Jacques Villeneuve – 1997
World champions are positively not resistant to race bans, as a number of drivers on this record can attest to. Regardless of successful the title in 1997, Villeneuve additionally suffered a race ban in the identical season that threw his victory possibilities into jeopardy.
Heading into the Japanese Grand Prix, the Canadian wanted to take only one level off his rival Michael Schumacher with the intention to safe the championship, having outscored him by 20 factors to 1 over the earlier two races.
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Accelerating out of Spoon Curve throughout a apply session, Villeneuve didn’t gradual for the yellow flags that have been to alert the drivers to Jos Verstappen’s stranded automobile. He was not the one one, as 5 others together with Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello additionally ignored the warnings, resulting in all of them being handed a suspended race ban.
However because the Williams racer had already dedicated the identical offence on three earlier events, his ban was introduced ahead to the following occasion, which occurred to be the Suzuka race held the next day.
His crew lodged an attraction and, with no time to organise a listening to, Villeneuve was permitted to participate regardless of being banned, occurring to complete in fifth place. The FIA lastly rejected the attraction 9 days later, erasing the 2 championship factors that he gained within the race.
