DNF F1

What does DNF mean?

You have probably noticed before that you are looking at the F1 race results, and it says DNF after a driver's name. What exactly does this mean? DNF is an abbreviation for 'Did Not Finish'. The term says it all, the Formula 1 driver was not able to finish the race and therefore did not cross the finish line. This can have several causes, such as a crash or a technical problem of the car.

Which F1 driver has the most DNFs in one season?

The record for the Formula 1 driver who achieved the most DNFs of the season stands in the name of Italian Andrea de Cesaris. He set this record in 1987, managing no fewer than 14 DNFs out of 16 races.

Nowadays, so many DNFs per season are actually rare, partly because the reliability of Formula 1 cars has improved a lot compared to the past.

Which F1 driver has the most DNFs ever?

Coincidentally, an Italian driver also holds this record, namely Riccardo Patrese. He appeared at the start of 256 races but only managed to finish 111 of them. This means he achieved 145 DNFs in total, which is a percentage of 56.6%.

Besides the large amount of DNFs, Riccardo Patrese also achieved a number of successes. He took six Grand Prix victories and finished second in the 1992 championship.

Total of DNFs F1 season 2024

The table below shows the number of DNFs per driver for the 2024 season.

F1 drivers with the most DNF's

Currently, ten drivers have recorded a DNF (Did Not Finish) this season. Daniel Ricciardo holds the record for the most DNFs, experiencing back-to-back retirements during the Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix. On both occasions, the Australian was involved in collisions with other drivers.

During the Japanese Grand Prix, Ricciardo collided with Alexander Albon in the first lap, which was later deemed a racing incident by the FIA, requiring no further action. However, in China, Lance Stroll drove into the back of Ricciardo during a restart behind the safety car. This caused floor damage to Ricciardo's car, ultimately leading to his retirement from the race. Stroll received a penalty from the FIA, including a time penalty and two penalty points on his super license.

DNFs Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has a total of 31 DNFs behind his name up to and including the 2024 F1 season. The overview below shows the number of DNFs per season. Hamilton has not had a single DNF for three seasons - 2017, 2019 and 2022. The F1 season where he achieved the most DNFs was in 2012, namely 6.

DNFs Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen has a total of 32 DNFs behind his name up to and including the 2024 F1 season. Below is the overview of Max Verstappen's number of DNFs per season. Max Verstappen achieved the most DNFs in the 2017 season, namely seven DNFs. He achieved the fewest in 2023. In this season, he didn't have to retire the car.

DNFs Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc has 21 DNFs behind his name up to and including the 2024 season. In the overview below, you can see Charles Leclerc's number of DNFs per season. In his debut season, he achieved the most DNFs, namely 6. In the 2021 season, Charles Leclerc achieved only one DNF during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

What does DNS mean in F1?

Besides DNF, you also have the term DNS, which stands for 'Did Not Start'. This means that the driver was qualified for the race, but did not start. One cause could be that the car has technical problems during the warm-up lap, for example, and therefore cannot start the race.

Yuki Tsunoda has a DNS after the Italian Grand Prix. Indeed, he stalled because of engine problems during the formation lap.

What does DNQ mean in F1?

DNQ means 'Did Not Qualify'. This means that the Formula 1 driver did not set a time during qualifying or set too slow a time.

The terms DNF and DNS are not to be confused with the term DRS. To know what exactly DRS is, check out this page.