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The Biggest and Most Impactful F1 Driver Moves in History

Richard Janvrin by Richard Janvrin, May 19, 2025

Lewis Hamilton, previously with McLaren, switched to Mercedes in 2013

While the sport is at high speed all race long, nothing shakes up the sport more than F1 driver moves to a new team.

When drivers do this, it can completely change the sport, including championships, rivalries, and other storylines that fans and those who wager on F1 betting apps will follow intently. When drivers leave one team for another, it can shock fans and significantly raise the profile of the new squad.

Below, I’ll examine 11 of the biggest F1 transfers in history.

Let’s dive in.

Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes (2013)

While Lewis Hamilton is with Ferrari as of February 2024, he made one of the biggest F1 driver moves in history before that.

In 2012, he announced he was leaving McLaren. This squad helped bring him along as a teenager and assisted him in his first world title win. Then, when he left for Mercedes, it was somewhat questionable, as Mercedes hadn’t won a single race since rejoining the sport in 2010 at that time.

Initially, it was perceived as a detrimental move for his career.

Well, that view was wrong. Hamilton defined an entire era of F1, winning six championships and breaking numerous records.

This partnership with Mercedes is considered one of the biggest dynasties and F1 transfers the sport has seen.

Ayrton Senna to McLaren (1988)

At the end of 1987, Senna moved over from Lotus to McLaren. This was a massive move because it brought together two of the fiercest F1 drivers, Senna and Alain Prost, under the same hood.

When moving to McLaren, Senna benefited massively from the MP4/4 car that used Honda engines.

He won his first title world title in 1988.

His move to McLaren proved to be one of the biggest F1 driver changes. It also showed that he was one of the greatest drivers in the sport and his rivalry with Prost was only that much more interesting.

Sebastian Vettel to Ferrari (2015)

Vettel was already one of the best drivers in the world, winning four straight titles with Red Bull Racing. However, he wanted to emulate his idol, Michael Schumacher, and made the move to Ferrari.

“When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol, and now it’s an incredible honor to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari,” he once said.

Ferrari, at the time, hadn’t won a title since 2007.

Vettel never won a title with them, but they were certainly competitive, challenging Mercedes in a big way in 2017 and 2018.

Again, he didn’t win, but the pride of Scuderia Ferrari was back and this was one of the most notable F1 driver changes.

Michael Schumacher to Ferrari (1996)

Speaking of Schumacher, let’s talk about his move from Benetton to Ferrari in 1996. At the time, Schumacher was a two-time world champion, and this move was certainly a gamble. At the time, Ferrari hadn’t won a title in about two decades.

However, Schumacher, along with elite technical masterminds Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, overhauled the squad.

He won five straight titles from 2000 to 2004, and Schumacher is now seen as a massive legend in the sport.

Fernando Alonso to McLaren (2007)

Alonso had great success with Renault, winning back-to-back titles. However, he still decided to move to McLaren, and boy, oh boy, was that a chaotic move.

There was a rivalry with teammate Lewis Hamilton, and there was a “Spygate” incident in which McLaren was found to have obtained confidential information from Ferrari.

McLaren was fined $100 million.

Alonso wasn’t directly involved, no, but still, it was a stain on the sport.

He was only with McLaren for one year, and there’s a lot of “if” looking back at that pairing.

Alain Prost to Ferrari (1990)

When Prost left McLaren for Ferrari, he was a three-time champ, which was massive news. He came dangerously close to a title in 1990 but was taken out, albeit controversially to some, by Senna in the Japanese Grand Prix.

Although he was fired from the team before 1991 after public complaints about the car and team, performance overall, this still showed that Ferrari had a desire to acquire elite racers.

Max Verstappen to Red Bull Racing (2016)

Max Verstappen was promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull mid-season in 2016 and this was an unprecedented move. At the time, he was just 18 years old and had replaced Daniil Kvyat. This was a massive F1 team drive swap at the time.

While it was bold then, he immediately proved it to be the right call by winning the Spanish Grand Prix, which was his first race with the team.

As we know now, Verstappen is likely the greatest racer of all time. He led the charge for Red Bull to take down Mercedes. He became the club’s first championship winner since 2013 in 2021, marking one of the most historic F1 driver changes.

Nigel Mansell to Williams (1991)

Mansell left Williams for Ferrari in 1989, only to come right back in 1991.

Believe it or not, as far as F1 transfers go, this was the right move.

He missed the title in 1991 but dominated in 1992, winning even with five races to go.

In returning to Williams, the team was also undergoing technological advancements like active suspension.

This is looked back on as one of the coolest moments in F1 history due to him being there, leaving, and coming back within a couple of years.

Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari (2007)

After missing out on some titles with McLaren, Räikkönen moved over to Ferrari following the departure of Schumacher in 2007.

The expectations were massive, and Räikkönen rose to the occasion, winning a championship in his first season with the new steam.

Today, the calm, cool, and collected Räikkönen is considered one of the best Ferrari racers ever because of this F1 team swap. He showed up when there was some uncertainty with Schumacher leaving.

Daniel Ricciardo to Renault (2019)

Anytime you leave a premier squad like Red Bull, it will raise some eyebrows, but going to a mid-level squad in Renault was certainly unexpected.

No, Ricciardo didn’t win with Renault which would typically deem this is a failure by F1 transfers standards, but it showed some other intangibles that made his move later to McLaren that much more impactful. He led Renault, helping develop the car and guiding it through some tough years. He was also willing to mentor young drivers.

Jacques Villeneuve to BAR (1999)

After winning the title with Williams in 1997, Villeneuve moved to the brand new British American Racing (BAR) squad in 1999.

It’s safe to say this was baffling. It was ambitious, yes, but it didn’t go well.

BAR didn’t score a single point in its debut season, and Villeneuve never recovered.

This is one of the most prominent cautionary tales in the sport for F1 driver moves.

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