Ott Tanak
For the first time someone appears on both the flames and lames list. If anyone ever needed proof that motorsport can be so cruel then Tanak's second place finish at WRC Rally Poland over the weekend certainly provided it. Having led the event from start to finish (well almost) Tanak seemed certain of a maiden WRC win as he headed off for the final two stages of the event with a nice buffer over second placed Andreas Mikkelsen. But a puncture on the penultimate stage saw him lose valuable time and drop behind the Norwegian and have to settle for second. With tears streaming down his face the young Estonian couldn't speak to reporters at the conclusion of the rally and was consoled by his competitors after suffering such bad luck.
Mercedes F1
Less than a week ago Lewis Hamilton proclaimed his relationship with teammate and championship rival Nico Rosberg was "better than expected." It may have taken a hit (excuse the pun) during the weekend's Austrian Grand Prix with the two Mercedes drivers coming together yet again (third time in five races) at the front of the field on the final lap. Hamilton tried to pass around the outside and two drivers made enough contact for Rosberg to fall to fourth while Hamilton managed to hang on for the win and reduce the German's championship lead to just 11 points. Both drivers blamed each other but the stewards took Hamilton's side issuing Rosberg with a time penalty for causing a collision.
Sebastian Vettel
In a season of costly incidents for the former world champion Monday's Austrian Grand Prix was no less cruel to him. The Ferrari driver's rear tyre exploded mid-race, within its expected life duration, and took him out whilst in the lead of the race. Vettel has struggled to consistently match the outright speed of the Mercedes this year and hasn't been able to capitalize on the mistakes the German manufacturer and their drivers have made this year because of the number of problems his own team has faced.