Late-season drivers’ championship comebacks in Formula 1
The Woking-based team hinted after the Italian Grand Prix that they were fully ready to back Lando Norris in his bid to win the drivers’ championship. McLaren have come under fire after recent performances which have seen them rapidly catch Red Bull in the constructors’ title fight but not as much in the drivers’ title, with Norris closing in on Verstappen in the drivers’ battle but missing out on some potentially crucial points due to their reluctance to enforce team orders.
The team initially seemed happy to treat their drivers equally, however with Norris now 62 points behind the leading Dutchman having trailed by 84 just five races ago, McLaren is looking to change strategy. Team principal Andrea Stella said that the time has come to ensure McLaren maximise point-scoring chances for Norris, adding: “We need to be better at capitalising the opportunities that Red Bull at the moment seem to offer by not being in the usual possibility of competing for podiums.”
This situation has, however, now changed, with Stella stating that Piastri had now agreed to back Norris in his championship quest.
All eyes are now on the Papaya team and whether they can take both titles off of Red Bull before the end of the year. While an 84-point deficit would be a big one to come back from, Norris would not be the first driver to take the championship after a big title challenge though, as other drivers have also mounted unlikely comebacks under different points systems.
Sebastian Vettel – 2012 – 39 points with eight races to go
Point system: 25 – 18 – 15 – 12 – 10 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 2 – 1
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing, Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer, Red Bull Racing and the Red Bull Racing team celebrate Championship victory
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
Sebastian Vettel was sitting fourth in the drivers’ title fight 13 races into the 2012 season, with Fernando Alonso on the road to his third championship with a 39-point lead. After Vettel’s retirement at the Italian GP, the German was sat behind Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen, however, there was just a two-point gap between fourth and second place.
At the 14th race of the season – the Singapore GP – pole-sitter Hamilton suffered a gearbox failure on lap 22, giving Vettel the win and catapulting him into second in the championship and 31 points behind Alonso. The championship-leading Alonso then retired on the first lap of the following Japanese GP and, with Vettel taking his second consecutive win, the gap was closed to just four points.
He then took a further two wins at the Korean and Indian GPs, taking the championship lead by 13 points in just four races. Vettel didn’t win any of the final three races but did score two podium finishes and while a sixth place finish in Brazil saw the gap with Alonso tighten, it wasn’t enough for the Spaniard to take the win. Vettel won the championship by three points ahead of Alonso, who finished second behind Jenson Button at the final race in Brazil.
Sebastian Vettel – 2010 – 31 points with five races to go
Point system: 25 – 18 – 15 – 12 – 10 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 2 – 1
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing RB6 Renault, 1st position
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Vettel took his first championship victory after he came back from a 31-point deficit. The title fight was a close battle between several drivers, with just 20 points between the top five going into the summer break and Vettel sitting 10 points behind the leader Mark Webber.
A second-place finish in Singapore and two first-place finishes in Japan and Brazil helped to bring him back towards contention, however, an engine-related retirement in Korea dropped him just seven behind his team-mate Webber and 15 points behind the leading Alonso heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. There, Vettel took the victory but had to wait to find out his championship fate until Alonso crossed the line 43 seconds later in seventh place. With Alonso taking six points for his finish, it gave Vettel the drivers’ title by just four points.
Kimi Raikkonen – 2007 – 17 points with two races to go
Points system: 10 – 8 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F2007, celebrates on the podium
Photo by: Lorenzo Bellanca / Motorsport Images
Kimi Raikkonen overcame a 17-point deficit in a dramatic finish of the 2007 drivers’ championship. The Finn was in third place, five points behind Alonso and 17 points behind the Spaniard’s McLaren team-mate Hamilton, with two races to go.
Hamilton looked on course for his first championship victory when he took pole at the Chinese GP however on lap 30, the Brit dramatically retired from the race after sliding off the track at the pit entry when he came in to replace his intermediate tyres. With Raikkonen taking the race win, followed by Alonso in second, the championship gap between the three drivers was reduced to seven points.
The title fight came down to the final race in Brazil, which Raikkonen won by 1.493 seconds ahead of his team-mate Felipe Massa. Hamilton experienced early gearbox issues, resulting in him dropping to seventh place and with Alonso finishing third, Raikkonen won the championship by a single point from both drivers.
Alain Prost – 1986 – 11 points with two races to go
Points system: 9 – 6 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
Alain Prost, McLaren MP4/2C
Photo by: Sutton Images
Alain Prost entered the final two races of the 1986 season in third place, with 11 points between himself and leader Nigel Mansell. No driver had successfully defended the drivers’ championship title consecutively since Jack Brabham took back-to-back titles in 1959 and 1960, with Prost hoping to break that record and take his second win in as many years.
