Dumbest F1 driver ever?

Edited by Pato, 06 August 2009 - 14:57.

Not particularly fair to label an F1 driver as the "dumbest."

Perhaps the better question would be "Worst episode of brain fade."

Edited by senna da silva, 06 August 2009 - 16:03.

Jean Alesi, running out of fuel in Melbourne despite several pitboards and his team doing the mexican wave on the pitwall to atract his attention

I agree with Scudetto, 'brain fade' might have been a better question.

Edited by senna da silva, 06 August 2009 - 16:12.

Actually most drivers are pretty thick. Talented, but not too bright.

The OP is asking for this biggest example of brain fade and it would have been better to label the thread as such. Were it really a thread about the driver with the lowest intellect it wouldn't have been either particularly interesting. I doubt most drivers are thick, though not many have excelled academically.

I think Marc Gene has an economic degree, right?

Edited by Orin, 06 August 2009 - 16:35.

Fernando Alonso's ignoring of the yellow flags at the Brazilian GP ranks right up there for stupidity as well.

Former F1 driver Jean Alesi for this - .
Ok it's not in F1 but it's still brain fade, or a bit of cheating

Former F1 driver Jean Alesi for this - .
Ok it's not in F1 but it's still brain fade, or a bit of cheating

Nigel Mansell, for turning off his car when waving to the crowd before passing the finish line.

Former F1 driver Jean Alesi for this - .
Ok it's not in F1 but it's still brain fade, or a bit of cheating

Nigel Mansell, for turning off his car when waving to the crowd before passing the finish line.

Fernando Alonso's ignoring of the yellow flags at the Brazilian GP ranks right up there for stupidity as well.

Hamilton's brain fade in the Montreal pitlane

Alonso at Interlagos 2003 wasn't a typical brain fade, IIRC, he was racing to complete the lap and see if he could gain time and/or pass anyone. It was more like a ridiculous gamble with terrible outcome.

I'm still puzzled by Schumacher racing with inters when it was dry at Hungaroring in 2006. Any conventional strategy with a pit stop for dry tyres would have kept him in the points with the podium at sight. He threw it away and came home with only a point after Kubica was disqualified. And it's not like it was 50/50, the track was dry, Alonso was out and the points lost were crucial to the championship.

Kimi crashing into Liuzzi that day was a monumental brain fade.

QUOTE (FI-Addict @ Aug 6 2009, 08:27)
Former F1 driver Jean Alesi for this - .
Ok it's not in F1 but it's still brain fade, or a bit of cheating

Spamjet @ Aug 6 later
That wasnt dumb, that was hilarious.

Actually most drivers are pretty thick. Talented, but not too bright.

seriously, how can anything top this..

"Mansell led going into the final lap, but did not complete it. While waving to the crowd at the hairpin near the finish he allowed his revs to drop and the Renault V10 cut out. Piquet, running second for Benetton, could scarcely believe his luck. It was a sweet victory for the Brazilian, who had a turbulent relationship with Mansell when they were team-mates at Williams..

Now that you mention that, Kimi taking out Sutil in Monaco last year was poor form.

I remember one driver running over the back of another's car with red lights on in the pit lane.

D.M.N. - no one mentioned this?

Edited by Zmeej, 06 August 2009 - 18:12.

Edited by metz, 06 August 2009 - 18:53.

Not sure that's a matter of stupidity - flies into a chicane and suddenly there's a car wreck on the track and a medical car to its left that has just opened its door...

The announcer is right - Heidfeld is lucky he didn't get his head taken off.

Edited by OfficeLinebacker, 06 August 2009 - 19:53.

What a really ignorant statement.

Williams reported a mechanical failure, but you know...
I'm sure that the memory of that 1991 Canadian GP puts a smile in Piquet Snr's face.

I'm sure that the memory of that 1991 Canadian GP puts a smile in Piquet Snr's face.

Edited by Zmeej, 06 August 2009 - 20:10.

Former F1 driver Jean Alesi for this - .
Ok it's not in F1 but it's still brain fade, or a bit of cheating

Hard to say the dumbest... DC spun on formation lap from POLE and crashed in pit entrance and both in 1 season! De La Rosa falling from that little wall on US GP was pretty dumb too. Fisichella failing to reach his grid position in Malaysia was funny.

Not at all. Have you had the pleasure of knowing racing drivers or even being one? I have.

Not at all. Have you had the pleasure of knowing racing drivers or even being one? I have.

I remember Alonso spinning on the warm-up lap at the Nurburgring this year, for a driver of his caliber, that pretty stupid!
And I think it's not the first time he did that, I just can't remember the other race he spun on the warm-up lap.

I remember Alonso spinning on the warm-up lap at the Nurburgring this year, for a driver of his caliber, that pretty stupid!
And I think it's not the first time he did that, I just can't remember the other race he spun on the warm-up lap.

Jos Verstappen.

Had everything handed to him to have a great career in F1 and miserably failed.

Loads of silly crashes, remember him hitting Montoya from behind without any reason whatsoever and now a convicted criminal because of what he did to his ex-wife.

Jos the Toss down.gif

Edited by Victor_RO, 06 August 2009 - 21:04.

Barcelona 2008, though that was just a half-spin.

Edited by Ramses1348, 06 August 2009 - 21:23.