Any driver who has ever held a position in motorsports has, at one point or another, been fired from their job. Most come down to an issue of performance. If the driver doesn't perform and can't attract sponsors, they are out. Other drivers may get the axe because they don't gel with the team. If personalities clash, the team's performance nosedives.
On the flip side, there are times where a driver is fired for reasons beyond the obvious. Sometimes, the sport and personal politics play a role in seeing a driver's status suddenly plummet. Other times, drivers are straight-up given the boot, with no explanation to speak of. Yet, while there may be no explanation, there is a reason. With that, here are 15 dumb things that got drivers fired.
15 Brennan Poole; Fired For Sponsorship Issues
Coming off two rather successful seasons with Chip Ganassi's Xfinity program, Brennan was all set for the third year with the team. Then without warning, he was released from his contract before the 2018 season. Fast forward six months and Poole has sued Ganassi and his former agent Spire Sports for breach of contract regarding the sponsor, DC Solar. Poole argued Ganassi and Spire conspired to move the DC Solar sponsorship to Cup driver Kyle Larson while Ganassi countered that Poole had failed to win any races in superior equipment.
14 Kevin Cogan; Fired For Being A Pariah
Kevin Cogan was once considered a rising star in Indycar racing. On one faithful May afternoon in Indianapolis, his life and career forever changed. Heading into the 1982 Indy 500, Cogan started from the middle of the 1st row. As the cars began to accelerate, his car veered into A.J. Foyt before collecting Mario Andretti's car, ending the day for Andretti, Cogan, and two others.
Immediately, all the blame for the accident fell on Cogan. In reality, a broken rear CV Joint caused the car to veer out of control. That part was never explained to the public. After the accident, his relationship with Penske soured, to the point where he was let go at the end of the '82 season. Cogan is still bitter towards Penske to this day.
13 Michele Alboreto; Fired For Having The Wrong Sponsor
After spending several years with Ferrari, Italian driver Michele Alboreto rejoined his first F1 team, Tyrrell, in 1989. The rekindled relationship turned sour, as he was passed over for driving the new Tyrrell in favor of his teammate, Johnathan Palmer. An incensed Alboreto outdrove his teammate, scoring points in the Monaco Grand Prix.
He would record the team's only podium finish at the next race in Mexico City. He was soon told to end his personal sponsorship with Marlboro after Tyrrell signed new title sponsor, Camel. Alboreto refused and was let go from the team.
12 Robby Gordon; Fired For Pissing Off Ford
Robby Gordon is known as a talented hothead in the racing community. Coming off a successful 1995 campaign with the Walker Racing Ford, Gordon looked to have an even stronger season in 1996. After a strong podium in Miami, Gordon failed to score a Top 10 finish in the next seven races. And after an incident during the Cleveland Grand Prix, Gordon reportedly was seen punching a Ford banner in frustration. The incident did not go over well with Ford, and Gordon was sacked at the end of the year.
11 Jarno Trulli; Fired For Not Giving A 100 Percent
After winning the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, Renault's Jarno Trulli was on cloud nine. Now a proven race winner, Trulli was eager to prove himself the upcoming season. Unfortunately, his season fell to pieces. After failing to secure a podium at Renault's home race in France, Trulli's fate was all but sealed. After accusing the team of favoring future World Champion Fernando Alonso, Trulli was fired. The reason? He didn't give his all to the team.
10 Danny Sullivan; Fired For Pissing Off Team Owner
After spending a year languishing around the field, IndyCar Champion Danny Sullivan joined Galles/Kraco Racing in 1992 as a teammate for Al Unser Jr. During the Long Beach Grand Prix, Unser Jr. led Sullivan in the final laps. While trying to lap a slower car, Sullivan tapped Unser Jr., and thus took the lead. He would go on to win, much to the chagrin of the team.
A year later in Detroit, Unser Jr. out-braked himself trying to pass Sullivan's ailing car. Sullivan would go on to win that race, and further deepen the rift between himself and car owner, Rick Galles. Sullivan revealed on The Marshall Pruett Podcast, members of the team refused to talk to him afterward. Before the 1994 season, Sullivan was let go with no time to find another drive.
9 Brian Vickers; Let Go For Running Out Of Talent
During the 2006 Fall race at Talladega, Vickers battled teammate Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead. On the last lap, Vickers tapped Johnson who in turn tapped Earnhardt, sending both cars into a spin, leaving third-place Vickers as the winner.
The win was not received well by fans or his team. Johnson would say later, "It’s absolutely uncalled for, completely out of line.” He continued, "...I don’t think he meant to do it, but he did it." Vickers would leave Hendrick for Red Bull at the end of the year, although it's argued that he would have been formally fired regardless.
