The Greatest F1 Title Showdowns – Global Sports Planet

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Since the first season of Formula 1 in 1950, hundreds of drivers have raced to win the title, but only a few have done so. In these more than 70 years we have seen it all: epic rivalries, battles between teammates, decisive overtaking on the last lap…

There have been seasons where one driver or team has dominated from the start, leaving the rest with little choice. However, there have been other seasons with great equality between various drivers or teams, in which the rivalry has lasted throughout the year, having dramatic final-round deciders in which victory was not decided until the last moment.

These are always considered the best seasons, as they are the most exciting and in which there is more close racing and spectacle, and they give you goosebumps.

With that said, let\’s take a look at some of the best F1 title showdowns in history.

1. 2008 Brazilian GP

Lewis Hamilton vs Felipe Massa

There has never been a championship finish as dramatic as at the 2008 Brazilian GP, where the world championship was passed from one driver to another in a matter of agonizing seconds at the end of the race.

Lewis Hamilton, the young promise of McLaren at that time, arrived in Brazil leading with 94 points, while Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was second with 87 points, so the Brazilian still had a chance of winning the title if Hamilton finished in sixth place or lower.

During that weekend, Massa was sublime and did everything in his power to win the title. In qualifying, the Ferrari driver took pole, while Hamilton was fourth. The changing weather conditions in the race led to a chaotic race.

The race started in light rain so all the drivers started on intermediate tires, but the track dried out during the first few laps so everyone stopped to put on dry tires. Massa led most of the race, while Hamilton was never higher than third, spending most of the time stuck in fourth or fifth position.

On lap 63 it began to rain, so many cars started to pit in the following laps to change tires, including Massa and Hamilton. All the frontrunners made a pit stop, with the exception of Timo Glock.

With two laps to go, Hamilton ran wide when he encountered Robert Kubica\’s lapped car, and lost position to Vettel, condemning him to sixth, which was not enough for him to win the title.

Felipe Massa crossed the finish line first, and the Ferrari crew and fans began to celebrate the championship as Hamilton was unable to overtake Vettel. However, at the final corner, both Vettel and Hamilton passed Glock, who was struggling for grip as his dry-weather tires slid on the wet track.

Thanks to this, Hamilton was able to finish fifth, stealing the championship and breaking the hearts of Massa, Ferrari and the entire Brazilian grandstand. Hamilton became the youngest world champion in history until Vettel in 2010.

2. 2021 Abu Dhabi GP

Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton

The 2021 season seemed like a transition season, before the revolutionary changes of 2022, but it turned out to be one of the most exciting in recent times, as Max Verstappen and Red Bull challenged Mercedes\’ dominance for the first time since the start of the hybrid era in 2014.

The whole season was very close between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, and both reached the last round, in Abu Dhabi, with 369.5 points.

In qualifying, Verstappen took pole position, while Hamilton was second, but already overtook the young Dutchman before the first corner, due to a good start. After a controversial move on the first lap, Hamilton consolidated his lead, staying ahead of Verstappen throughout the race.

However, everything changed on lap 53, when Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers, causing a Safety Car with 5 laps to go, and Verstappen took the opportunity to change tires. The Safety Car ended before the final lap, and the lapped cars were able to overtake it, leaving Hamilton and Verstappen neck-and-neck with one lap to decide the champion.

On the last lap, Verstappen, taking advantage of his fresh tires, made a move on the inside of Turn 5, overtaking Hamilton, who was unable to overtake him again during the lap, thus the Dutchman became world champion after a frenetic lap.

The decision to end the Safety Car and let the lapped cars through was not without controversy, as many saw this move by the FIA as forced to bring about a dramatic end.

3. 1997 European GP

Michael Schumacher vs Jacques Villeneuve

After a tough first season with Ferrari, Michael Schumacher entered the final race of 1997, at Jerez, as a title contender, alongside Canadian Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve.

The controversy over the title came even before the last race. In the penultimate round at Suzuka, Villeneuve finished fifth but was disqualified for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags, leaving Schumacher a point clear going into the final round.

In qualifying, interestingly enough, both Schumacher and Villeneuve as well as his teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen set the same time. The Canadian started from pole, while Schumacher was second, and the German already took the lead at the start by overtaking the Williams driver.

Throughout the race, Villeneuve was chasing the Ferrari driver, and on lap 48, at Turn 6, Dry Sac, a tight right-hander, the Canadian made a move on the inside. Schumacher, trying to protect his position at all costs, turned inside, colliding with Villeneuve.

Schumacher ended up in the gravel and retired, while Villeneuve managed to continue the race, finishing third and becoming the 1997 World Champion. Shortly after, Schumacher was disqualified from the championship for his move, thus ending a tense season and adding a black mark to the German\’s racing career.

