The 7 most controversial F1 championship moments ever after Lewis Hamilton’s shocking 2021 defeat by Max Verstappen
LEWIS HAMILTON missed out on a record eighth F1 world title after a stunning safety car decision saw rival Max Verstappen pip him on the final lap of the season.
The Mercedes superstar had been leading at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when a late Nicholas Latifi crash brought out the safety car.
And a contentious call to allow lapped cars to overtake before the safety car came in cleared the way for Verstappen to attack the Merc man on a fresher set of tyres.
The flying Dutchman squeezed past just seconds before the end to claim victory and his first ever championship.
Furious Mercedes chiefs immediately protested the result and signalled their intention to appeal after their initial pleas were rejected by FIA bosses.
But the drama at Yas Marina Circuit is far from the first time the F1 season has finished in such dramatic style.
Here SunSport runs the rule over seven other jaw-dropping moments in motorsport history.
Most read in Motorsport
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
ITALY 1956
RENT-A-CAR STAR
Monza was the venue for the final race of the 1956 season.
Three drivers were in contention for the title, Ferrari’s Fangio and Peter Collins, as well as Maserati’s Jean Behra.
Behra was forced to retire, while it looked dicey for Fangio when a broken steering arm forced him into the pits.
However, in an incredible moment of sportsmanship Collins gave him his car to finish second and claim the crown.
MEXICO 1964
SURTEES BEST OF BRITISH
A trio of British drivers headed to a boiling Mexico City all in championship contention – John Surtees of Ferrari, BRM’s Graham Hill and Lotus’ Jim Clark.
Clark led for 63 of 65 laps until his engine failed on the final lap.
Hill could have been champion, if Lorenzo Bandini hadn’t driven into the back of him and dropped out of the points places.
Surtees, in the end, got through to finish second and pip Hill by one point in the standings.
UNITED STATES 1974
ALL TO PLAY FOR
1974 was the only other time two drivers were level pegging going into the final race until Hamilton vs Verstappen on Sunday.
It wasn’t a Grand Prix of such high drama at Watkins Glen as a damper problem meant Fittipaldi’s rival Clay Regazzoni finished in 11th.
The Brazilian finished fourth, winning his second title by three points.
But his win was sadly overshadowed by the fatal crash of Austrian racer Helmuth Koinigg.
JAPAN 1976
HAPPY HUNTING IN THE WET
So good, and involving two great personalities, it made the astonishing film Rush.
Niki Lauda and James Hunt fought it out at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix in a thrilling climax to the season.
Lauda, who two months earlier had suffered the horror fireball crash at the German Grand Prix, retired on lap two because of the shocking weather conditions.
Hunt stuck with it and managed to finish third in the pouring rain to nab the four points he needed to be champion.
AUSTRALIA 1994
SCHUMACHER ON TWO WHEELS
It was a move that looked like it belonged in an action movie.
Adelaide was the setting for Britain’s Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher to lock horns and even cars.
The German was leading when he turned sharply at the East Terrace corner on lap 36.
He then pulled sharply across Hill, who tried to work his way up the inside as they approached the next corner.
Schumacher was knocked onto two wheels and out of the race. But Hill’s suspension forced him out, giving Schumi the win by one point.
EUROPE 1997
SCHUMI KICKED OUT
Three years later, along came another unsavoury Schumacher incident that saw him disqualified from the 1997 driver standings.
Williams’ Villeneuve was behind the Ferrari man by a single point as they headed to Jerez.
On lap 48, Villeneuve spotted Schumacher leaving space for him to pass, but he turned into him – ricocheting off the Williams car and into the gravel.
Schumi couldn’t get going again, and the Canadian went on to finish third and secure the title.
BRAZIL 2008
HAMILTON’S LAST GASP
Before Sunday, the conclusion to the 2008 Brazil GP ranked as the most extraordinary final lap in Hamilton’s driving career.
Lewis went to Interlagos leading by seven points from local lad Felipe Massa.
Massa was brilliant and won the race – his second ever win in his home country.
But Hamilton saw Timo Glock slow down as he struggled on dry tyres in the wet.
The Brit zipped past him right at the end to claim fifth and four points for his first title.