From Ayrton Senna to Oscar Piastri—A Brief History of Legal Battles in F1

It’s not every day that legal controversies get tangled up in sports. So when they do, it’s bound to make headlines. Whether it be the WTA banning Maria Sharapova from the tennis circuit for doping in 2016, Novak Djokovic getting deported from Australia in 2022, or even the intense anti-trust battles between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf in the past couple of years—they’ve all overpowered the actual sporting action. Formula 1 is no different. 

As the fastest sport in the world, F1 teams don’t just compete on track. The battles often spill over into courtrooms, especially considering the nature of the sport, where every driver is under a legal contract with their team. In F1’s 73-year history, it’s become evident that the off-track battles are just as important as the ones on track. There’s a complex legal landscape behind-the-scenes that mirrors the high-octane on-track action, and more often than not, these fights can determine the destiny of a driver. From Ayrton Senna in 1984 to Oscar Piastri in 2022, let’s dive into a timeline of legal controversies in F1.

Ayrton Senna betrayed Toleman for Lotus (1984)

When you delve into the world of F1, a few names stand out above the rest. Ayrton Senna is one of them. The late Brazilian driver, called ‘The Sao Paulo Taxi Driver’ in his formative years by Nelson Piquet, became one of the greatest drivers the sport has seen. With his raw speed and impeccable car control, he quickly climbed through the ranks, courtesy of Toleman giving him a drive in his 1984 rookie season. But as all success stories go, his wasn’t without its downs.

As a young gun, Senna showed promise in his junior career, and F1 teams started showing interest in him. Toleman was the first one to grab the opportunity to establish Senna as its driver, and the Brazilian proved his worth. Even though Toleman couldn’t give Senna a car that could frequently compete for wins, he took it to victory during the Monaco GP in wet conditions, outperforming established drivers in the sport. That’s when every team realized the talent the rookie had. Seeing this as an opportunity to continue their partnership, Toleman’s then-engineer Pat Symonds discussed how contract negotiations played out with Senna.

Read More: “He Had, Without Me, Lost His Bearings”: Ayrton Senna’s Greatest Rival Takes Credit for His Success

As quoted by autohebdo.fr, Symonds said, “We were discussing with him his salary for the 1985 season. And then we found out that he wasn’t just talking with Lotus but had already signed with them. Team boss Alex Hawkridge was furious. He didn’t care about penalizing the team, he didn’t want to let it pass and therefore suspended Ayrton for Monza.” [Translated by Google] After sitting Senna out for the Italian GP, Toleman took Lotus to court, but Senna ultimately chose Lotus for 1985. After spending three seasons with the team, Senna moved to McLaren in 1988, eventually winning three championships.

Jean Alesi stuck with Ferrari amidst Williams drama (1990)

After joining F1 in 1989, Jean Alesi instantly became a rising star in the eyes of many. His performances with the midfield Tyrrell team earned him widespread recognition for his talent. Ferrari didn’t want to give up the opportunity and started having talks with him for the 1991 season. But with Williams making a name just like Alesi was doing, Frank Williams got interested, too, wanting the best drivers possible for his team. As per speculations, the British team even made the Frenchman a compelling offer.

Controversy ensued when rumors began circulating that Alesi had agreed to join Williams for the 1991 season, creating a contractual clash with his existing commitment to Ferrari. In the end, though, Alesi stayed true to Ferrari and drove for the Scuderia for five seasons. Williams, on the other hand, signed Mansell, who went on to claim his first Driver’s Championship in 1992.

Unlike Alesi, Jenson Button chose Williams over BAR (2004-05)

If one season stands out in Jenson Button’s career, it’s the 2009 season when he won the championship with Brawn GP. Before he became a world champion, though, the 2004 season was particularly interesting. That year, he competed regularly at the front of the field right behind Ferrari, racing for BAR. Considering his performances in the 2004 season, everyone thought he’d stick with BAR for the foreseeable future. To everyone’s surprise, he announced he would leave the team to join BMW-Williams in 2005.

It came to light that Button was bound by his contract to stay at BAR even for the 2005 season and was misguided by his managers. When the issue was taken to the legal boardroom, the FIA concluded that Button could not break his contract with BAR for 2005 under any circumstances. While discussing this situation in 2022, Button said, “My career had only started a few years when I made that mistake. The Contract Recognition Board prevented my transfer, so I stayed at BAR, which became Honda, which became Brawn! So it was the right decision.”

The Alpine-McLaren tug-of-war for Oscar Piastri (2022)

With the driver line-up of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso for 2022, Alpine was confident about continuing its partnership with both. Following his F3 and F2 championship titles in 2020 and 2021, the Enstone team signed Oscar Piastri as its reserve driver for 2022, investing in him to help him grow in F1. But after Alonso’s shock departure to join Aston Martin this season, Alpine quickly released a statement saying Piastri would be driving for it in 2023. Like Palou, Piastri publicly denounced the news, writing, “I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”

Considering he’d gotten an F1 seat, people thought it wasn’t a wise move from Piastri. Some knew he would’ve done this only if he was confident of another seat. A month later, the speculations were confirmed when McLaren announced him as its 2023 driver alongside Lando Norris. Having lost two drivers in less than a month, Alpine wasn’t too happy about the situation and demanded remuneration for its investment in Piastri. While the matter didn’t go to the courts, there was quite some tension between Otmar Szafnauer and Zak Brown, but in the end, Alpine signed Pierre Gasly and dropped its demand.

Alex Palou’s indecision between Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren (2022-23)

Alex Palou, the Spanish IndyCar sensation, joined the series in 2020. Making his mark in that rookie season, Chip Ganassi Racing signed him for the 2021 season. They even won the championship with him that year, going up against Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. Having stayed with CGR for the 2022 season, CGR put out a press release stating that Palou would be racing for the team in 2023 as well. Within a few hours, Palou denounced the press release, claiming he had signed no extension.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown had shown interest in him in the 2022 season, even signing him for McLaren’s Testing of Previous Cars program. As the F1 team’s 2023 reserve driver, the Spaniard was set to drive for Arrow McLaren in 2024, but he recently announced that he has no plans of honoring the McLaren agreement.

Responding to this, Brown sent a letter to his Arrow McLaren employees. He stated, “This is incredibly disappointing considering the commitment [Palou] has made to us both directly and publicly and our significant investment in him based on that commitment. Coming out of his team dispute last fall, we were assured by Alex of his commitment to Arrow McLaren reflected in the contract he entered into with us.”

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F1 has been riddled with these legal controversies since its inception, and from the looks of it, they’re set to continue. Which of these legal battles did you find the most interesting?