Formula 1 drivers who have raced with an injury

Oscar Piastri revealed he suffered a broken rib following the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July. The Australian took to social media to share an X-ray image of the injury and joked the “rib’s enjoying the break”.

Piastri’s post showed that he was treated for the break the day after the British GP, meaning he took his maiden win two weeks later in Hungary with the injury. He also claimed his fourth podium of the season a week later in Belgium in an impressive drive which saw him rapidly catching the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell towards the end of the race.

While he’s yet to share how he received the injury, he’s far from the only driver who completed a race with an injury.

F1 drivers who have won a race with an injury

Carlos Sainz – 2024 Saudi Arabian GP – Appendicitis

Photo by: Ferrari

Carlos Sainz became unwell during the Thursday practice sessions at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP, ​​describing it as one of his “toughest days in a Formula 1 car”. Ferrari announced the following morning that the Spaniard was suffering from appendicitis and would not be in the car for the rest of the weekend. Later in the day the team also confirmed that Sainz had undergone surgery to remove his appendix.

Sainz said he was not sure his return for the Australian GP two weeks later was possible, adding that he was still in bed, unable to use his abs when he needed to fly to Melbourne. He arrived in Australia a week ahead of the GP to undergo FIA testing to ensure he was fit to drive and went on to qualify in second place behind Max Verstappen. The Dutchman had won the previous two races and seemed in prime position to take a third, however, brake issues saw him retire on lap four – leaving second-placed Sainz in the perfect place to benefit and take the third win of his career.

Jackie Stewart – 1968 Dutch & German GPs – Broken wrist

Jackie Stewart, Matra MS10 Ford, takes the checkered flag for victory.

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Jackie Stewart broke the scaphoid bone in his wrist during a Formula 2 pre-season test ahead of the start of the 1968 F1 championship. The Scotsman, who had been treated by Muhammed Ali’s doctor, retired from the season’s first race before missing the Spanish and Monaco GPs while he recovered. Stewart took a win on his second race back following the injury at the wet Dutch GP. After starting in fifth, he was able to take advantage of the rainy conditions to take the lead on lap three and eventually win the race.

His win was followed by an even more impressive victory, which came two races later at the Nurburgring in August.

Still wearing his support brace, Stewart in his Matra started from sixth place and flew through the grid to pull out an 8.3-second lead by the end of the first lap. Alongside winning the race by 4 minutes and 3.2 seconds ahead of Graham Hill, Stewart also set the best time of 9 minutes and 36 seconds when no other driver could improve on 9 minutes and 51 seconds.

Following the race, Stewart downplayed his win, saying: “If it had been a dry race, I wouldn’t have won. It might have been too much for me, but in the law, it didn’t really worry me at all”. He finished second in the drivers’ championship, just 12 points behind Graham Hill, but could have further challenged for the title if he had not missed two races.

F1 drivers who have raced with an injury

Lance Stroll – Broken wrists, hands and toes

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Two weeks before the start of the 2023 season Lance Stroll crashed his bike in Spain, resulting in fractures to both his wrists, left hand and right big toe. The Canadian underwent surgery 48 hours after the accident in Spain but was told he should expect to miss the first two races of the year, making his return at the third race of the season in Australia in April.

After a rehabilitation program to help encourage movement back in his fingers, Stroll arrived at the season opener in Bahrain and despite appearing to be in a significant amount of pain, he climbed inside his Aston Martin for FP1. His wrist injuries quickly became apparent when he was unable to use different racing lines during the practice and qualifying sessions but was still able to put himself in eighth on the starting grid. Stroll was seen winning during the national anthem and later admitted to “shedding a few tears” after he ran into the back of his team-mate Fernando Alonso on the first lap.

Despite the injuries Stroll overtook both the Mercedes cars and finished in sixth place, scoring himself eight championship points. Following the race, he said: “Pain, (I was) in pain. But I was grinding it out at the end just thinking about picking up those points, it feels good. It’s just been an insane journey. The last two weeks have just been the most insane two weeks of my life.”

Fernando Alonso – Broken hands

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Following his Aston Martin team-mate Stroll’s injuries at the start of the 2023 season, Alonso revealed that he had broken both his hands during Q3 at the 2022 Australian GP. The accident happened after a hydraulics failure onboard his Alpine, where he then went into the wall at Turn 11, resulting in the breaks of multiple bones in his hand.

The two-time world champion refused to miss a race – including the Australian GP the next day – and competed in a further four GPs with bandages on both of his wrists. Alonso revealed that he suffered with the effects of his injuries into the August summer break, saying: “In my case, I broke a few bones in both hands last year. So, until August, I was not fully recovered. I had some pain, but we love driving!”

