To reach the pinnacle of motorsport, many drivers rise through the junior ranks, proving themselves against the best up and coming racers and sacrificing everything on their way to the top.
But in years gone by, others have paid their way into the sport, or deteriorated with age to a point where they became a danger to themselves and others on the race track. And some were just outright terrible - even being called out by the sport’s commentators for being so.
Here are some of the worst Formula 1 drivers of all time, and the things they did that drew the ire of motorsport fans across the world.
5. Sakon Yamamoto
Thankfully now a politician - and as far removed from F1 as possible - seeing Sakon Yamamoto on track was a terrifying sight for any driver. From being 1.8 seconds a lap off the rest of the field to an inadvertent attempt on Giancarlo Fisichella's life, Yamamoto was a force to be reckoned with... for all the wrong reasons. | Getty Images
6. Yuji Ide
Speaking of drivers who were a danger to everyone around them, Yuji Ide actually had his superlicence (the F1 driving licence, if you will) suspended by the FIA after a horrifying collision with Christijan Albers at the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix. Albers' car flipped four times and practically disintegrated in the process, landing upside down in the gravel trap. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
7. Jean-Denis Deletraz of Switzerland drives the #16 Pacific Grand Prix Ltd Pacific PR02 Ford V8 during practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix on 23 September 1995 at the Autodromo do Estoril in Estoril, Portugal. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
This photograph of Jean-Denis Delatraz is almost the only one in existence that documents his F1 career. The Swiss driver joined Larousse for the final race of 1994, being lapped a whopping 10 times before retiring. His stint in 1995 with Pacific didn't go much better, and he was dropped after two races. | Getty Images
8. Alex Yoong
There hasn't been another Malaysian F1 driver since Alex Yoong; the youngster joined Minardi in 2001 with massive funding behind him, but was comfortably smashed by rookie teammate Fernando Alonso. The following year, he was again smashed, this time by Australian Mark Webber, who outqualified and outfinished him at every single race. Sponsorship money dried up, and Yoong was even threatened with legal action for a missing $1.5m of the promised cash. | AFP via Getty Images