Formula 1: The Top 5 Biggest Cheats

Crashgate, spying, illegal engineering: the Top 5 biggest scandals in Formula 1 history

Top-level motorsport pushes teams to the limit. Formula 1 is the perfect example. Huge money is on the line, and every last thousandth of a second matters, so team bosses and engineers are sometimes tempted to bend the rules. The paddock has therefore been turned, more than once, into the stage for serious cheating. Here is a factual look back at five major cases that badly damaged Formula 1’s credibility.

5. Ferrari’s engine secret (2019)

In 2019, Scuderia Ferrari’s straight-line speed left the rest of the Formula 1 field baffled. Telemetry data showed an anomaly during acceleration phases. The FIA focused on the fuel flow meter, suspecting Maranello of using a system that got around the permitted limit. With no hard proof, the governing body struck a confidential deal with the Italian team. That lack of transparency sparked furious criticism from rival team principals.

4. Tyrrell’s liquid ballast (1984)

Meeting the minimum weight rule is one of the iron laws of Formula 1. In 1984, Tyrrell came up with a technical trick to run under the legal limit, giving its cars a clear aerodynamic edge. At the final pit stop, mechanics pumped a mix of water and lead shot into a fake brake-cooling system. The stunt allowed the cars to pass the post-race weigh-in. The cheat was eventually uncovered, and the team was thrown out of the world championship entirely.

$0.99

7-day trial

Full Pro access.
Try it for $0.99.

Picks · Injury reports · Trends · Tools · No ads — no commitment

Let’s do it

3. The suspicions around the Benetton B194 (1994)

The 1994 season was defined by Benetton’s dominance and a stream of technical controversies. Computer analysis of the car revealed a hidden line of code. That program, called option 13, supposedly enabled traction control, a driving aid that was formally banned in Formula 1 that year. The team also came under another investigation after Jos Verstappen’s car caught fire in Germany, directly linked to the deliberate removal of a filter in the refuelling rig in an effort to speed up the stop.

2. Spygate: industrial espionage at the top (2007)

This case brought industrial spying into Formula 1. A Ferrari engineer passed 780 pages of confidential documents to a senior McLaren executive. From development plans to race strategies, critical data ended up in the hands of the rival team. The scale of the leak triggered a rare and brutal response from F1’s governing bodies. McLaren was thrown out of the constructors’ championship and hit with a record $100 million fine.

1. Crashgate: the deliberate Singapore crash (2008)

Top spot in this ranking goes to a deliberate act that put safety on the track at risk during a Formula 1 Grand Prix. To help Fernando Alonso, who had qualified badly, Renault’s senior management put a precise plan in place. Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet Jr was formally told to crash his car into the circuit wall on purpose. The safety car came out at exactly the right moment, allowing Alonso to take the lead and, crucially, win the drivers’ title that year. Exposed the following season, the premeditated act remains the worst breach of sporting fairness in Formula 1 history.

Photo by SAEED KHAN / AFP

Find the rest of the Formula 1 news on mathodds!