Alex Albon – Appendicitis and respiratory failure

Photo by: Williams

Alex Albon was forced to miss the 2022 Italian GP after undergoing surgery for appendicitis the day before the race, following a promising performance in the Friday practice sessions. Following the operation, the Thai-British driver ended up in intensive care and was put on a ventilator after suffering from respiratory failure. Albon shared that he was supposed to have been sedated for two to three days but his lungs cleared within 12 hours and he woke up the following day.

Albon revealed he came round just before the start of the Monza race, adding: “It was frustrating to watch, and the heart rate went up a little bit. They were keeping an eye on me and they told me they had to switch it off .”

Three weeks later he was back in the Williams for the Singapore GP, but his race came to a quick end when he spun and crashed into the barrier at Turn 7 during the first lap. Albon made it back to the pitlane but his car was retired after sustaining damage.

Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing RB6

Photo by: Sutton Images

Mark Webber completed the final four races of the 2010 season with a broken shoulder following a mountain bike accident. The Australian opened up about his injury in his book Aussie Grit where he revealed he kept the injury a secret from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Webber said only told his physio Roger Cleary and F1’s chief medical officer Gary Hartstein what had happened.

He sustained the fracture following the Singapore GP, where he was leading the championship by 11 points from Alonso. Despite two second-place finishes at the Japanese and Brazilian GPs, a retirement in Korea and an eighth-place finish at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, he ultimately finished third – 12 points behind champion Sebastian Vettel and Alonso.

F1 drivers who raced with lasting effects from injuries

Johnny Herbert, Benetton B188 Ford

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Johnny Herbert had signed with Benetton for 1988 before he suffered a horrifying crash in the F3000 at Brands Hatch. The Brit was involved in an accident with his rival Gregor Foitek, sending him into a concrete bridge. His Reynard then bounced back across the track and into a barrier – an impact which was taken entirely by Herbert’s legs, resulting in multiple fractures in his legs, ankles and feet.

Herbert was told he would never walk again but after months of rehab, he was able to get climb back inside the cockpit. He re-signed to Benetton for the 1989 season and just seven months after the crash, Herbert raced at the season opener in Brazil – despite still needing walking sticks to get around. Herbert impressed many on his debut, finishing fourth despite his injuries.

Martin Brundle, Tyrrell 012

Photo by: Sutton Images

Martin Brundle almost lost his left foot after a crash at the 1984 Dallas GP. The British driver’s Tyrrell experienced a puncture during a practice session which resulted in him crashing into a concrete wall before rebounding to the opposite wall. The force of the impact tore apart the front of the car, which broke both his ankles and feet. Brundle tried to extract himself from the car and with the help of stewards he attempted to stand. In his book Martin Brundle Scrapbook he shared: “I had never fractured a bone before. I tried to take a few steps and fell to the ground because my left foot was no longer attached to my leg. My foot was only held in place by a tube of skin.”

Brundle lost consciousness multiple times on the way to the hospital and doctors had initially believed his foot should be amputated due to the risk of gangrene. F1’s safety and medical delegate Dr Sid Watkins stopped doctors from performing the surgery and organized a flight back to the UK to operate himself.

Brundle was forced to miss the remainder of the season and was left with permanent injuries, including being unable to brake with his left foot. He re-signed with Tyrrell the following year despite still struggling with his injuries.

Niki Lauda – Severe burns

Photo by: Ercole Colombo

Niki Lauda made one of the most impressive returns to F1 following a fiery crash at the Nurburgring in 1972 which almost killed the Ferrari driver. The Austrian was left with serious burns to his head and injuries to his lungs but just six weeks later he was back in the car for the Italian GP.

He admitted to being “rigid with fear” as he prepared for the Monza race but managed to qualify in fifth ahead of both team-mates Clay Regazzoni and his replacement Carlos Reutemann. After a slow start where he was passed by Reutemann, he was later able to re-pass and take fourth place. Following the race Lauda was seen with his balaclava covered in blood after his burns had opened up during the race.

Lauda was still leading the drivers’ championship following the race, but would later lose the title to James Hunt by just a single point when he pulled out of the season finale at the Japanese GP due to safety concerns.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F2009 crash

Photo by: Sutton Images

Felipe Massa had narrowly missed out on the drivers’ title in 2008 but midway through the following season, his career – and indeed life – was nearly lost in a freak accident.

During qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, a spring from the heave damper of Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn struck his fellow Brazilian on the run to Turn 4, knocking him unconscious and sending him on a collision course with the barriers.

Surgery was required around his left eye as his skull had fractured, leaving him in a life-threatening condition.

He would return to competition the following year, not before undergoing a number of neurological tests and having a metal plate added to his skull to ensure adequate strength to deal with the rigors of racing.