to retire after 2016)

I'd have put Danny Ric's move higher up the list, that one was a shocker that caused waves within Red Bull & Torro Rosso for years!

For everyone who started watching F1 recently let me help you fully grasp the insanity around Lewis' decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2012 - Imagine *Verstappen* decided to quit Red Bull at the end of this year for *Alpine.* That's how crazy and baffling a decision it was.

What I've learned from this video is Frank Williams is a great Talent spotter but not the best businessman

Lewis to Merc back then shocked me. Like "WTF Lewis, why are you moving to midfield team?". Oh boy I was wrong.

i think Checo’s should be up there too. he went from saving a F1 team and bringing them 4th on CC, they quit on him after what it was his best season, and redbull decided to trust on his experience instead of bringing back any of the other two young prodigies

Ferrari choosing Badoer to fill in for Massa in '09 was pretty shocking...purely because what the hell were Ferrari thinking

I think now we can add at least two more to the list of honourable mentions: Alpine promotes Oscar Piastri to a race seat for 2023, only to be snubbed by Piastri himself and Fernando Alonso suddenly rejects Alpine to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin

Torro Rosso's announcement to have a 17 years-old rookie in their 2015 F1 seat was quite a shocker, as was the promotion of that very same rookie mid-season only the year after that to the Red Bull team.

DR’s move from RBR to Renault should’ve been higher in my personal opinion, as it is, I think, part of the reason the RB driver academy has been an utter shambles over the last few years

How is Hamilton to Mercedes not on here? People were so shocked by that, because at the time Mercedes were just a midfield team, who many said Hamilton was only going to for the money.

Some moves that were also shocking in my opinion that didn't make it into this video: - Emerson Fittipaldi leaves McLaren to join his brother's team. - Niki Lauda walks out on Ferrari after winning the title with two races to go in the season to join Brabham. Also his first retirement walking out on Brabham with two races to go as well. - Carlos Reutemann walks out on Williams just two races into the 1982 season. - Alan Jones returns to F1 after almost 4 years to join the newly created Haas Lola team. - Juan Pablo Montoya is sacked by McLaren. - A 41-year-old Michael Schumacher returns to F1 with the returning Mercedes team.

Anyone here after Piastri saying no to Alpine?

Alonso to McLaren the first time was the second time in 3 years that McLaren signed up a driver a long way ahead of time. Midway through 2003, they signed Juan Pablo Montoya to join the team in 2005. Much like with Alonso, Montoya's time at the Woking team ended in acrimonious circumstances (Alonso felt like he was driving for a team that was favouring Hamilton, returning to the team he had left after 2006, Renault, and Montoya initially struggled with the McLaren car concept and as it became less competitive in 2006, he opted to join NASCAR for 2007, but Ron Dennis terminated his contract after he found out)

The biggest (and certainly most influential) transfer in recent years has to have been Hamilton to Mercedes, but the one that shocked me the most was Rosberg

I wonder why Lewis's move from McLaren to Mercedez didn't come to the list, are those doesn't shocking enough or doesn't big enough to come to the list

How is Hamilton to Mercedes not on here?? I thought it was gonna be no 1, having not considered Rosberg admittedly

I found MSC's retirement quite shocking. So much so that it shocked me out of watching F1 until his return shocked me back into it.

Damon Hill to Arrows, if he puuled of that victory in Hungary it would have been one of the greates victories in F1 history.

Biggest one for me was skipping the 2020 season entirely and then seeing Alonso and Kimi on the grid at the first race of 2021

Probably Schumacher returning in 2010 was the biggest surprise for me after his 2006 retirement

Hamilton to Mercedes, Montoya to NASCAR, and Kubica's rally injury should have been factored in, I think

F1 Drivers: I wanna join Ferrari Irvine: I was robbed to Ferrari

Wasn't there even a rumour that one of the 1996 Ferrari cockpits would be filled with Alain Prost?! The biggest "shock" for me was when Lotus signed Kimi.

Next one could be top 10 underdog performances in f1?

