Five classic F1 deciders: Can Verstappen v Hamilton match these epics on Sunday?
Five classic F1 deciders: Can Verstappen v Hamilton match these epics on Sunday?
By Steve Morgan
Forrest Gump’s famous quote that life is like a box of chocolates is perhaps the best description you can use for the 2021 Formula 1 season – because you never know what you are going to get.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are at the centre of one of the greatest season’s in F1 history and arrive for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix dead level on points.
F1 has not had such a tense ending since 2016, when Nico Rosberg went toe-to-toe with Hamilton, but the series is littered with some classic endings in its time.
And if this year can come close to matching these five, we’re in for a treat.
1997 – SCHUMACHER TRIES TO TAKE OUT VILLENEUVE!
This is not only a classic final-day race packed with drama but also an example Mercedes are sure to bring up time and again this week.
Michael Schumacher held a one-point lead over Jacques Villeneuve going into Jerez and the pair qualified on the front row of the grid.
Villeneuve was on pole but Schumacher burst past him to take the lead, however he struggled to keep his title rival at bay.
With 22 laps to go, Villeneuve saw his chance and dived up the inside. It appeared a certainty he was going to take the lead - until Schumacher turned in on him and tried to crash.
Villeneuve drove away unscathed and went onto win the championship, while Schumacher ended up in the gravel with a broken car. To rub salt into the wounds, the FIA disqualified him from the championship.
If Verstappen and Hamilton don’t finish this weekend, Verstappen will be champion. But if he tries to copy Schumacher, he may be in hot water.
2012 – FERNANDO DENIED
We think of Hamilton and Verstappen as the only two drivers out there at times but there are 18 others on the grid and anything can happen.
That includes crashing into another driver, especially at the first corner. Sebastian Vettel knows all about that.
The Red Bull driver had a 13-point lead over Fernando Alonso ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, his brief was just stay out of trouble and he’d be champion again.
But a slow start dropped him into the pack and he was then hit by Bruno Senna, spun around and relegated to the back of the field.
Alonso made progress to second, putting the onus on Vettel to come back through the field. He duly did, passing – of all people – Michael Schumacher to take the sixth place he needed.
1976 - HUNT CASHES IN
Though the chances of rain are virtually nil this weekend – Abu Dhabi is in the desert after all – plenty of championship-deciding final races have taken place on a wet track.
The most famous came in 1976 and the Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway, when Niki Lauda and James Hunt fought for the title.
The background to this race is remarkable, with Lauda returning from a life-threating crash six weeks before. His car hit the wall and caught fire in Germany, with Lauda inhaling toxic fumes.
He was rushed to hospital with severe burns and was even read his last rites. Six weeks later, he was back on track facing Hunt for the title.
In a rainy Japan, however, Lauda could not see properly as a result of his crash and retired from the race. Hunt went on to be champion.
1986 – AWESOME ADELAIDE
Three all-time greats were in contention in Adelaide, with Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet all bidding for the title.
As the race neared a conclusion, Piquet had the lead from Prost and Mansell in third. However, the Brit only needed to finish to become champion – and was on course to deliver.
That was until his left-rear tyre exploded dramatically at 180mph as he used the overtake button to get past a back-marker.
Mansell’s teammate Piquet then had the advantage but the Williams team called him straight to the pits, fearing a repeat of Mansell’s downfall.
That handed Prost both the race win and the title, the second of four he would eventually go on and win.
2008 – THE MOST DRAMATIC FINISH
It’s 13 years since Lewis Hamilton won his first World Championship and if this weekend is as dramatic as that, we’re in for a treat.
Hamilton had a seven-point lead over Felipe Massa, who was racing in front of his home fans in Brazil.
Massa was dominant and won the race comfortably, while Hamilton only needed to finish fifth. He looked on course to do just that but some late rain caused havoc and forced everyone to pit.
Hamilton slipped off the track and fell to sixth behind Sebastian Vettel, and when Massa crossed the line to win he was in effect the champion.
But Hamilton caught up to a slowing Timo Glock and overtook him on the final corner to regain fifth and win the championship.
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