In Formula 1, a lot often depends on the willingness to take risks and anticipate developments. Drivers can be separated by fractions of a second, and legends are born where most are no longer able to compete.
In more than seven decades of Formula 1, motorsport fans have seen plenty of drama, brilliant victories and feats of human willpower. Here are some of the most memorable moments in the history of the championship.
1959: Brabham pushes his car to the finish line
The last Grand Prix of the 1959 season at the Sebring circuit in the United States kept everyone in suspense until the very end. Before the race, Australian Jack Brabham was leading the overall standings, but if he failed, he risked losing the title.
He was among the leaders until the last lap, but shortly before the finish, his Cooper T51 suddenly stalled due to a lack of fuel. Brabham got out of the cockpit and pushed the car to the finish line by hand. He finished the race in fourth place and became world champion for the first time.
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1971: the closest finish in history
The Grand Prix at Monza gave spectators a crazy finale. Peter Gethin in his BRM started the last lap in fourth position and launched an attack.
The Briton revved his engine above the permissible limit, risking blowing up the engine, and accelerated to 242.62 km/h — a speed that was only surpassed in 2003. Getin’s gamble paid off — he crossed the line 0.01 seconds ahead of Ronnie Peterson. The first five drivers finished within 0.61 seconds of each other — a record that still stands today.
1976: Niki Lauda’s comeback and James Hunt’s victory
In August 1976, Niki Lauda was involved in a serious accident at the German Grand Prix. He suffered severe burns to his face and lungs and fell into a coma in hospital. Just six weeks later, the Ferrari driver was back behind the wheel and on the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix. The Austrian finished fourth in that race and kept his title hopes alive.
The season ended dramatically at the final stage in Japan, where, in pouring rain, Lauda voluntarily retired, refusing to risk his life for points. British driver James Hunt of McLaren took advantage of the situation, finishing third and overtaking Lauda in the overall standings by one point.
1979: The battle between Villeneuve and Arnoux
At the 1979 French Grand Prix, Canadian Gilles Villeneuve and Frenchman René Arnoux put on a real show in the battle for second place. At first, Villeneuve was in the lead, but closer to the finish line, he had problems with his tyres. Arnoux took advantage of the opportunity and pulled ahead, but soon his engine began to lose power and the battle began.
During the final laps, the drivers’ cars collided, changed positions several times and drove onto the shoulder. In the end, the Canadian beat his rival by just 0.24 seconds. The winner of the race was Jean-Pierre Jabouy in the first turbocharged Renault, but after the finish, everyone was talking about the duel between Arnoux and Villeneuve.
1989, 1990: Senna vs. Prost
Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost were opposites: intuition versus calculation, passion versus reason. Their duels on the Japanese Suzuka circuit became a symbol of the era.
In 1989, at the penultimate Grand Prix of the season, Prost blocked his teammate’s path to overtake, and the cars collided.
Senna still finished the race in first place, but was disqualified after the finish. Prost became champion and left McLaren for Ferrari. A year later, Senna returned for revenge — and in the first corner of the same track, he crashed into Prost, knocking him out and flying off himself, but securing the title.