I love learning about the insider talk that doesn't see the light of day at the time. The behind the scenes info is so exciting to hear. Thanks

No one was shocked by Vettel and Ferrari splitting. I’m more surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Other than that, solid list. Maybe Ferrari sacking Rene Arnoux after the first race in 1985 could be up there as it’s never really been explained, or Villeneuve and Fittipaldi both walking away from title winning cars for new teams.

This could easily be a list of 25+

I still remember back in 2013 when Ham decided to move to Merc and most of the F1 community bashin him some say hes in it for the money.

I think Lewis’s move to Mercedes was the biggest shocker. He truly must’ve seen the future.

I'm shocked that Lewis Hamilton's move from McLaren to Mercedes-AMG Petronas wasn't one of the top 2, let alone that it was completely left out.

The real deal re Rossberg according to family insiders was Merc wanted him to let hamilton win next year, (team orders). Rossberg decided that that stifles his chances of multiple, consecutive championships and quit knowing Merc had the best cars, and driving for a team that can't win was pointless. So we have an undefeated champion.

Emmo leaving McClaren to join Copersucar in '76. No one saw that coming, not even McClaren or Philip Morris.

Emerson Fittipaldi leaving McLaren to join his brother Wilson in Copersucar, Niki Lauda going into retirement right after renewing his contract with Brabham or Alain Prost being sacked by Reanult days after losing the World Championship in 1983 were bigger shocking news than all of these.

I reckon Emerson Fittipaldi to Copasucar, and then sticking with them through to the end of his career is a bit of a shock personally

I'm surprised Hamilton's move to Mercedes or Jean Alesi's move to Ferrari aren't there.

The Rosberg was the biggest shock to me also. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

Is no one going to mention CHECO PEREZ to REDBULL??? No one expected Perez to be picked because he wasn’t a Redbull up and coming driver

Rosberg's announcement was shocking for the reason that at such a peak age and just winning there was really no outside reason to stop there. it was so bizarre.

Williams deciding to drop Hill was the biggest shock for me.

Glad Irvine to Ferrari made the list as that was pretty crazy. Interestingly Alonso's Renault departure kind of echoed Schumi's departure from the Enstone Team in 1995, still Benetton back then, as there was rumours as early as Monaco that he was off to Ferrari despite their dominance.

Great video, really a breath of fresh air to not talk about current F1 drama

Difficult to argue with Ricciardo at the time on his doubts about the Honda engine given what happened at McLaren

The biggest shock is that you are making a video on this topic but I love it!!

Can't believe no one mention max and kvyat in-season switch

Sauber replacing Kobayashi for Gutierrez has to be one of the worst decisions they ever made

Imagine if Nico had negotiated a return in 2019 with a team like Red Bull... We could've had Nico VS Max VS Lewis in 2021. WHY, NICO, WHY???

To think what bombshells came after this - Red Bull saving Pérez' career after he was sacked by Racing Point/Aston Martin - Hamilton joining Ferrari for 2025 - the whole Alpine meltdown of 2022

I was more than mental stress of being a number to Driver by design that caused Nico to leave rather than the pressure of racing Lewis. But then again this is the race.

Could add Juan Pablo Montoya leaving McLaren to rejoin Chip Ganassi Racing but as a driver for Ganassi's NASCAR program (with some ARCA starts to allow NASCAR to see how well he could handle himself on the superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega)

Montoya basically quiting Williams mid race and signing with McLaren the next day should definitely be somewhere in this t10

Super interesting!

Could we get some Indy car RU-vid content on the race? Love the Indy car podcast and would like to see some indycar RU-vid coverage.

the mansell move is number 1. you could hear the williams guy say everything is agrees live on tv. this is number 1. because it started the slow decline of williams into the last place team they have begun. williams has always been cheap skates and treated their driver terribly i do not know why the ex drivers want anything to do with them.

Racing Point/AM dropping Pérez… considering he literally saved that team from disappearing and was performing really good that year

Danny Ric's move from Red Bull still puzzles me.