8 Paul Tracy; Let Go Due To Downsizing
Paul Tracy was never one short of words and aggression, hence why he's called the "Thrill from West Hill." His career at Team Penske was punctuated with 8 race wins over two-plus seasons. During the 1994 season, Tracy's contract was up at the end of the year. Roger Penske had decided to cut his team to two cars, putting Tracy on the chopping block. Instead of going to the satellite Penske team, Tracy was released to sign with rival Newman/Haas Racing.
Tracy was again fired by Penske three years later, this time for criticizing the car.
7 Jeremy Mayfield; Fired For Criticizing Team Owner
After successive Top-10 finishes in the points in '04 and '05, Mayfield failed to score a Top 10 during the first 21 races of the '06 season. Mayfield complained that team owner Ray Evernham was spending all his time with development driver (and girlfriend) Erin Crocker. His complaints plus the woeful performance led to him being sacked by the team before the Brickyard 400. Mayfield found out through NASCAR's official website. His career never recovered.
6 Jan Magnussen; Fired For Not Living Up To Expectation
World Champion Jackie Stewart once touted Jan Magnussen as the next Ayrton Senna. The talented Danish driver joined Stewart's Grand Prix team in 1997. However, The temperamental Ford proved a handful for the young Dane, and Magnussen was unable to provide improvements on the car.
It didn't help Magnussen's confidence that Stewart took him on an ill-advised driving lesson. After the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix where Magnussen scored his first F1 point, Stewart sacked him in favor of Jos Verstappen. He never raced again in Formula 1.
5 Ryan Hunter-Reay; Fired For "Contractual Reasons"
Ryan Hunter-Reay was an up and coming driver when he joined RocketSports for the 2005 ChampCar season. To spite scoring four Top-10 finishes, the team ran without sponsorship for most of the year. Then, with two races left in the season, Hunter-Reay was fired without reason. His replacement Michael McDowell brought an estimated $150,000 to the team.
Hunter-Reay later sued Rocketsports owner, Paul Gentilozzi for breaching the contract. A long, dragged out case that spanned two lawsuits and settled out of court near 12 years later in favor of Hunter-Reay.
4 Willy T. Ribbs; Fired For Having F1 Aspirations
Willy T. Ribbs garnered accolades and headlines as he dominated the SCCA Trans-Am series in the mid-1980s. He became the first African-American to win a major National race since Wendell Scott won in NASCAR in 1963. Ribbs earned his biggest success with Roush Racing
At the 1985 Detroit Grand Prix, Ribbs was approach by F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone to test his Brabham F1 car at the end of the season. This annoyed team owner Jack Roush, who according to Ribbs, sabotaged the car toward the end of the year. While he won the most races in 1985, Ribbs came up short of winning the title. Roush released him at the end of the year to spite the success.
3 Alain Prost; Fired For Calling His Car "A Dump Truck"
World Champion Alain Prost joined Ferrari in 1990 to bring a championship back to the Scuderia. His first season was filled with triumphs, capturing five wins. A ferocious battle with rival Ayrton Senna, Prost saw his title hopes evaporate as the two collided at the first corner of the Japanese Grand Prix. Senna won the title. In 1991, Prost's V-12 Ferrari was no match for Senna's lighter V-10 McLaren.
Prost struggled to put the bulky Ferrari on the podium, capturing five podiums, but no wins. After his front shock absorbers failed during practice for the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix, Prost complained the car handled 'like a dump truck.' Ferrari took a dim view of the comment and fired the Frenchman for complaining about the car.
2 Todd Bodine; Fired For "Reasons"
Todd Bodine entered the 1998 season with a new outlook, and a new team. The team, rookie entrant ISM Racing, had corporate sponsorship from Tabasco. The sponsorship was an elaborate marketing ploy for Tabasco to test out the NASCAR market. To spite a big budget, Bodine struggled to qualify the car, failing to make 8 of 15 races entered.
Bodine was then fired for in a managerial move. The team fumbled through the rest of the year before closing their doors at the end of 1998. Today, it's referred to as "The Tabasco Fiasco."
1 Daniel Abt; Fired For Using A Ringer
Daniel Abt has raced in Formula E since its start in 2014. In that time, he's competed at a high level, scoring two wins in the 2017-2018 season. During Formula E's Race At Home Challenge, Abt scored a 3rd-place finish, his highest during the challenge's five weeks. Rumors spread that he was not driving the car at the time, with his live video feed obscured. All other drivers' feeds were clear.
Abt was discovered to have hired an E-sports ringer to impersonate him during the race. While he played down the ramifications of his actions, Abt's corporate boss Audi suspended then relieved him of his driving duties. Abt drove for Audi Sport ABT Sportline; a team owned and managed by his father.