The 1997 season is, to date, the last title achieved by Williams.

4. 1989 Japanese GP

Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna

The rivalry between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna is probably the most famous in the history of Formula 1 and one of the most dramatic. One of the tensest moments of this rivalry occurred in the final round of 1989, at Suzuka, which marked F1 history F1 forever.

In 1988, Senna had beaten Prost, winning his first title. In 1989, the Frenchman was leading the championship, but his teammate was not going to make life easy for him. In qualifying, the Brazilian took pole position, 1.7 seconds faster than Prost, who started second.

In the race, Senna stalled at the start and Prost took the lead. The Frenchman led the entire race, followed by his teammate, who was getting closer and closer until on lap 46 everything changed. At the last chicane, Senna attempted to pass from far away and the two collided.

Prost got out of the car, sure its suspension or steering was broken, while Senna urged the marshalls to push him away. The Brazilian was able to rejoin the race, and after pitting to change the front wing, he took the lead and won the race.

However, Prost went to the stewards and Senna was disqualified for missing the chicane after the incident, so Prost won his third world title under great controversy that continues to generate polarization today.

5. 1990 Japanese GP

Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna

After Prost was proclaimed world champion in 1989 in the offices, and with Senna disqualified, fined and sanctioned, history repeated itself the following year, although with a very different result.

The Frenchman signed for Ferrari and won 5 wins in 1990, while the Brazilian led the championship with his 6 wins, so Suzuka was once again decisive for the title, and Senna was looking to rewrite history.

The controversy already began in qualifying. Senna took the pole once again, but the FIA had introduced a new rule where the grid positions had been switched, so the pole position was now on the dirty side of the grid.

Senna, very angry with this decision, protested, albeit unsuccessfully, so he warned that if Prost overtook him at the start taking advantage of the clean side, he was not going to give up in the first corner. They were prophetic words, as that was exactly what happened at the start.

Before the first corner, the Frenchman was already ahead, but Senna, who had the inside, did not give in, and both collided and retired from the race, so this result made the Brazilian world champion, materializing his revenge.

The Frenchman was extremely angry with this move, while the Brazilian came to the pits looking little proud of what he had done, marking another historic event in this iconic rivalry.

6. 2010 Abu Dhabi GP

Fernando Alonso vs Sebastian Vettel vs Mark Webber vs Lewis Hamilton

2010 was one of the best seasons in recent times, marking the first time in F1 history that four drivers had chances to win the title at the final round, which was held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The Spaniard from Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, led the championship with 246 points, followed by the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, with 238 and 231 points respectively. McLaren\’s Lewis Hamilton with 222 points had an outside chance of winning the title.

Red Bull had been the fastest during the year, but wasteful since the season was very close and the rivals did not make it easy for them.

In qualifying, Vettel took pole, his tenth of the season, while Hamilton was second, Alonso third and Webber fifth. In the race, an early Safety Car on lap 1 led many midfield cars to pit stop for tires, which would not pit again for the rest of the race.

Mark Webber pitted on lap 12 due to lack of grip and Alonso, focused on defending the Australian, who was closer to the championship, pitted four laps later to secure his position ahead of him, which he did, but it turned out to be terrible in the long run.

Vettel and Hamilton pitted later to avoid traffic, while Alonso and Webber got stuck behind Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov. Alonso, who needed to pass all three, spent 40 laps chasing Petrov, unable to overtake him and desperate, seeing how his options for the title vanished.

In the end, Vettel won the race and became the youngest world champion in history. He won the championship by 4 points ahead of Alonso and it was the first time that he had led the championship. This was the beginning of his dominating era in Formula 1.

7. 1964 Mexican GP

John Surtees vs Graham Hill vs Jim Clark

The decisive final round of 1964 in Mexico was one of the most agonizing in history. Three drivers entered the final race with chances of winning the title: Graham Hill (BRM) led with 39 points, John Surtees (Ferrari) was second on 34 and reigning champion Jim Clark (Team Lotus) was on 30.

At that time, only the first 6 obtained points (9-6-4-3-2-1 points) so the three drivers depended as much on their result as on the others to be champions.

In qualifying, Clark took pole while Surtees was fourth and Hill could only manage sixth. The race started with Clark leading, followed by Dan Gurney\’s BRM. Hill and Surtees\’ teammate Lorenzo Bandini were battling for the third position, while Surtees found himself a distant fifth, and with little chance of winning the title.

Then Bandini ran into the back of Hill, damaging his exhaust, causing him to lose power for the rest of the race and positions, and putting him out of contention for the race.

When everything looked favorable for Clark, his engine stalled due to an oil line failure. With one lap to go, the top three were Gurney, Bandini and Surtees. Bandini slowed down to let Surtees pass, and thus get the points needed to win the championship after a frantic race.

