Stupidest retirements for technical reasons

[bot6]

My bad, I stand corrected.

Another nice one, Warwick - 1982 British GP.

Retired in second place after 40 laps, because they started the race on low fuel to impress the sponsors.

[Jeffsvilleusa]

Buemi, China 2010

[manchild]

No, no.. the most tragic ever was Hill 1997. Hungarian GP. He had first ever win for Yamaha wrapped up and he DNF because of cheap washer.

Qualified 3rd if I'm not mistaken. Took the lead, and.. failed.

[Belatti]

My bad, I stand corrected.

Another nice one, Warwick - 1982 British GP.

Retired in second place after 40 laps, because they started the race on low fuel to impress the sponsors.

The same happened at a Japan GP with a Leyton House, cant remember if it was Gugelmin or Capelli that was running at the front

[CyleB]

i cant remember what race but im going to have to say last year Vettel and Webber crashing into each other. or vettel into webber..... which ever way you prefer to say it

[mx_tifoso]

^^ How is that driver-caused crash a technical related retirement?

Technical refers to eletrical, mechanical, fuel, aero, etc.

[CyleB]

^^ How is that driver-caused crash a technical related retirement?

Technical refers to eletrical, mechanical, fuel, aero, etc.

do human related technical problems count because the way i see it is vettels steering arms (hands) had a slight malfunction

[andrew]

Damage due to a crash is quite technical.....

[Sebp]

What about these two. Someone had his share of bad luck...





That second one was down to Raikkonen having acquired a flat spot on his tyre, if recall correctly. Vibrations subsequently caused his suspension to snap.

[NathanOlder]

No, no.. the most tragic ever was Hill 1997. Hungarian GP. He had first ever win for Yamaha wrapped up and he DNF because of cheap washer.

Qualified 3rd if I'm not mistaken. Took the lead, and.. failed.

Pretty sure he finished 2nd that day, under 10 seconds off the lead. So not a retierment

[xpensive]

Chris Amon didn't retire, but had to fall back when he lost his helmet's visor at Monza in 1971, pretty stupid anyway.

Jacky Ickx once retired from the lead, I seem to remember it was the same race as above, with battery failure, the old battery had been replaced the night before when a mechanic didn't think it looked good enough.

[Websta]

I think Kimi's retirement at the Nurburgring in 2005 when his flat-spotted tyre destroyed his suspension deserves mention - the regulations banning tyre changes and McLaren's refusal to pit Kimi and change what had become a dangerous tyre were two big technical blunders and caused that retirement.

Edit: someone already posted this, my bad

[AnthonyG]

Jacky Ickx once retired from the lead, I seem to remember it was the same race as above, with battery failure, the old battery had been replaced the night before when a mechanic didn't think it looked good enough.

Wasn't that one because Jochen Rindt would than became world champion? And Ickx didn't think it was honorfull to winn from a dead man?

[jamesb]

Maybe not from the race, but Hamilton running out of fuel in quali during Canada '11 and Spain'12 has got to be up there on the stupidity levels?

[Sombrero]

Not qualified but black-flagged after few laps : Tim Schenken - Lotus 76 Ford DFV - USA 74 Watkins Glen

In his own words : "I hadn’t qualified for the race, but strangely enough in those days you were allowed to go onto the ground and do the warm-up lap before the race. The reason was that if a car broke down on the lap, then the fastest non-qualifier could start in their place. That didn’t happen, and I pulled up on the back of the grid instead of peeling off into the pits, which was something that Colin Chapman and I had agreed we would do. And I drove some laps before the officials realised that there were one too many cars on the track and they black-flagged me!".