The Quirkiest Formula 1 Moments of This Millennium

In protest against losing his job at Mercedes, 47-year-old Frenchman Robert Sehli resorted to a drastic means of protest at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, airing his grievances on one of the long forest straights.

It was not a humorous, but a dangerous act, which nonetheless served its purpose. A small fine of 600 pounds was later offset by compensation of 91,000 Francs for the lost job.

Mercedes didn't just lose money: Sehli also influenced the race by causing a Safety Car period. Instead of a clear McLaren-Mercedes victory, it led to Rubens Barrichello's maiden win for Ferrari.

Animal encounters on the asphalt happen repeatedly - and they don't always end well, if you think of Alex Albon's marmot drama in Canada.

However, the episode between Juan Pablo Montoya and a deer in Spielberg in 2001 remained only amusing in memory. "Like a horse with horns," the pit lane radioed back to the incredulous Colombian.

"Oh, dear," chuckled the Williams driver, who wasn't always one for jokes>>>.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Jordan retiring on the warm-up lap in Malaysia caused considerable confusion for Giancarlo Fisichella.

Given the gap created, the Italian slotted in incorrectly - and in attempting to correct the mistake, only made things worse. The fact that his Benetton was now blocking the track necessitated a red flag.

But he didn't learn from this mistake...

...because two years later, this time driving a Jordan himself, the same mishap occurred to him in the very same place!

At least the second time, he managed to rectify the blunder himself.

Because the incident ended mildly with just sheet metal damage, it was merely a head-shaking moment: As the Medical Car parked next to the crashed Enrique Bernoldi in Brazil, Nick Heidfeld sped up in his Sauber.

According to his own statements, the German hadn't seen any yellow flags and could only partially swerve, wrecking the just-opened driver's door. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Unlike Robert Sehli in 2000, Irish priest Neil Horan's detour onto the Silverstone track in 2003 was not about earthly matters.

"Read the Bible," "the Bible is always right" were the messages he wanted to convey. And unlike Sehli, he did so not just on the grass beside the track, but directly on the tarmac.

Consequently, he received a two-month prison sentence, which did not deter him from a similarly questionable action at the 2004 Olympic Marathon.

As the wonder kid, the rising number one, Juan, one wonders should Juan only win one in one year, would Juan want to have won that one in round one, Juan?"

An obvious trick question for Juan Pablo Montoya - no wonder, as it was an Australian comedian who snuck into the press conference in Melbourne to ask it.

Too bad for him that the Colombian was not known for his humor. When a colleague of the prankster then started loudly talking on the phone, Montoya finally felt like he was in the wrong movie and stormed off.

Shine, glamour, and bling-bling - there's no better place than Monaco for this idea: A diamond was integrated into the nose of Christian Klien's Jaguar to promote the movie release of "Ocean's Twelve."

Now, it doesn't take much imagination to understand how quickly such a nose can be demolished against the guardrails of the principality. And so it happened, and the diamond was gone.

However, it remains unclear to this day whether the $300,000 damage actually occurred - or if the whole thing was just a calculated fake...

The story is well-known: For safety reasons, all Michelin teams had to withdraw from the start, leaving only two Ferraris, two Jordans, and Minardis.

These six cars then contested arguably the most ignominious Grand Prix of the last 30 years.

Meanwhile, the relationship between the pinnacle of motorsport and the USA has recovered from this sad spectacle.

It was one of the biggest scandals in Formula 1 history: Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed his Renault into the wall at the Singapore GP, as it later turned out, to give his teammate Fernando Alonso an advantage.

If a driver is asked to do such things, they shouldn't be dismissed a few races later. That's what happened, and the Brazilian spilled the beans.

The consequence: A suspended World Championship disqualification for Renault and temporary bans from working for Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, which, however, did not hold up long in court. In 2026, both can be found in higher positions at F1 teams...

In Hungary, the timing system failed precisely during the final moments of the battle for pole position. As a result, after qualifying ended, nobody knew who was in front.

Fernando Alonso set out and directly asked everyone involved for their lap times. The resolution then showed the Spaniard himself as the pole-sitter.

An embarrassing debacle for Formula 1, which fortunately remained without serious sporting consequences...

A suspension failure is bad luck. Two failing at once is incredible. And responsible for an odd sight.

A bump in the track caused the bizarre accident and Sebastien Buemi's temporary transformation into a bobsledder. It was too much for a faulty right wheel carrier, which gave way. The left side, milliseconds later, couldn't cope with this additional strain either.

South Korea and Formula 1 did not become a love affair; the Grand Prix there was ultimately only held from 2010 to 2013. This was also due to organizational reasons.

The most embarrassing incident occurred in the final year: After Mark Webber's Red Bull caught fire, some marshals in an SUV were too eager and drove onto the track without instruction.

However, the race cars, still in race trim, were speeding up behind them - necessitating an immediate deployment of the actual Safety Car.

The combination of McLaren and Honda caused pure frustration for Fernando Alonso, but at least delivered a legendary moment.

When his car once again let him down during qualifying in Brazil, the two-time world champion didn't feel compelled to quickly return to the pits.

Instead, he found a camping chair, from which he comfortably watched the rest of the session. An image that became a meme template.

A nasty collision - and that after the actual end of a race? That's a rarity.

Sebastian Vettel learned in Malaysia in 2017 that you still need to pay close attention to your competitors even after crossing the finish line. Lance Stroll didn't feel compelled to leave enough room for the Ferrari and clipped its rear wheel.

The damage was considerable, the consequences manageable: The race stewards deemed it a "Racing Incident," all without any actual racing...

It was a sunny day in Abu Dhabi, yet nobody ordered a parasol on the track.

Nevertheless, the item somehow found its way there. At least it had no major consequences, as it was quickly removed and the session was only a free practice anyway.

But the drivers had another reason for jokes.

Once again, it's about objects on the track, but this time less amusing: Because the track had to be cleared of small debris after a collision, two marshals, somewhat overzealous, rushed out to collect them.

The only problem was that at precisely that moment, Sergio Perez shot out of the pit lane. Without their quick leap to the side, it could have ended badly - as, unfortunately, has been the case in Formula 1's past.

Slipstreaming makes a big difference in Monza. Accordingly, no one wanted to lead in qualifying when pole position was at stake in Q3.

So, all ten drivers waited until the last second to go out on track - and even then, they dallied and jostled for position.

The only problem: almost everyone missed the deadline and arrived too late at the start/finish line. A bizarre sight.

Interruption, warm-up lap, standing start - so far, no unusual procedure.

The only problem is when the field is still on intermediate tires while the track is largely dry. In Hungary, only Lewis Hamilton dared to gamble and stay on his tires, becoming the sole participant in the standing start. A sight never seen before!

However, the decision proved wrong, and the Brit soon lost his lead.

When supposedly epic turns unintentionally comical! For the premiere of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Formula 1 invited announcer legend Bruce Buffer to spectacularly stage the drivers' appearances.

However, the fact that Sergio Perez wasn't briefed on where to go after his introduction left a look of bewilderment on his face.

"What am I supposed to do?" - well, if you don't know, Checo...