The 2021 season is unique because we are in the midst of a titanic battle for the world title fought between statistically the most successful F1 driver of all time and one who many believe is the most gifted driver to drive an F1 car since the late great Ayrton Senna. Yes, the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen has been exhilarating and seesawed as both the Red Bull and Mercedes cars for the first time in the turbo-hybrid era of the sport are evenly matched. Verstappen's pure grit and speed up against Hamilton's experience and all-around ability has been riveting to watch. And that's why now we are taking a look at the closest title fights in F1 in the last 30 odd years.
Vettel / Alonso
Vettel won four titles on the bounce between 2010-2013
The last close title fight between two drivers of two different teams in F1 happened before the turbo-hybrid era. It was Fernando Alonso vs Sebastian Vettel; Ferrari vs Red Bull, but this wasn't a battle of equals. Vettel won the title in the last race of the season in a thrilling drive which saw him claw back from the back of the grid to snatch the title from Alonso who had valiantly outdriven the massively underpowered Ferrari. Alonso had led the championship for the major part of the season, till Vettel and Red Bull got their act together in the latter half of the season when the Spaniard's Ferrari couldn't compete and was further hobbled by a couple of retirements. Vettel also received some help from the returning Michael Schumacher who was in the last race for Mercedes who let him pass that allowed Vettel to get into the points to gain the advantage over Alonso. Despite his two world titles, many believe Alonso's 2012 performance was his best ever. It is a performance that leads most to believe that he, not Hamilton is the greatest driver in F1 since Schumacher.
Raikkonen / Alonso / Hamilton 2007:
Verstappen / Hamilton 2021:
Max Verstappen is the youngest race winner in F1 and could be one of the youngest world champions
Photo Credit: AFP
This list wouldn't be complete without a mention for the 2021 season which truly has enthralled. Red Bull and Verstappen, for the first time in the turbo-hybrid era of the sport, challenged the dominance of Mercedes and Hamilton. The first half of the season it seemed like Verstappen had the measure of Hamilton, but a combination of retirements, due to crashes on the track and tyre failures meant that things remained close with the advantage swinging from race to race depending on track layout. Now, as we have it, both are tied on 369.5 points each with the last race pending. Hamilton has to score more points than Verstappen - while Verstappen will be champion if both score an equal amount of points or both don't score anything by virtue of winning one more race. This is a fight between the current master of F1 and the one who many believe is his successor.
Hamilton / Massa 2008:
Hamilton won his first title in 2008 after the heartbreak of 2007
After the heartbreak and drama at Interlagos in 2007, in his second year, Hamilton and McLaren had another humdinger against the other Ferrari of Felipe Massa. Perhaps what was the most riveting aspect of this title fight was that for about a minute when Massa crossed the finish line to win his home race while Hamilton was stuck at P6, everyone especially the Ferrari paddock thought the Brazilian had become world champion. Unfortunately, heartbreakingly so for Massa, in the last lap, Hamilton overtook Toyota's Timo Glock due to retirement to get the required P5 to win his first title.
Schumacher / Villeneuve 1997:
After toiling it out in the rather in-competitive 1996 Ferrari, Michael Schumacher's move to Ferrari was proving to be a painful one. But in 1997 he had a better car which, when in his hands, could take the title fight to the devastatingly fast Williams of Jacques Villeneuve. But an ill-fated move by the legendary German which many believed was an attempt to crash into Villeneuve backfired in Jerez with his car beached that handed the Canadian his one and only world title, Williams's last title in F1. The German was after the race disqualified from the championship which till this day remains a stain on his world beating legacy.
Schumacher / Hill 1994:
Michael Schumacher won his first title in the Benneton after defeating Damon Hill
Photo Credit: AFP
Michael Schumacher's first world title came under the shadow of questions around the legality of the Benetton he drove and the tragic death of the legendary Ayrton Senna in Imola. This left him as the undisputed best driver in the sport at the time, but this also presented Damon Hill the opportunity to shine in the Williams which found its groove after the death of Senna. But Schumacher was leading the title fight at Adelaide for the 1994 Australian GP by 1 point and in the race, Hill was chasing the German and hunting him down which forced an error, but Schumacher didn't relent and ended up crashing into Hill which retired both the cars and hence giving the world title to Schumacher.
Senna / Prost 1989:
Tensions were brewing between the dream team of Senna, Prost, and the phenomenal McLaren Honda car. Senna had waltzed in during the 1988 season and defeated his experienced 2-time world title winning teammate. Prost was never going to have any of that in 1989 and when the two headed for the title decider in Suzuka, Japan. Senna needed to win the race and pulled an astonishing qualifying lap for pole that was 1.7 faster than his teammate. The Brazillian stalled at the start and Prost got the lead but after the first round of pit stops the legendary Brazilian came out possessed and attempted to pass only to collide with Prost at the last chicane. Prost retired the car but Senna wouldn't give up and with a bit of help from the marshalls, he took the slip road to and restarted the car. Despite being stationary for a long time, coming from the back of the grid, Senna stormed to win the race. But post the race Prost went to the stewards which resulted in Senna being disqualified from the race and Prost ended up winning his third world title.
Senna / Prost 1990:
The Senna Prost rivalry is stuff legends that defines F1 as a sport
Due to the animosity with Senna, Prost in 1990 headed to Ferrari. This year again the title fight came down to the last race at Suzuka, but this time around the tables were turned as Prost needed to win the race to win the world championship. Senna wanted to exact revenge for 1989 and was further aggravated when despite being on pole, had to start from the dirty side of the track which would give Prost's Ferrari an advantage during the start. Predictably, Prost overtook Senna at the start but Senna saw an unlikely opening and went for an overtake immediately not worrying about the high risk of a crash. The two crashed predictably with the Brazillian not even attempting to brake and Senna was crowned world champion for a second time.
Schumacher / Alonso 2006:
After being trounced in 2005 by Alonso and the Michelin equipped Renault, 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher had a point to prove. By the second half of the season, he had the faster car than the young Spaniard and had even announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. Categorised by some as the German's greatest drive, Schumacher needed to finish ahead of his Spanish rival, but his plans were already in tatters thanks to an engine penalty that ensured he just managed to start from P10. But the German master turned it on reaching P6 within striking distance of Alonso who was at P4. But then a collision with Giancarlo Fisichella meant that he dropped to P19 thanks to a puncture, but the valiant Schumacher didn't give up and rocketed to P4, but still was unable to hunt down Alonso who finished P2 and took his second world title.
Rosberg / Hamilton 2016:
Rosberg was the last man to beat Lewis Hamilton for a world title something Verstappen wishes to emulate
While Hamilton has won 6 of his 7 world titles in the turbo-hybrid era of the sport with Mercedes, he could've won 7 with the team from Brackley. The problem for him was that his first teammate at Mercedes was no spring chicken, but his childhood rival Nico Rosberg, who kept him honest in 2014 and 2015. Their rivalry turned their friendship sour and in 2016 as Rosberg was a man on a mission, having the lead of the world championship from the initial stages of the season. Rosberg started the race in Abu Dhabi in P2 with Hamilton having the advantage through the race. A P2 finish for Rosberg would've handed him the title, but then Hamilton who had been rapid through the weekend started to back Rosberg into the pack which resulted in the Ferrari of Vettel catching up which culminated in a tense finish but ultimately the German came out victorious and soon after the race retired from the sport.
In this article, we have focused more on the last thirty years of F1 and there are some notable title fights that haven't been included like the one between Nelson Pique Sr and Nigel Mansell and the one between James Hunt and Nikki Lauda.
