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.
9. Luca Badoer
This last one is somewhat disingenuous... after Felipe Massa's horrific crash at the 2009 Hungarian GP, it was meant to be Michael Schumacher who filled in for the Brazilian. But after he was ruled out due to a neck injury, it was test driver Luca Badoer who stepped up - at the age of 38 and 10 years after he'd last raced. It was a disaster, 1.5 seconds slower than the 19th placed car in Spa, he somehow still managed to be fined for speeding in the pit lane. | AFP via Getty Images