Hamilton's History: Looking back at some of the closest title fights

Hamilton's History: Looking back at some of the closest title fights

By Charlie Bennett

A classic Formula 1 title race has been on the cards since the very first day of pre-season testing, but few saw a year as tense as this. 

With 16 wins between them from 20 races, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have dominated the 2021 championship and, as we head for the final chapter of this epic thriller, just eight points separate the two. 

Verstappen has the lead but Hamilton has the experience and it's that unquantifiable factor that many think will tip the scales in the Brit's favour.

So, as he chases title No.8, let’s look back at some of Hamilton's other title battles. 

2007 – A ROOKIE ASSASSIN 

With his boyish looks, it’s hard to believe Hamilton turns 37 next month and has been an F1 driver for 14 years. 

It’s also easy to forget he once drove for McLaren, who were perhaps the quickest team on the grid when they snapped him up in 2007.  

F1 needed a new hero after Michael Schumacher retired and Hamilton was it almost instantly. He scored a podium in his first race and won in his sixth, as he put together an unlikely championship bid in his first campaign.

He led the championship by 12 points with two races to go from teammate Fernando Alonso, while Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was a further five behind. 

With 10 points for a win back then, the then 22-year-old was on the verge of winning a remarkable title but then it all went badly wrong.  

He retired in the penultimate race when trying to make a pitstop, sliding off a wet track and into the 

gravel, and that allowed Alonso and Raikkonen to finish first and second to close the net. 

Still, fifth place would have been enough to secure Hamilton the title in Brazil. But an error at the start saw him slip to eighth and then a gearbox issue relegated him to the back. 

The problem was quickly resolved but the damage was done, as Hamilton could only finish seventh. Raikkonen took full advantage and won the race and, with Alonso third, it was enough for the Ferrari man to claim his only F1 crown, leaving Hamilton devastated.  

2008 – THE MIRACLE OF SAO PAOLO 

A year on, Ferrari and McLaren were again the dominant teams but the title battle looked very different. 

Alonso was elbowed out of McLaren and Raikkonen lost form, leaving Hamilton and Felipe Massa as the title contenders.  

Massa won six races to Hamilton’s five but a costly engine failure in Hungary and a Ferrari pitstop mishap in Singapore cost the Brazilian two more – and that ultimately proved decisive. 

Once again, the title went down to the final race and – once again – Hamilton had a seven-point lead over a Ferrari rival. But at his home circuit, Massa dominated the Brazilian Grand Prix to secure the race victory he needed.  

For Hamilton, it was a whole different story. Needing at least fifth to win, he spent much of the race exactly where he needed to be until the rain came down in the closing stages. 

Hamilton and the rest of the leaders pitted for wet tyres, allowing the bold Timo Glock – chancing his arm by staying on dries – to move ahead. Hamilton was then passed by Sebastian Vettel and, on the last lap, he was sixth. The title, it seemed, was Massa’s. 

When Massa crossed the line, he celebrated like he was the champion but he didn’t bank on Hamilton catching a slowing Glock.  

The Brit overtook him on the last corner, snatched fifth and won the championship by one point. F1 has been waiting for a finale quite as dramatic ever since. 

2010 – A FOUR-STAR FIGHT 

By 2010, McLaren and Ferrari had been joined at the front of the grid by Red Bull and a title fight for the ages ensued in the first season under the current points system. 

Alonso, now at Ferrari, was outstanding all year, gaining the most from a car that was not as quick as its rivals. He won five races, including three out of four late in the year, to take an eight-point lead into the final race. 

His biggest challenger was Mark Webber, a journeyman driver who outperformed all expectations to win five times, while his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel was third in the standings and well in the battle. 

Hamilton, meanwhile, needed a miracle to win the title. He won three times in 2010 but some uncharacteristic errors and poor reliability cost him dearly towards the end, meaning he needed to win the last race and hope his rivals found difficulty.  

In a tense finale, the drama came via tactical errors from Alonso and Webber that left them stuck behind slower cars for much of the race. At a track where overtaking is notoriously hard, this opened the door for Vettel and Hamilton. 

Try as he might, Hamilton was not quick enough to stop Vettel from winning. He finished second to the German, who nipped in and won his first world championship title, while Hamilton was fourth in the final standings. 

2014 - FRENEMIES 

If Hollywood directors are looking for a sequel to the Rush – the story of Niki Lauda and James Hunt’s rivalry – then this is surely it. 

Nico Rosberg, the handsome multi-linguist, son of a millionaire F1 champion and raised in Monaco, versus Hamilton, who grew up on a Stevenage council estate and whose dad worked three jobs just to put food on the table. 

The pair were close friends as teenagers but that quickly evaporated in the heat of a F1 title fight. In his second year as Rosberg's Mercedes teammate, Hamilton was at the wheel of the fastest car on the grid and it was clear the title would be won by one of two men.

Hamilton was always the more talented driver but Rosberg was quick enough to compete and clever enough to get under his skin. By the midway point of the season, their friendship had completely broken down. 

However, Hamilton took the initiative late in the year and blitzed to five straight victories to take a 17-point advantage into the last race. Today, that would be a hefty lead but double points were on offer at the final race in 2010, creating a straight shoot-out. 

Hamilton kept his cool. He started on pole and led into the first turn but just as it was set up for a thrilling climax, Rosberg’s engine gave way. He dropped to 14th and Hamilton cantered to a deserved second world title. 

2016 – ROSBERG’S REVENGE 

After a comfortable championship win in 2015, it appeared Hamilton had the beating of Rosberg. But their fourth – and final – season together saw Nico rally once more. 

The German was blindingly quick and cashed in on Hamilton’s bad luck to win the first four races, while - perhaps sensing this was his chance to topple his rival - he also became more ruthless.

The pair crashed in Spain and Austria, leading team boss Toto Wolff to later say he would have to fire one of his drivers if the toxic atmosphere continued. 

Rosberg coped better under pressure and only needed a top-three finish to become world champion at the last race. It appeared he would cruise to the title but Hamilton had other ideas. 

Late in the race, the Brit deliberately slowed down and backed Rosberg into cars behind, hoping a couple of them would overtake his rival and sparking perhaps the most tense finish in modern F1

history. 

Rosberg did all he could to keep the chasing Vettel and Verstappen behind and, in the end, he did. The front four cars crossed the line within 1.6 seconds of each other, with Rosberg sandwiched in the middle in second. He won the title by five points and retired shortly after. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images