When Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen take to the track Sunday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it promises to bring a dramatic finish to a historic season for Formula One.
There is no doubting Hamilton’s status as the most successful driver as he looks to win his record-setting eighth F1 title. All that stands in his way of history is the driver he’s been battling all season long in Verstappen.
Just how rare is it that two drivers are tied in points atop the drivers’ championship heading into the final race? It’s only happened once, which means fans are truly in for a memorable ending to a quality season.
So as we prepare for the great showdown between Hamilton and Verstappen, let’s look back at six of the greatest title-deciding finishes in F1 history.
1974 United States Grand Prix
You have to go all the way back to 1974 as the last time two drivers went into the final race of the F1 season deadlocked in the standings.
In that season, McLaren’s Emerson Fittipaldi and Ferrari’s Clay Regazzoni had 52 points each going into the final race at Watkins Glen in Upstate New York. Joining Fittipaldi and Regazzoni on the grid were some household names like Mario Andretti, Niki Lauda and James Hunt.
Both Fittipaldi and Regazzoni struggled in qualifying starting eighth and ninth going into the race. The race would be overshadowed by the tragic death of Helmuth Koinigg who crashed on the 10th lap of the race and was killed instantly on impact.
Regazzoni had issues with his Ferrari and was forced to pit early and finish in 11th while Fittipaldi moved up to eighth securing his second F1 title.
1994 Austrlian Grand Prix
Only one point separated the top two drivers going into the final race of the season. A young Michael Schumacher was looking to pick up his first drivers’ championship with Benetton (yes the clothing company).
Opposing Schumacher was Williams driver Damon Hill, who put together an incredible performance in a torrential downpour to win the Japanese Grand Prix to set up a dramatic showdown in Adelaide.
For most of the race, Schumacher looked like he was cruising to a championship win with a comfortable lead over Hill. Unfortunately, the German driver found himself off the track at the East Terrace corner on lap 36 and hit a barrier.
Getting back, Schumacher clipped Hill’s car forcing the Williams driver to retire with a suspension issue. The stewards ruled in Schumacher’s favour saying he made a racing move.
In the end, Schumacher and Hill finished that final race in 19th and 20th, respectively, giving the F1 legend the first of seven F1 titles. Of course, that season will always be remembered for the death of three-time champion Ayrton Senna and Austrian racer Roland Ratzenberger, who both crashed tragically at Imola.
1997 European Grand Prix
We couldn’t do a list like this and not include Canadian Jacques Villeneuve.
Driving for Williams, Villeneuve was looking to keep Schumacher from ending Ferrari’s championship drought as he was a point behind heading into the season finale at Spain’s Jerez circuit. Once again, Schumacher was part of a controversial ending, but he would not come away victorious this time.
On lap 48, Villeneuve looked to pass Schumacher with a move on the inside. As the Ferrari driver tried to prevent the Canadian from passing, Schumacher brushed against Villeneuve’s car and ended up on the gravel. Schumacher was forced to retire while Villeneuve finished third to take his only F1 drivers’ championship.
Canada’s Jacques Villeneuve (R) is forced to the outside by Michael Schumacher (front) and teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen coming into the first turn at the start of the European Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain. (Ryan Remiorz/CP)
2008 Brazilian Grand Prix
Hamilton went into the final race of the 2008 season looking to overcome a disappointing finish in 2007 where he lost to Kimi Raikkonen by a single point after a gearbox issue led to him finishing the race in seventh place.
A year later, it was Hamilton who once again held a lead over Felipe Massa going into the final race. Massa led 64 of the 71 laps in his home race, putting pressure on Hamilton to finish above sixth place.
With four laps to go, Hamilton saw himself in danger of losing the championship due to a late tire change because of wet conditions that saw him fall behind Sebastian Vettel, who was in fifth place. Fortunately for Hamilton, Vettel was able to pull ahead and all he needed to do was pass Toyota’s Timo Glock, who was on dry tires.
Hamilton was able to get past Glock and finish in fifth to get the four points he needed to win his first title by a single point.
2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
Once again, Brazil was the scene of a nail-biting finish as Vettel went into the race with a 13-point advantage over Fernando Alonso. Unfortunately for Vettel, his race was off to a nightmare start.
Racing for Red Bull, the German found himself in 22nd during the first lap of the race as he got clipped on the fourth corner by Bruno Senna. This forced Vettel to go on the drive of his life as he managed to get all the way to sixth place in just eight laps despite wet conditions on the track.
Massa helped Ferrari teammate Alonso maintain his position, but a late safety car would provide Vettel with the relief he needed on the final three laps to win his third F1 title.
2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
This is the most recent time the drivers’ championship was decided in the last race of the season and it was Hamilton going up against Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.
Heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Rosberg had a 12 point lead over Hamilton and was looking to join his father Keke in the record books as only the second son of a former champion to win a title. It was setting up to be a tense race as Rosberg found himself behind Hamilton, who won pole position in convincing fashion.
At many points in the race, Rosberg was under pressure from Vettel and Verstappen, who were trying to knock the Mercedes driver off the podium. Rosberg complained that Hamilton was driving too slow, allowing the pack behind him to keep pressure on him to remain composed.
In the end, Hamilton crossed the finish line in first, but it was Rosberg who captured the title with a second-place finish. Five days later Rosberg retired from Formula One after achieving his dream of being a champion.
In this Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 file photo, Mercedes F1 driver Nico Rosberg of Germany celebrates after finishing second to win the 2016 world championship during the Emirates Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina racetrack in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Luca Bruno/AP)
Looking back at Formula One’s most memorable title-deciding races
Source: Pinas Ko Mahal
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