Williams sacking Hill and the fallout from that action, has to rank as the biggest mistake in the history of F1. The sheer arrogance and spiteful attitude of Frank and Patrick during that period destroyed a once great team. I loved Williams in that period, but they got what they deserved.

About pronounciation: Vettel is actually pronounced "Fettel" as the letter v is more often than not pronounced like a very harsh f.

Surtees quits Ferrari - 1966, joins Honda for ‘67.

Here's an example that would make the list, circa the time of commenting, Lewis Hamilton signs for Ferrari. Before 2024 preseason testing had even started, and having signed a new Mercedes deal until 2025, Hamilton activated an early exit clause in his contract to join Maranello for 2025 instead. What makes this all the more shocking was that Carlos Sainz was given the impression that he was on the verge of being retained by Ferrari, getting a new contract. But with Hamilton being snapped up by Ferrari, and many of the top seats taken, Sainz is scrambling for a seat anywhere on the grid. At the time of commenting, he appears to be either heading to Williams or the future Works Audi team

I think looking back, Lewis' decision to move to Mercedes after Singapore 2012 was beyond shocking. However, I couldn't be more wrong. Singapore 2012 will forever be a pivotal moment in Hamilton's career. I remembered watching the race from the Padang grandstand and was in complete disbelief when the McLaren's gearbox gave out on lap 23. All week leading to the race, so many rumors about Lewis joining Mercedes. Less than a week later, well the rest is history. If it wasn't for the double DNFs in Italy and Singapore, combining the bad luck in Spain with the blown tire. 2010 could have been Hamilton's year. 2012, if McLaren has a more reliable car on both the mechanical side and race trim. F1's history could be so much different by now with all the what ifs? The 2009-2012 era was something to behold... well except 2011. Different weekends, different teams on form. McLaren, Red Bull, Lotus-Renault and Ferrari (thanks to Alonso) like usual. Then we would have a surprise midfield team joining the podium and even victory fight. One week it would be Mercedes, Force India, Sauber or Williams. Probably the most competitive era of F1's history from my viewpoint in terms of both drivers and teams' competitiveness. But well, that's racing...

Pretty clear that Ferrari's decision to stop hiring champions and make their own is going to pay off. Sainz and Charles can both do it and they'll be looking good doing it.

I still believe to this to this day that rosberg could’ve been more competitive against Lewis than Bottas years after his retirement if he came back for 1 final year

What about adding "Hill to Arrows" after Williams dumped him? Mansell coming back to guest race in 94 for Williams after Senna's death. Then expecting to partner Hill in 95, only to loose out to the cheaper option of Coulthard. Then the mess that was his signing for McLaren. To me it felt like Adrian Newey followed Coulthard around, trying to make him a WDC winning cars that others (Hill, Villeneuve, Hakkinen and Vettel) did the job in?

please make a video explainning Williams current struggles

Rosberg made what Vettel should've done as well. Rosberg knew that he had to leave aside his family and commit almost 100% of himself to F1 if he ever wanted to be a World Champion. And he's right... If you are a F1 champion, and want to go for more, that's what you have to sacrifice. Vettel before 2014, had no kids and had a commitment to F1 like no other driver post-Schumacher. And what did that result? Into him being the sensational driver he was between 2008 and 2013. After the end of 2013, he became a father for the first time, had to have less commitment to F1 and that resulted in his performances not being the same anymore. He still showed World Champion performances in his first 3 years at Ferrari, but after having a 2nd kid, and then a 3rd one in 2019, we all saw how he went down, and he even now also has his mind focused on world problems rather than F1. So yeah, if anything, we actually have to respect what Rosberg did. Hamilton as we all know has no kids, he has a few businesses outside of F1 but he has people to handler that for him. He has an easy going life, and that's why he can commit to F1, he himself says F1 is his life, which is why Hamilton consistently across his career aside from or two other years, has delivered World Champion worthy performances. But again, with Hamilton you can tell that he also is focusing on other things since 2020... And it's been noticeable his drop in performance since 2018. It may have not looked like it because in 2019 and 2020 he had a rocketship under him and a teammate that's a midfield driver at best. But 2021 showed... His car was still the best but this time not by much, and even despite the bad luck his opposition had in several DNFs, he still lost the championship. I have no doubt in my mind that if in 2021 Hamilton had the same commitment he had the years prior to 2018, he would've been champion for damn sure even before the last race in Abu Dhabi. Max and Leclerc, are young and also like all these world champions before them, when young, have little else to commit to other than F1. Wait until they start having other responsabilities and things to focus on and you will also notice them drop in performance.