After finishing second at the Mexican GP – with Piquet and Mansell finishing fourth and fifth respectively – the Frenchman was able to leapfrog the Brazilian Williams driver to close the title run to six points. With Mansell starting on pole and Prost in fourth place the championship looked almost set, with the Honda-powered Williams looking like the more powerful and dominant car. However, on lap 64, the title fight came to a dramatic end when the left rear tyre on Mansell’s car exploded on the Brabham Straight at 180mph.
A shower of sparks rained down on the track as the British driver fought to avoid a crash, and Mansell drove straight down the run-off area before Williams made the call to pit Piquet for new tyres to avoid a similar issue. Prost pulled out a 15-second lead on the Brazilian with two laps remaining – a gap which closed to just four seconds at the end of the race, but crucially Prost took the chequered flag and claimed his second consecutive drivers’ championship, with a two-point lead from Mansell.
Nelson Piquet – 1983 – 14 points with four races to go
Points system: 9 – 6 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
Nelson Piquet Brabham 1983 Canadian Grand Prix
Prost had proven to be the dominant driver of the 1983 season, leading with a gap of 14 points from Piquet with four races remaining. Piquet in his Brabham had qualified on pole for the Dutch GP, but a collision with Renault’s Prost saw them both out on lap 41, taking the title fight to the final three races. Rene Arnoux in the Ferrari took advantage of the crash in Zandvoort, leapfrogging Piquet into second place.
The following race in Monza saw Prost retire on lap 26 with a turbo issue, while Piquet charged into a 10-second lead from Arnoux by the end of the race. Piquet took back-to-back wins in Italy and Brands Hatch, pulling back the title fight to two points going into the final race in South Africa. The Brazilian took the lead at the start of the race after passing Patrick Tambay and on lap 35 disaster struck for third-placed Prost, who suffered yet another turbo failure and retired from the race. Piquet needed to finish fourth or higher to take the championship title, and crossed the line in third to take four points – taking his second drivers’ championship by two points ahead of Prost.
Keke Rosberg – 1982 – 16 points with five races to go
Points system: 9 – 6 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
Keke Rosberg
Photo by: LAT Photographic
Keke Rosberg was 16 points behind the leading Didier Pironi with five races remaining in the 1982 season, but disaster struck for the French Ferrari driver at the following German GP when he suffered a career-ending crash during a wet qualifying session at the Hockenheimring. McLaren driver John Watson looked to be in the best spot as he held second place in the championship but the Brit spun off on lap 36, with Prost and Niki Lauda also retiring from the race. This pushed Rosberg into third, three points off Watson and 12 points behind Pironi.
Another podium at the Austrian GP, followed by a win at the Swiss GP, saw Rosberg take the championship lead by three points. The Finn was unable to score points at the penultimate round in Monza though, which meant Watson closed back in on the title fight – needing to take a win at the Caesars Palace GP to draw with Rosberg.
Despite Watson finishing the final race in second to Rosberg’s fifth place it wasn’t enough, leaving the Williams driver with 44 points and his first and only championship.
James Hunt – 1976 – 14 points with six races to go
Points system: 9 – 6 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
James Hunt, McLaren M23 Ford
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images
James Hunt was 14 points behind championship leader Lauda before the Austrian’s horrific crash at the 1976 German GP. The British driver closed the gap to two points during the two races that Lauda was forced to miss whilst he recovered, but following a retirement from McLaren in Italy and two wins in Canada and Italy, Hunt was able to take the title fight to the final race of the season in Japan with three points separating the pair.
Lauda started the race but decided to retire after two laps due to safety concerns in the heavy rain. With the Brit deciding to continue this meant that he had to finish fourth or higher to take the championship – a feat which he achieved, taking third place and with it the title by one point.
John Surtees – 1964 – 15 points with six races to go
Points system: 9 – 6 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
John Surtees, 1st position, celebrates on the podium.
Photo by: David Phipps
With three retirements in the first four faces and a second-place finish at the Dutch GP, John Surtees was six points behind the leading Jim Clark with six races left of the season. A third-place finish at Brands Hatch, followed by a race win at the German GP, saw Surtees jump four places in the championship and into third with 19 points to Graham Hill’s 32, and Jim Clark in second with 30 points.
The top three drivers saw no change at the following Austrian GP after Hill, Clark and Surtees all retired in the early stages of the 105-lap race. A win in Monza for Ferrari driver Surtees pulled the title fight to just four points, with two further second-place finishes pushing him past Hill to win the championship by a single point after the BRM driver failed to score points in the final race in Mexico.
