Relationships between F1 drivers and their teams can sometimes to an end in less than friendly circumstances. Here are some of the most brutal driver sackings..
. While the vast majority of drivers and teams part ways in a friendly fashion, sometimes the relationships break down to the point where the two sides (or even just one side) can’t be bothered being nice anymore. Let’s look back over some of Formula 1’s most brutal break-ups, where drivers found themselves thrown out on their ear unceremoniously, or where team bosses opted to tell their drivers of their firing via unusual means.
The Danish driver made his F1 debut with the Woking-based squad in 2014, immediately scoring a podium on his debut. It was to be the high point of his season, with Magnussen putting in a solid, if unspectacular, year to finish 11th overall in his first season in the sport. Teammate Jenson Button would finish eighth overall, with a points tally of more than double his rookie teammate.
Having been kept dangling over his future for 2015, Magnussen eventually lost out on retaining his seat as McLaren signed two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso alongside Button. Demoted to the reserve role for 2015, Magnussen would be dropped entirely by McLaren at the end of the season. But, rather than be told face-to-face in a meeting, Magnussen learned of his dismissal after getting an email from then-boss Ron Dennis’ personal assistant.
Worse, the email arrived on his 23rd birthday...
“It was a sh.
