RACING
5 Formula 1 Driver Sabbaticals Over The Years
With the recent news of Jensen Button leaving his seat at McLaren Formula 1 next season to open up the drive for young hopeful Stoffel Vandoorne. Will we see Jensen back in the seat of an open wheel or head over to World Endurance Championship with the likes of Mark Webber in the Porsche 919?
We bring back some of the more profound driver sabbaticals over the years in Formula 1.
Kimi Raikkonen “Iceman”
Left:2009
Returned:2012
Kimi was one of the more recent F1 sabbaticals taken when he left Ferrari in 2009 to compete in WRC and NASCAR before returning to the single seater seat in 2012 with Lotus. Fernanado Alonso took over the Ferrari seat after Kimi left Formula 1.
Source:Red Bull
Alain Prost
Left:1991
Returned:1993
During the 1991 season Alain publicly critised the Ferrari race car and ended up taking the 1992 season off but returned in 1993 in a Williams seat.
Source:Wikipedia
Michael Schumacher
Left:2006
Returned:2010
The Schumacher dominance ended in 2006 with Ferrari when Michael retired after the 2006 Brazlian Grand Prix. Michael returend to Formula 1 in 2010 with Merecedes as Ross Brown his former team principal at Ferrai took the helm of Mercedes F1.
Source:emercedesbenz
Nigel Mansell
Left:1992
Returned:1994
Nigel’s relationship with Williams after winning the 1992 championship became toxic when Alain Prost was hired. Mansell left Formula 1 for a year and went to IndyCar series where he took pole and the race win on his first ever event debut.
Source:F1 History
