Five of F1’s most bizarre contract sagas including when Kimi Raikkonen almost bankrupted his team

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Formula 1 contracts have become quite a simple affair in modern times, thanks to the Contract Recognition Board.

Set up by the FIA in the 1990s, it was aimed at resolving any contract disputes between drivers and teams swiftly and fairly. It came in the wake of Michael Schumacher’s controversial move to Benetton in 1991.

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The German took part in one race for Jordan that season at the Belgian GP. A loophole in the deal allowed Schumacher to leave for Benetton after his F1 debut, thus creating the CRB in the wake of the controversy.

But since then, and indeed before then, several bizarre disputes have happened in the F1 paddock, each more controversial than the last. With that in mind, F1 Oversteer has taken a look at five of them throughout history.

Jean Alesi – Signed contracts with Ferrari, Williams and Jordan for the 1991 season

Another situation that arguably sparked the creation of the CRB, Jean Alesi caused major controversy in 1991 as he signed contracts with three F1 teams.

After his incredible battle for the win with Ayrton Senna in Phoenix in 1990, Frank Williams took a liking to the Frenchman and signed him for 1991. However, Alesi grew disgruntled as the Williams boss promised him that he would be announced at his home race – he was not.

Nelson Piquet told Alesi to give the team an ultimatum to announce him by Silverstone, but that did not happen either. By that point, he lost faith in Williams and began discussions with other teams.

Alesi signed with three teams simultaneously, agreeing contracts with Williams, Jordan and Ferrari, with the prancing horse acquiring his services. The CRB was set up not long afterwards, as other drivers soon started signing multiple contracts at once.

Ayrton Senna – Signed for Lotus in 1985 through a buyout clause without telling Toleman

Ayrton Senna made his F1 debut in 1984 with Toleman and instantly showed how incredibly talented he was and would go on to be. Narrowly missing out on his maiden victory in Monaco, he soon attracted interest from the top teams.

The Brazilian had signed a contract with Toleman from 1984 until 1986, but Lotus struck a deal for Senna from 1985. The team had activated a £100,000 buyout clause to secure his signature – sounds simple, right?

Well, not quite, as it would turn out that while Lotus did activate the clause, they had announced they had signed Senna before doing so. As a result, Toleman suspended him for the Italian Grand Prix.

Senna would go on to grab his maiden win with Lotus in 1985, before later moving on to McLaren and winning three world championships.

Kimi Raikkonen – Almost bankrupt Lotus with his points bonus

Lotus make another appearance on this list for their contract dispute with Kimi Raikkonen. It was a matter that threatened the team’s very existence.

Signing a two-year deal in 2012, on a salary that was already paying 8 million euros (roughly £7m) per season, Lotus agreed to pay the Finn a bonus of 50,000 euros (£44k) per point scored. They clearly did not expect Raikkonen to perform at all.

As it turned out, he performed incredibly on his return, grabbing 15 podiums with the team across two seasons, including two wins. In total, Raikkonen scored 390 points, equalling 19.5 million euros (£17m) in bonus payments, which in 2012, went unpaid until the end of the season.

With the final two races of the 2013 season approaching, Lotus had not paid him again. Subsequently, the Finn threatened to walk out before the matter was eventually resolved, but he missed the end of the season anyway through back surgery.

Sauber – Signed three drivers for the 2015 season

Raikkonen’s former team, Sauber, were disgruntled with their 2014 season and decided to sack Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil and replace them with Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson for 2015. All sounds normal, doesn’t it?

It was anything but, as Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde claimed that he was promised a seat for 2015 after joining the team as a reserve driver the year before. Suddenly, Sauber had three drivers for two cars.

Van der Garde took the Swiss outfit to court, which ruled in his favour, and he was set to race for the team at the season opener in Australia. However, before the Grand Prix, it was announced that he had waived the chance to drive, reaching an agreement to mutually terminate his contract.

Nasr and Ericsson raced for Sauber after all in 2015, and at that race in Melbourne, they finished fifth and eighth respectively. The pair scored 37 points across the season before the team regressed dramatically and scored just two points in 2016.

READ MORE: All you need to know about the Audi F1 team from Sauber past to drivers

Oscar Piastri – Joined McLaren in 2023 after Alpine had announced him as a driver

The most recent, and probably the most well-known, contract dispute in F1 is Oscar Piastri and his drama with Alpine. Signed as a reserve driver after winning the F2 title in 2021, Alpine planned to pair Piastri with Fernando Alonso in 2023.

However, the Enstone outfit ended up losing both drivers, with Alonso joining Aston Martin in 2023. Shortly after announcing Piastri, the Aussie posted a now-infamous tweet stating that Alpine had signed him without his knowledge, and that he would, in fact, not join the team.

Piastri had been in talks with McLaren after the two teams agreed a deal for him to become the Woking outfit’s reserve driver in 2022. He had signed a contract with the papaya army a month before Alpine announced him for 2023.

Alpine took the matter to the CRB, but they ruled against the team, with Piastri free to join McLaren. It turned out to be a lucky escape, as the Woking outfit skyrocketed to the front and won the championship in 2024 and 2025 while his former employers regressed – Piastri would have been at the back with Alpine.