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Formula 1 is a team sport, and being in the right place is key, as a driver without a great team behind him cannot do great things. Every year, the grid undergoes numerous seat changes, with drivers moving to other teams either because a driver retires or simply replaces him.
It is not unusual to see drivers returning to teams to which they previously belonged. The reasons are very varied and can range from a bad move after leaving to an increase in the team\’s performance. Alonso, Räikkönen, and Prost are some examples of drivers who returned to their former teams.
In a sport as complex as Formula 1, a lot can happen in a matter of years. They say that second halves were never good, although there are those who challenge this assertion in search of luck. Without further ado, let\’s take a look at some of the F1 drivers who returned to their old teams.
1. Fernando Alonso – Renault & McLaren
Fernando Alonso is the most experienced driver in the history of Formula 1, with more races than anyone else, and has raced for several teams. In 2005, on his way to his first title with Renault, he announced that he would race in 2007 for McLaren, in one of the earliest announcements in history.
The great rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Alonso at McLaren created a tense and self-destructive atmosphere in the team, which lost the championship by only 1 point, so the Spaniard returned to Renault for 2008, living two not-very-competitive seasons before leaving for Ferrari.
However, after his time at Ferrari, Alonso returned to McLaren in 2015 with the new Honda engines, and with Ron Dennis also returning as team principal. 4 disastrous seasons and Alonso retired from F1.
The Spaniard experienced a third stint with Renault when he returned to the category in 2021, with the team renamed Alpine, where he scored his first podium since 2014, before signing with Aston Martin for 2023.
2. Alain Prost – McLaren
Alain Prost made his Formula 1 debut in 1980 with McLaren, and after a year with a not-very-competitive car, the Frenchman signed for Renault. After 3 seasons at Renault, Prost returned to McLaren, where he lived the team\’s golden era.
\”The Professor\” was runner-up in 1984 by just half a point to teammate Niki Lauda, and won the titles the following two years, starring in a great fight with the Williams of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet in 1986. A win in the last round, the Australian GP, made him champion by just 2 points over Mansell.
With Ayrton Senna\’s arrival at McLaren in 1988, the Brazilian and Prost starred in one of the most iconic rivalries in Formula 1 history. Senna won the title in 1988, and Prost won his third crown with the team in 1989 in a controversial finish at Suzuka, before leaving for Ferrari in 1990, as the atmosphere in the team was very tense.
3. Juan Manuel Fangio – Maserati
For many, Juan Manuel Fangio is the best driver in the history of Formula 1. The Argentinean won 5 world championships and succeeded with all the teams with which he participated. The Argentinean made his Formula 1 debut with Alfa Romeo in 1950, winning his first title in 1951, and after a year out of competition he returned to the category in 1953 with Maserati.
In 1953 Fangio was runner-up to Alberto Ascari, and the following year he signed for Mercedes Benz, although he raced the first two rounds with Maserati as his Mercedes car was not ready, achieving 2 victories and eventually the title.
After winning 3 titles in a row with Mercedes and Ferrari, Fangio returned to Maserati in 1957, in what was his last full season in Formula 1, dominating the championship and taking his fifth and final title with 3 wins and 2 more podiums.
4. Kimi Räikkönen – Ferrari & Sauber
Kimi Räikkönen made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber in 2001, and his great rookie season earned him a seat at McLaren in 2002. After 5 competitive seasons with the British team but without being able to win the title, the Finn signed for Ferrari in 2007 to replace Michael Schumacher.
In his first year in red, Räikkönen took advantage of McLaren\’s internal drama and took the title by just 1 point ahead of Hamilton and Alonso. 2008 and 2009 were less competitive, and the Finn was replaced by Alonso in 2010.
After 2 years of trying his luck in rally competitions, the Finn returned in 2012 to Formula 1 with Lotus, and in 2014 he moved to Ferrari. Räikkönen spent 5 seasons at Ferrari, with Alonso as teammate in 2014 and from 2015 with Vettel. Although he was not at the same level as in his prime, he was quite regular, obtaining numerous podium finishes.
2018 was his best season, finishing third and taking a final win at the United States Grand Prix. In 2019, Räikkönen returned to Sauber, renamed Alfa Romeo, where he drove 3 seasons in the midfield before finally retiring at the end of 2021.
5. Nigel Mansell – Williams
Nigel Mansell is one of the most beloved drivers in the history of Formula 1 and one of the fastest, who gave his all during his racing career to finally reach the title. After 5 good seasons with Lotus, Mansell signed for Williams in 1985 to be back up to Nelson Piquet, although the Briton fought hard.
In 1985 he achieved his first victories and beat the Brazilian in the championship, and in 1986 he was runner-up, fighting until the end with Alain Prost for the title after 5 victories. In 1987, it was Piquet who beat him, winning the title while Mansell was second.
With the departure of Piquet and Honda from the team, 1988 was a difficult year for Williams, in which Mansell only finished two races, finishing second, and signed for Ferrari in 1989. Two less-than-competitive seasons at Ferrari and Mansell returned to Williams in 1991, when the team was at its peak.
