6 times drivers improvised after losing radio during a race

Following Max Verstappen's communication issues during his victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1 reviewed six notable instances of drivers managing radio failures during races. At Singapore, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase used button-press codes and pit boards after the team lost the ability to hear Verstappen's replies. Verstappen previously faced a similar one-way communication glitch while winning the 2021 French Grand Prix.

Other notable incidents include Michael Schumacher using hand signals to an onboard camera during the 1999 French Grand Prix, and Mark Webber tearing out his static-filled radio at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix. Communication failures also disrupted Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in Hungary in 2017, hampered Charles Leclerc in Hungary in 2023, and led to Alex Albon retiring from the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix.