The 10 Worst F1 Drivers of This Century Ranked From Bad to Worst
Formula 1 is where the best drivers in the world compete—at least, that’s the idea. But sometimes, a driver ends up on the grid and makes fans wonder if they even belonged to this ruthless sport. Some of them were victims of bad luck, underperforming teams, or rushed opportunities; others had no excuse—they simply weren’t fast enough. Let’s take a look at the 10 worst F1 drivers of this century, ranked from bad to absolute disaster.
Rio Haryanto (2016, Manor Racing)
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Rio Haryanto’s story came to a dead end because his country stopped paying for his seat. The first (and so far, only) Indonesian F1 driver was more famous for his government-backed funding. Haryanto failed to score a single point and rarely kept up with his teammate Pascal Wehrlein. His best finish was 15th in Monaco, which sounds decent—until you realize he was four laps down. Twelve failed races later, he was replaced with Esteban Ocon.
Roberto Merhi (2015, Manor Marussia)
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Roberto Merhi’s 2015 F1 season with Manor Marussia was challenging. In Malaysia, he was nearly five seconds slower than Fernando Alonso in qualifying. Despite the team’s backmarker status, he occasionally finished ahead of his teammate in races.
Narain Karthikeyan (2005, 2011-2012, Jordan & HRT)
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Not every driver gets an F1 nickname, but Narain Karthikeyan earned one in the worst way possible—by frustrating the reigning world champion. In 2012, during a rain-affected Malaysian Grand Prix, Karthikeyan collided with Sebastian Vettel while being lapped. The Red Bull driver was furious and called him a cucumber in a post-race interview. The insult stuck.
Sakon Yamamoto (2006-2007, 2010, Super Aguri, Spyker, HRT)
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Spinning out in a race is embarrassing. Spinning into your own pit crew? That’s next-level. Sakon Yamamoto was never F1 material, but somehow, he kept finding his way back onto the grid. At the 2010 Italian Grand Prix, Yamamoto accidentally accelerated too soon in the pits and knocked over one of his own mechanics. The crew member was fine, but Yamamoto’s career? Not so much.
Alex Yoong (2001-2002, Minardi)
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Alex Yoong joined Minardi in 2001 but struggled so much that he failed to qualify for three races in 2002. Under F1’s 107% rule, if you’re too slow compared to the polesitter, you don’t race. Yoong became the only driver to be benched mid-season purely for lack of pace.
Luca Badoer (1999, 2009, Minardi & Ferrari)
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Being a Ferrari driver sounds like a dream unless you’re Luca Badoer. Badoer spent 10 years as Ferrari’s test driver, but when he finally got a chance to race in 2009 after Felipe Massa’s injury, it was a disaster. He qualified last at both Valencia and Spa, and finished nearly two seconds behind the next slowest car. Fans quickly nicknamed him “Look How Bad You Are” (a cruel play on his name), and Ferrari had seen enough.
Gastón Mazzacane (2000-2001, Minardi & Prost)
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Mazzacane was slow even by Minardi standards, and when he moved to Prost GP in 2001, it became painfully obvious he didn’t belong. He was regularly over a second per lap slower than Jean Alesi. Prost dropped him after just four races, and he disappeared from F1 forever.
Marcus Winkelhock (2007, Spyker)
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In the chaotic 2007 European Grand Prix, Marcus Winkelhock made a bold gamble by starting on wet tires while everyone else was on dry tires. When heavy rain hit, he suddenly found himself leading the race in a Spyker. It lasted a few laps before normal order was restored. That was Winkelhock’s only F1 race.
Nikita Mazepin (2021, Haas F1 Team)
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You already know it’s going to be a long season if you crash before you even reach Turn 3 of your debut race. Nikita Mazepin spun so often in 2021 that fans nicknamed him Mazespin. His average qualifying gap to teammate Mick Schumacher was over half a second, and his aggressive blocking moves even frustrated his own team.
Yuji Ide (2006, Super Aguri)
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While F1 has seen its set of bad drivers, Yuji Ide was so bad that the FIA revoked his super license. His 2006 season lasted just four races before the governing body stepped in and said, “Yeah, no more of that.” His poor car control, dangerous racecraft, and total lack of pace made him the worst F1 driver of this century.