In 1991 he was runner-up, behind Ayrton Senna\’s dominant McLaren, and in 1992, with the revolutionary FW14B, Mansell scored one of the most dominant seasons in history, winning 9 out of 16 races and clinching the coveted title. After that, he spent a year out of F1, and in 1994 he returned with Williams for 4 races after Senna\’s death, taking a victory in the last race, finally retiring after running 2 races in 1995 with McLaren.
6. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso
Daniil Kvyat\’s history in Formula 1 is quite curious. He was a very talented driver during his early years but did not end up adapting to Formula 1. The Russian joined Red Bull\’s young driver program at an early age and worked his way up through the lower categories with them until he was promoted to the Toro Rosso Formula 1 team in 2014.
A great rookie season earned him a promotion to Red Bull in 2015 to replace Sebastian Vettel. In 2015, Kvyat had a good season and outperformed teammate Daniel Ricciardo, although both were on par.
However, in 2016, despite scoring a podium, Red Bull relegated him after the fourth race due to the large number of accidents he was involved in, sending him back to Toro Rosso, while promising youngster Max Verstappen took his seat.
1 season and a half with very poor results and Kvyat was replaced by Pierre Gasly before the end of the 2017 season. Most surprising of all, in 2019 he was called back by Toro Rosso, as they had no better candidate, and the Russian drove for the team for two more seasons, taking an unexpected podium at the 2019 German GP, before being fired for the last time.
7. Gerhard Berger – Ferrari & Benetton
After a great season with Benetton in 1986, in which he achieved his first win, Gerhard Berger signed for Ferrari in 1988. In 3 seasons with the Scuderia, Berger scored 4 wins, with 1988 being his best season, when he finished third in the championship.
In 1990, the Austrian signed for McLaren, which had a more competitive car, and after failing to win a title with the British team, he returned to Ferrari in 1993. In 1994 he equaled his best championship result, finishing third, and scoring a significant victory that ended Ferrari\’s drought at the German Grand Prix.
A less competitive 1995 season prompted Berger to join Benetton, where he drove for 2 seasons before retiring, taking one final victory at the 1997 German Grand Prix. Both Berger\’s first and last Formula 1 win were Benetton\’s first and last wins in the category.
8. Johnny Herbert – Benetton
Johnny Herbert made his Formula 1 debut with Benetton, although the Englishman only lasted 6 races, as the team put him as a reserve driver claiming that he was not yet fully recovered from the severe accident he suffered in Formula 3000 the previous year, as he could barely walk.
At the time, Herbert said he would never drive for Benetton again, although this was not the case. After several seasons with Lotus, Herbert drove for Benetton for the last two races of 1994 and was called to race the entire 1995 season alongside Michael Schumacher.
That was Herbert\’s best season in Formula 1, in which he achieved 2 of his 3 wins in the category, in addition to 2 podiums, finishing fourth in the championship. After 1995, Herbert joined Sauber.
9. Mike Hawthorn – Ferrari
Mike Hawthorn was one of the drivers of the first generation of Formula 1 during the 1950s and has the honor of being the first British driver to win the championship. Hawthorn signed for Ferrari in 1953, scoring one win and two podiums and finishing fourth in the championship.
The following year, he scored a win and three podiums, finishing third behind Argentines Juan Manuel Fangio and José Frolián. In 1955, Hawthorn tried his luck and went to Vanwall, but two bad races made him return to Ferrari to finish the season.
In 1956, Hawthorn raced for BRM, Maserati, and Vanwall, although without much success, and returned to Ferrari in 1957. His best season was 1958, in which 1 win and 5 more podiums were enough to win the championship by only 1 point over Stirling Moss.
Thus, along with Keke Rosberg in 1982, he has the \”honor\” of being the only Formula 1 champion driver to win only one race in the season in which he won the championship. The British driver could not enjoy his title for long, as only three months after retiring he died in a car accident.
10. Nick Heidfeld – Sauber
Nick Heidfeld joined Sauber in 2001, a season in which he scored his first podium finish in Formula 1, in what was a very competitive year for him. The German drove for Sauber until 2003 and after a season with Jordan and another with Williams, he returned to Sauber in 2006, when the team started its alliance with BMW.
During this stint, Heidfeld experienced his best years in Formula 1, with a consistent midfield car with which he achieved occasional podium finishes. His best seasons were 2007 and 2008, where he consistently finished in the points and was fifth and sixth respectively, scoring a total of 6 podiums.
Heidfield achieved the record for most consecutive races without retirement, with 41, from the 2007 United States GP to the 2009 Singapore GP, when he was rammed by Adrian Sutil, which shows his regularity and that he does not usually have accidents.
However, the 2009 season was not very good due to the low competitiveness of the team, and with BMW\’s exit from Formula 1 at the end of the year, Heidfield\’s future was uncertain. In 2010, the German was a test driver for Mercedes, and raced the last 5 races with Sauber, replacing Pedro de la Rosa, before joining Lotus in 2011.