Once you're considered second driver at Ferrari, they don't give a damn about you anymore

Reutemann retires two races into the 1982 season. Leaving Williams shuffling between Mario Andretti and Derek Daly.

The biggest shock is that in 2022, Lance Stroll and William Latifi are still in F1

Imagine if vettel had stayed one more year at Rb and then going to Mercedes. The fights would be unreal

Can we get a video on F1 drivers that walked away from their teams mid-season?

Enzo Ferrari signing Villeneuve after his 1977 debut race with McLaren? Toyota signing Trulli as a future DWC contender?

Huge respect for Mansell

I love how reigning world championship retires is a massive shock when Rosberg does it, but not when Mansell does it - Mansell retired so many times

Latifi is the biggest shock for me

With all the top drivers now signing these huge long term deals, we may not see a big shocking move for a while.

Danny Ric not re-signing at RB caused Gasly to get promoted (prematurely, in hindsight) from then Torro Rosso, in conjunction with Sainz signing with McLaren, after being on loan to Renault. Additionally, it allowed Albon to have a seat as TR needed to fill a place, and all the RB juniors haven't really panned out (Albon was cut from the RB jr program pretty early on and he was going to drive in Formula E after finishing behind George and Lando in F2). I wonder if Danny Ric regrets leaving, as while he's won races at McLaren and Renault, he'll never drive a World Championship winning car again? It was his decision, and RB wanted him back, he made a mistake in leaving.

I would've guessed a top 3 of Rosberg, Hamilton's switch and Villeneuve's departure from WIlliams. Well, I got one right :)

Anyone know the first song in the background?

K-Mag to HAAS 2022 is missing!

Schumacher not on this list? Odd.. Schumacher to Benetton after Jordan, his move to Ferrari after 2x WDC, his shock retirement first time round, his return to F1?

I think Perez to Red Bull in 2021 should be there, Senna to Williams in 1994, Kimi to Ferrari in 2007, The Michael's first retirement at the end of 2006, Hunt to McLaren in 1976, and Hamilton to Mercedes in 2013 (I think it was 2013).

Weird that Vettel's retirement in 2022 did not make the cut...

Ferrari and Williams being the "why is it always you two" bunch in this one

Imagine Ricciardo in the Alpine. It’s going to develop nicely over the course of this year.

Why not have a fine 10* the overspend and give the money to their rivals (and it doesn't count to their cost cap).

As a new fan who only really started watching Formula 1 in 2017 I wasn't at all surprised that they dropped Sebastian. For the entirety of my fan Hood there have been memes about him spinning. I was actually surprised about the amount of outrage there was when he got dropped

How is Schumis return not on this list even my mum knew about it

Hamilton's announcement of partnering Bottas in 2017 simply shocking.

Alonso tried to go to RedBull for 2015??? Damn can you imagine Ricciardo and Alonso at RedBull.

No Fittipaldi movement to Copersucar? Hmm…

Man what could have been if merc had brought on a rookie in 2017 instead of buying out bottas's contract. Maybe one Piere gasly the 2016 gp2 champ

It's quite shocking how bad the Williams HR seems to have been in the 90's by losing 3 WDCs following their titles.

Hill to Arrows.

Kmag to haas is the biggest for me

I’ve so much respect for Rosberg’s retirement

I see a common theme here with Ferrari. 😂

I think Hamilton to Mercedes was a bit of a suprise. The still very competitive McLaren to the mid field Mercedes. Everyone thought it was a mistake. Oh how we were wrong

Montoya ans riccardo i think are the biggest ones.

Ferrari did Seb Dirty ....