As a fun fact, that weekend Ferrari raced as American NART, and their cars were painted white and blue, the US national racing colors. Furthermore, with this title, John Surtees became the first, and so far only, driver to win the world motorcycle championship and Formula 1.

8. 1976 Japanese GP

James Hunt vs Niki Lauda

Looking at how the first half of the season unfolded, no one expected that the fight for the title in 1976 would be so intense. The championship had 16 races, and during the first 9, Niki Lauda\’s Ferrari achieved 5 wins and 3 podiums, while James Hunt\’s McLaren had 2 wins and 1 podium, being second in the championship but far behind.

However, in round 10, at the Nürburgring, Lauda had a serious accident that ended with his car on fire, and although the Austrian miraculously survived, he suffered severe burns all over his body, which would mark him for life.

In an astonishing and forced recovery, Lauda returned to racing just a month later for the Italian GP. He missed 2 races, plus the one he retired, and in that period Hunt achieved 2 wins. From then to the penultimate race, the British added 2 more victories, and Lauda only one podium, as he was still suffering from the consequences of his accident.

At the final round in Fuji, Lauda was still ahead of Hunt in the championship, but by only 3 points. On the race day, there was heavy rain, fog and standing water on the track, and after intense debate, the organizers decided to go ahead, even though many drivers were against it, such as Lauda.

In the race, the Ferrari driver retired on lap 2 as a precaution, and Hunt, who decided to continue, led almost the entire race, until a puncture forced him to stop, which dropped him to fifth position. However, during the closing laps, Hunt passed Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni and crossed the finish line third, winning the title by just one point.

This epic rivalry is beautifully depicted in the 2013 movie “Rush,” which goes into great detail about every aspect of the 1976 season and the story of both drivers.

9. 1950 Italian GP

Nino Farina vs Juan Manuel Fangio vs Luigi Fagioli

The first season in Formula 1 history ended epically, with three drivers from the dominating Alfa Romeo in contention for the title. Juan Manuel Fangio arrived at the Monza Autodromo leading the championship, two points ahead of Luigi Fagioli and four of Giuseppe “Nino” Farina.

The three drivers were only a few points apart, so they depended not only on themselves but on the results of the others to proclaim themselves champions. In qualifying, Fangio took pole position, while Farina was third and Fagioli fifth.

On Sunday, Farina soon led the race, followed by Alberto Ascari. Fangio retired due to gearbox problems, and after taking over teammate Piero Taruffi´s car, retired again due to engine problems.

In the end, Farina won the race, becoming the first world champion in the history of the category, as Fagioli could only finish third, ending the first heroic battle for the F1 title.

This battle was the first of many fights in Formula 1 for decades to come, which would forge legends, winners and losers, and go into the history books.

10. 1958 Moroccan GP

Mike Hawthorn vs Stirling Moss

The final round of 1958, at the Ain-Diab circuit in Morocco, saw an intense fight for the championship between Britons Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss, driving for Ferrari and Vanwall respectively.

The fight for the title was very close throughout the season, and at the Portuguese GP, Moss displayed an act of sportsmanship and chivalry when, in speaking to the stewards after the race, he prevented his rival Hawthorn from being disqualified for bump starting his stalled car.

Despite the fact that Moss had won 4 races while Hawthorn had only managed 1, the Ferrari driver arrived in Morocco with 40 points, while Moss had 32, as he had suffered 5 retirements during the season. Moss needed to win, with a fastest lap and Hawthorn third or lower to win the title.

In qualifying, Hawthorn took pole while Moss was second. In the race, at the end of the first lap, Moss took the lead, while Phil Hill was second and Hawthorn third, followed by Jo Bonnier, Tony Brooks, Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jean Behra.

Moss led the entire race, while Hawthorn battled for podium positions the entire time. Brooks and Lewis-Evans retired due to engine problems, and the latter\’s car caught fire, causing him severe burns and his death six days later.

During the closing laps, the top three were Moss, Hill and Hawthorn, although there was a long gap between them. Hawthorn\’s teammate Hill slowed down to let him pass for the points needed to win the championship, while Moss won the race 1.5 minutes ahead of the Ferraris.

Hawthorn won the title by just one point (which would not have been possible without Moss\’ act of sportsmanship at the Portuguese GP), while Moss was runner-up for the fourth consecutive time. This was the first of two occasions on which a driver won the championship with just one win, the other being Keke Rosberg in 1982.

Conclusion

Some of the most famous rivalries in Formula 1 have been forged in intense and epic battles in the last round of the championship, offering a sublime spectacle to millions of fans around the world, and leaving replays to remember.

When Formula 1 has days like this, few sports in the world come close to it in terms of excitement, tension and spectacle, and it makes up for any boring races throughout the season.