11. Riccardo Patrese – Brabham
With 256 starts, Riccardo Patrese is one of the Formula 1 drivers with the most races in history, being the first at the time of his retirement. Patrese raced for a variety of teams, and it was with Brabham that he made two stints.
The first of these was in 1982 and 1983. In that first season, the Italian scored his first unexpected victory in Formula 1, at the Monaco Grand Prix after the race leaders suffered problems. He also scored two more podium finishes. 1983, however, was more difficult, as the car was more unreliable.
Even so, the Italian managed the pole position in the Italian Grand Prix and the victory in the South African Grand Prix, as well as two third places. In 1984, however, he signed for Alfa Romeo, and after two uncompetitive seasons, he returned to Brabham.
In his second stint at Brabham, the car was considerably worse, and in two seasons he could only manage one podium and points in just four races. After that, Patrese signed for Williams, where he experienced his best period in Formula 1.
12. Pierre Gasly – Toro Rosso
Pierre Gasly\’s story is similar to that of Daniil Kvyat, although the Frenchman was able to overcome adversity and come out stronger, much better off than the Russian. After rising through the junior ranks alongside Red Bull\’s young driver program, Gasly made his Formula 1 debut at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, replacing Kvyat at Toro Rosso, and from 2018 he raced the full season with the team.
The Frenchman completed a good 2018 season, scoring points in a few races and achieving a best result of fourth place in a car that was barely able to fight for points, which earned him a seat at Red Bull for 2019. At Red Bull, however, his performance was no match for his teammate, Max Verstappen, with very poor results, and he was relegated to Toro Rosso again for the second half of the season.
At Toro Rosso, the Frenchman had a great performance, scoring consistently and taking an unexpected podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix. In 2020, when the team was renamed AlphaTauri, Gasly completed an incredible season, taking a win in the Italian Grand Prix.
In 2021 and 2022 he also performed at a high level, achieving another podium finish, and his results earned him a move to Alpine in 2023, thus leaving the influence of Red Bull.
13. Michele Alboreto – Tyrrell
Italian Michele Alboreto had a long Formula 1 racing career in which he drove for many teams. In 15 seasons, Alboreto drove for Tyrrell, Ferrari, Larrousse, Arrows, Footwork, Italia, and Minardi, with two stints at Tyrrell.
The Italian made his Formula 1 debut with Tyrrell at the 1981 San Marino Grand Prix, with a very unreliable car that barely allowed him to finish races. In 1982, however, a much more competitive car allowed him to take his first podium at the San Marino Grand Prix and his first win at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
In 1983 his performance declined, although he achieved another win in the United States, this time at the Detroit Grand Prix, and the following year he signed for Ferrari. After five seasons at Ferrari, Alboreto returned to Tyrrell in 1989, where he scored a podium finish at the Mexican Grand Prix and left the team after six races due to sponsor disputes to join Larrousse.
14. Nico Hülkenberg – Force India
After being Force India\’s reserve driver in 2011, Nico Hülkenberg was confirmed as the team\’s official driver for the 2012 season, alongside Paul di Resta, and after a good season, he signed for Sauber in 2013.
In 2014, the German returned to Force India, this time alongside Sergio Pérez, where he spent three seasons making the team one of the strongest in the midfield. Unlike the Mexican, Hülkenberg was unable to score any podiums, but scored consistently, beating him in the championship in 2014 and staying very close the following two years.
In 2017, Hülkbenberg signed for Renault, driving for the French team for another three seasons, before running out of a seat for 2020. In 2020, however, he returned to Formula 1 with Force India, renamed Racing Point, to run 2 races in place of Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll due to their positives at Covid-19, managing to score in both.
15. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber
Heinz-Harald Frentzen made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber, finishing fifth in only his second race. The German received an offer from Williams after the death of Ayrton Senna but decided to continue with Sauber. Frentzen\’s good performances maintained the team\’s level after teammate Karl Wendlinger suffered several injuries in Monaco.
The following year, with the new Ford engines, Frentzen completed a great season, scoring consistently and taking his first podium at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing ninth in the championship.
The 1996 season, however, was less competitive, due to the unreliability of his car, which caused him a large number of retirements, with two fourth places as his best results. His good performances at Sauber earned him a move to Williams in 1997.
After driving for Williams, Jordan, and Arrows, Frentzen returned to Sauber to replace Felipe Massa at the 2002 United States Grand Prix, following the bankruptcy of Arrows. In 2003 he raced the full season with Sauber and scored his last podium finish in the category at the United States Grand Prix, before retiring from Formula 1 at the end of that year.
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Conclusion
Formula 1 is a sport where anything can happen, and in which drivers usually change teams to opt for competitive cars. Many times, drivers go to another team in search of better results, and years later they return to their previous team because the expectations were not met, because the previous team now has a better performance, or because they simply cannot find a seat elsewhere.
As we have seen, the reasons are very varied, and sometimes a return to the old team turns out to be a good move, while at other times it dooms a driver\’s career.
