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Formula 1 will be without Lewis Hamilton for this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix thanks to his positive test for COVID-19.
But this is far from the first time that a season’s world champion has sat out a race.
In F1’s past, the reasons for those absences were often tragic. More recently, they’ve tended to be political or controversial. Here’s our look back at every previous occurrence.
The anomalous points-paying Indianapolis 500s of 1950-1960 are disregarded for this look back given there was minimal crossover between the competitors there and the rest of the world championship. After all, the title winner missed that race on 10 out of 11 occasions – with the only exception being our first entry.
Alberto Ascari (1952)
The Ferrari driver skipped the 1952 season-opening Swiss Grand Prix in order to participate in the Indianapolis 500 given the race at Bremgarten took place during ‘The Month of May’.
He qualified 19th at Indy driving an adapted Ferrari 375 (above) and was classified 31st after managing just 40 laps before the failure of spokes in a rear wheel led to him spinning into retirement.
He returned to win the final six races of the season and take a dominant world championship.
Jack Brabham (1960)
Brabham had already clinched the 1960 world championship when his Cooper squad joined the other British teams in boycotting the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
This was because of safety fears and frustration at organisers including the banking as part of the track to boost Ferrari’s hopes of victory.
Phil Hill (1961)
Having sealed the 1961 world championship in tragic circumstances when team-mate Wolfgang von Trips was killed at Monza, Hill did not race in the Watkins Glen season finale because the Ferrari team opted not to travel to North America.
This wasn’t actually unusual for Ferrari, which did the same thing in 1960 and ’62. Hill did attend the United States Grand Prix, but only as honourary steward.
Jim Clark (1965)
Clark sat out the second round of the 1965 world championship in order to contest the clashing Indianapolis 500. It was a sacrifice well worth making as he won at The Brickyard for Lotus then clinched the F1 world championship with three races to spare.
Jochen Rindt (1970)
Tragically, Rindt was killed in a crash at Monza before he had even sealed the 1970 world championship.
Despite missing the final three grands prix of the season, Rindt became F1’s only posthumous world champion after the penultimate race of the season at Watkins Glen.
Jackie Stewart (1973)
Stewart missed the final race of the 1973 season – and of his career – in tragic circumstances when he and the Tyrrell team withdrew from the United States Grand Prix following the death of team-mate Francois Cevert during Saturday qualifying practice. Stewart had already clinched the title with his famous recovery drive to fourth at Monza.
Niki Lauda (1977)
He’d already announced he would leave at the end of the year, but Lauda walked away from Ferrari two races before the end of the 1977 season having clinched the world championship in the United States Grand Prix.
This was the culmination of resentment at his treatment by the team after his life-threatening crash at the previous year’s German Grand Prix, primarily the recruitment of Carlos Reutemann as his ‘replacement’ while he was still recovering.
Keke Rosberg (1982)
On his way to an unlikely world championship victory in 1982, Rosberg sat out the 14-car San Marino Grand Prix as part of the boycott by the teams aligned to the Formula One Constructors’ Association.
This was at the heart of the FISA-FOCA war during one of the most tumultuous seasons in F1 history.
Nelson Piquet (1987)
Piquet started the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix weekend, but spun his Williams into the wall at Tamburello during Friday practice. Piquet suffered a suspected concussion and was not allowed to race, but returned for the following race at Spa – although arguably was never quite the same driver again despite going on to seal his third world championship.
Michael Schumacher (1994)
After twice overtaking polesitter Damon Hill during the formation laps at Silverstone, Schumacher was hit with a five-second stop/go penalty.
He did not serve it and was subsequently black-flagged. Despite the fact this was later rescinded and the penalty was served, he was subsequently given a two-race ban.
He missed the Italian and Portuguese Grands Prix, and both were won by Hill – closing the championship gap to just one point.
But Schumacher clinched the title in the infamous Adelaide finale.
Jacques Villeneuve (1997)
Jacques Villeneuve was banned from the 1997 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka for ignoring yellow flags while already under a one-race suspended ban for the same offence.
But his Williams team appealed and he was allowed to start. He finished fifth, but the team later withdrew his appeal and he was therefore excluded by way of punishment.
So Villeneuve participated and finished fifth in a race he was banned from while on his way to the title!
Fernando Alonso (2005)
Alonso was one of 14 Michelin-shod drivers who pulled into the pits at the end of the formation lap for the 2005 United States Grand Prix.
While technically he participated and is considered to be a ‘did not start’, the unusual circumstances and the fact that it was pre-ordained that he would not compete rather than it being the result of an unexpected failure merits inclusion in this list.
Lewis Hamilton (2020)
Hamilton will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix thanks to a positive COVID-19 test on Monday. But he had already clinched his record-equalling seventh world championship with victory in Turkey two races before.
