Stop the press! The most surprising moments in F1 history

If the shock revelation that Damon Hill would not be allowed to defend his hard earned Formula 1 World Championship title in 1997 with Williams was not enough, the decision to pen a deal with Arrows successfully loosened the jaws that hadn't already struck the floor. With Williams firing Hill preemptively on September 1st even though he led the championship at this stage, the Briton set about finding alternative employment and just under a month later confirmed he had against all expectations signed with... Arrows! A team notable for having failed to win a single race since its 1978 debut, though new owners TWR certainly made the right noises to lure Hill, the car was slow and unreliable. Save for getting excruciatingly close to a win in Hungary, it wasn't the fairytale success he had staked his reputation on.

Driver spats are nothing new in F1 but Nigel Mansell's decision to leave the sport altogether rather than square off in the same team as Alain Prost ranks as one of motorsport's boldest acts of defiance. Mansell's uneasy relationship with Prost during their time together at Ferrari was well-known, so it was perhaps no surprise to learn that the Briton was unhappy about the prospect of being joined by the Frenchman at Williams-Renault in 1993. Together with Williams digging heels in over Mansell's contract demands as he powered to a long-awaited world title in 1992, the Briton plotted his exit. Even then, few expected him to announce a deal that would see him leave F1 altogether in favour of a move stateside to race in the IndyCar Series. Though the title at his first attempt was a big message to the powers that be in F1, Mansell managed just two seasons in the United States and save for the odd sporadic F1 appearance, he never raced in the series full-time again.

Though Kimi Raikkonen's dwindling enthusiasm for F1 just two years after winning the 2007 world title was certainly evident even before it became apparent he would be ditched by Ferrari for Fernando Alonso in 2009, the decision to quit the series in favour of a direct switch to rallying was rather more unexpected. Considered to have some of the best car control than anyone else in the sport, Raikkonen's rallying foray was certainly respectable amidst talented company but a single top five finish from two seasons was a relatively scant reward for such a racing superstar. Still craving that winning feeling (even if it meant modifying some wage expectations), Raikkonen went on to make another unexpected move - this time a U-turn - and returned to F1 in 2012 with Lotus.

Never one to mince his words, Alain Prost may have squared off – both on and off track - with such formidable opposition as Ayrton Senna in one of sport’s most famous rivalries, but his feud with Ferrari was one he wouldn’t get the final say on. Quitting McLaren for Ferrari as his rivalry with Senna reached fever point, Prost lost out to his rival in 1990 but expected a title tilt in 1991… only to find the Ferrari 642/643 wasn’t up to the job. With the Frenchman making his feelings about the car abundantly clear with frequent public criticism, Ferrari reacted by kicking him out of the team before the final round of the season. Annulling a contract that was supposed to expire in 1992, Prost accepted a deal not to drive with a rival before returning in 1993 with Williams…

When Michael Schumacher announced he'd be ending his spectacular F1 career at the conclusion of the 2006 season, few expected to ever see him in an F1 car again, much less one that wasn't with the Ferrari team he won five of his seven titles with. Indeed, though Mercedes' big budget entry - taking over from 2009 champions BrawnGP - seemed to be a match made in heaven for the now 41 year-old, it was still a shock to see him back on the grid in 2010. Alas, three seasons yielded scant success and Schumacher retired for a second time in 2012.

Some drivers agonise over when the perfect moment to retire is, but for Niki Lauda his decision to leave F1 in 1979 was uncompromisingly made with immediate effect before the season was over... during a race weekend. After success with Brabham in 1978, the unreliable and slow Alfa Romeo-powered car made the 1979 season something of a trial for the Austrian, so much so that - after 11 DNFs from 13 races - he declared during free practice for the Canadian Grand Prix (Round 14 of 15) that he no longer 'wanted to drive around in circles'. And that was that... until he returned to the sport in 1982.

Could Emerson Fittipaldi have become Brazil most successful F1 racing driver? He was certainly well on the way during the early days of his career, clinching two titles - one with Lotus and another with McLaren - and 14 wins in his first six seasons. With the pick of the drives available to him, Fittipaldi proceeded to shock the sport by revealing he would leave McLaren in favour of joining his brother Wilson Fittipaldi's eponymous effort. A startup that failed to score in its maiden 1975 campaign, Emerson brought massive star power and talent to his brother's fledgling team... but he could only take it so far. Results improved and Fittipaldi was a fairly frequent point-scorer, but he would manage just one more career podium. Disappointing results aside, Fittipaldi did show immense commitment to his family cause, sticking with it for four full seasons.

It's easy to forget now, but cast your mind back to the May and the week leading up to the Spanish Grand Prix and the furore that came with the sudden decision to swap Daniil Kvyat out for Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. Though Verstappen was always expected to be promoted eventually, the quick swap caught many - not least Kvyat - by surprise, with many rallying around the podium-winning Russian driver for what many felt was at best rude, at worst an injustice. By the end of the week, the reaction was rather different...

Though there have been plenty of unexpected driver moves in the last few years - Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes, Jenson Button to McLaren -, Sebastian Vettel's exit from Red Bull Racing was both surprising and swiftly actioned. Having supported him through the junior ranks, into F1 and into the Red Bull team that would launch him to four world titles between 2010 and 2013, the idea of Vettel racing in any other colour seemed unfathomable. And yet, in October 2014 - amidst a difficult season - Vettel announced he was quitting in favour of adopting a shade of red at Ferrari. It remains to be seen whether he will go on to achieve quite the same success....

Whilst mid-season team changes weren’t necessarily rare during the early decades of Formula 1, quitting a team straight after winning a race certainly was! For John Surtees – the only person to win world titles on two and four wheels -, his time at Ferrari brought much success, including the championship in 1964, but his relationship with boss Eugenio Dragoni had become untenable by 1966 and he sensationally quit two rounds into the season… having just won the Belgian Grand Prix. Surtees switched to Cooper but he later admitted his Ferrari departure was a mistake.