2021 will go down as one of the most memorable seasons ever in the history of Formula 1. Just looking at the final points table alone doesn’t tell the whole story. In this article, we delve into Formula One’s closest seasons, title fights that went right down to the wire.

All to play for

The final round of the 2021 season was shrouded in controversy as the two drivers at the top of the standings, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, were in a winner takes all situation for the title. Hamilton was leading his title rival before a crash by Nicholas Latifi with five laps to go brought out the yellow flag. Verstappen raced into the pits to change to a fresh set of tires but then found himself behind five lapped cars. However, the race director allowed these five drivers to unlap themselves. This brought the title rivals back together, resulting in a one-lap dash to the line.

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Contrived finish

As the New York Times reported, Verstappen took advantage of his new rubber. This left Hamilton and his Mercedes team frustrated at the contentious ruling of race direction, which ended his record-breaking title shot. What followed that final race cast a dark cloud over the season, our managing editor suggested the season was a washout even before the last race shenanigans, and the sport in general.

Closer than close

But even if you did think the 2021 season was utterly horrible for Formula 1, it’s important to remember that not every season is dogged with such controversy, marring the skills on show. Hopefully, 2022 will be better, with Lewis Hamilton already the outright favourite to exact revenge.

It will be a tough ask, as Verstappen has proved he won’t be any pushover. And of course, the dynamic inside the Mercedes garage will change with the introduction of George Russell into the team. But whatever happens, it will have to be some season to match the top three seasons we have seen in the sport.

2016

For two years, the Hamilton side of the Mercedes garage had dominated the top step in Formula 1. The Brit was peerless. However, in 2016 his teammate, Nico Rosberg, was out to upset the formbook and his teammate in a big way. The Spanish Grand Prix was the perfect example of how competitive it was.

Neither driver was prepared to give an inch on track. They diced for the lead in the opening lap in Catalunya, which resulted in them both having to retire through car damage after colliding with each other. It was a sign of the intense rivalry between the two that rumbled on throughout the season. Rosberg’s performances were terrific. Even four consecutive wins at the end of the season from Hamilton weren’t enough to unseat his teammate from the top of the standings.

2010

2010 will be remembered as the one where no less than four drivers could have taken the title in the last race at Abu Dhabi. However, Fernando Alonso was the front runner. He only needed to finish on the podium to win the title, as he had an eight-point lead in the standings. But his final race couldn’t have gone any worse. An early pit stop didn’t go to plan. It left the Spaniard behind, Vitaly Petrov, which allowed the front runners to get away. The gleeful recipient of Alonso’s demise was Sebastian Vettel, who raced to victory and his first F1 World Championship.

1976

It came as no surprise Hollywood made a movie based on this epic season that featured one of the best battles in F1 history. Niki Lauda and James Hunt were the protagonists in a fight for the title that just went on and on. Initially, it looked like Lauda would have the beating of Hunt. He was consistently in the top two in the first six races of the season.

Sadly, after a horrendous crash in Germany at the Nürburgring, that left Lauda incapacitated with terrible burns, the pendulum had swung in favour of Hunt. Somehow, though Lauda made a miraculous recovery and lined up on the grid for the final race in Japan, the conditions were to decide the fate. Heavy rain brought dangerous conditions and many drivers, including Lauda, withdrew from the action believing officials would stop the race. However, they didn’t, and Hunt tiptoed his way around the track, taking third place and the title