Formula 1 is an unforgiving tournament. World Drivers’ Championships can be decided in the blink of an eye, and should one’s stranglehold on the title be loosened, there’s no guarantee that it will ever come back…
Just take a look at Lewis Hamilton’s last realistic chance at taking the title for an example. In the season-ending 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the British icon was cruising towards a record-breaking eighth world championship. Then, Nicholas Latifi slammed his Williams into the barriers and some controversial decisions from race director Michael Masi opened the door for Max Verstappen to claim his maiden title for Red Bull. And the Flying Dutchman hasn’t let up since.
Super Max then won the next two world championships in record-breaking fashion and he looks all set to claim a fourth in 2024.
But that wasn’t the first time that Hamilton has seen his title ambitions go up in smoke. But the time before, it was the Brit who shot himself in the foot. Here are three times that drivers snatched championship defeats from the jaws of victory.
Lewis Hamilton – 2007 Chinese Grand Prix
Heading into 2024, the Formula 1 betting markets have made Hamilton a distant fifth favourite for the world title, behind Red Bull and McLaren. Back in his maiden campaign 17 years ago, he was also an outsider. But he immediately made an impact by winning four of the first nine races.
Going into the penultimate race of the season, the Chinese Grand Prix, he held a four-point lead over his closest rival, his own teammate, Fernando Alonso. Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen was a further eight points back. All he had to do to secure the championship was finish third or higher – this would have secured a lead from the Flying Finn. However, what followed was a series of costly mistakes that ultimately led to his downfall.
The British driver opted to stay out on heavily used wet tyres in a bid to cover his teammate and closest rival, despite comfortably leading the race. Räikkönen opted to pit and it proved to be the right decision as it gave him the lead while Hamilton struggled to even keep his McLaren on the track. He eventually decided to pit albeit many laps too late, and his decision cost him as he beached his car in the gravel trap on the way into the pit lane.
Kimi went on to secure the victory and did the same in the final race of the campaign in Brazil. Hamilton had more issues there, which caused him to finish down in seventh place and hand the title to Räikkönen by just one point.
Sebastian Vettel – 2017 Singapore Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel arrived at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in 2017 with a slim three-point lead over Hamilton in the World Championship standings. The Singapore Grand Prix was a must-win race for both drivers, and Vettel started the race in pole position.
Unfortunately, the race took a dramatic turn when he collided with his teammate, Räikkönen, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the first corner. The accident caused both Ferrari drivers to immediately retire from the race, while Hamilton went on to win and take the championship lead. The German’s title hopes were effectively over from that point and Hamilton went on to win his fourth World Championship title that season.
Sebastian Vettel – 2018 German Grand Prix
The four-time world champion had another golden opportunity to take the lead in the World Championship standings when he arrived at the Hockenheimring for his home Grand Prix in 2018. The Ferrari driver started from pole position and was leading the race comfortably when disaster struck.
On lap 52, he slid off the track and crashed into the barriers, damaging his front wing. He re-joined the race but suffered a puncture and was forced to retire. Hamilton, who started from 14th on the grid, went on to win the race and extend his championship lead. Vettel’s mistake cost him vital points, and Hamilton eventually won his fifth World Championship title that season.
