![\"Alfa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/f1-italian-gp-1950-alfa-romeo-.jpg\")
<\/p>\n1950 Italian GP, Monza \u2013 Farina takes decisive home victory<\/p>\n
Championship situation before the title decider
1. Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo, 26pts
2. Luigi Fagioli, Alfa Romeo, 24pts
3. Giuseppe Farina, Alfa Romeo, 22pts<\/p>\n
Final standings
1. Giuseppe Farina, Alfa Romeo, 30pts
2. Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo, 27pts
3. Luigi Fagioli, Alfa Romeo, 24pts<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alfa Romeo team: Juan Manuel Fangio, Giuseppe Farina, Felice Bonetto and Emmanuel de Graffenried<\/p>\n
Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n
The inaugural season of the world championship was all about the unrivalled Alfetta, which won all races (but the Indianapolis 500) and gave Alfa Romeo a 1-2-3 in the first world championship grand prix at Silverstone.<\/p>\n
Nobody else collected more than 10 points before the title decider, so it was all to play for between Alfa\u2019s drivers, with an important caveat: only the best four results from the seven-round season would be taken into account.<\/p>\n
While Farina and Fangio had shared the victories so far with three points-scoring results each, Fagioli had finished second on four occasions and therefore needed to win with the fastest lap to have the slightest chance of surpassing Fangio.<\/p>\n
Fangio got pole position with Farina third and Fagioli fifth, but Farina took the lead on the first lap and was only challenged by Ferrari<\/a>\u2019s Alberto Ascari, whose engine overheated, leading to his retirement.<\/p>\n A podium finish would have sufficed for Fangio to prevail in the championship, and he was running in second when he retired due to gearbox issues, awarding the title to Farina. Fagioli, meanwhile, finished third and scored no points owing to the aforementioned rule.<\/p>\n 1951 Spanish GP, Pedralbes \u2013 Fangio sees off Ferrari threat<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo 159<\/p>\n Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n Ferrari became a real challenger to the Alfettas in 1951 with Alberto Ascari and Jose Froilan Gonzalez, while Alfa\u2019s Giuseppe Farina was taken out of the running by technical failures at Silverstone and the Nurburgring.<\/p>\n The\u00a0\u2018best four results\u2019\u00a0rule was still in use, meaning Gonzalez needed victory, the fastest lap and a Fangio non-score to win the championship, while Ascari\u2019s title bid required him to finish at least second.<\/p>\n But Fangio already had the best results of anyone so far, so he needed second place to improve his tally by one point or a victory to put himself out of reach.<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly what he did on the very straightforward Pedralbes track, located in Barcelona, which was 6.3km long and featured six corners. Fangio was beaten to pole by Ascari by 1.68s, but Ferrari ran into tyre issues and Alfa\u2019s Argentine passed him on lap four, leading all the way to the chequered flag for his first world title.<\/p>\n 1959 United States GP, Sebring \u2013 Brabham prevails after running out of fuel<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Jack Brabham, Cooper T51 Climax, leads Bruce McLaren, Cooper T51 Climax<\/p>\n Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n There were no world champions on the grid in 1959 after Juan Manuel Fangio and Mike Hawthorn retired. Jack Brabham\u2019s season started ideally with four podiums, including two victories, which meant that halfway through the nine-round campaign (including the Indy 500) the Cooper driver was on 27 points, with Vanwall\u2019s Tony Brooks on 14 and everyone else on nine or fewer.<\/p>\n A clutch issue took Brabham out of the German GP at AVUS, then he crashed out of the Monsanto race in Portugal, blowing the championship race open.<\/p>\n Every driver\u2019s best five results counted towards the standings, which meant Stirling Moss would lose one point if he scored, while anything worse than a podium finish would be useless to Brabham. Moss needed at least second place for a title chance, while Brooks required a win.<\/p>\n Moss took pole at Sebring, three seconds faster than runner-up Brabham on the 8.4km Floridian track, with Harry Schell making it a Cooper 1-2-3 ahead of Brooks.<\/p>\n Moss led Brabham by 10 seconds after five laps, but gearbox trouble took him out of the race and title contention.<\/p>\n Brabham went on to dominate the race but ran out of fuel on the last lap. This wasn\u2019t enough to jeopardise his championship, as Bruce McLaren<\/a> and Maurice Trintignant were three minutes ahead of Brooks, who needed to win; Brabham pushed his car to fourth, and triumphed.<\/p>\n 1964 Mexican GP, Mexico \u2013 Clark\u2019s last-gasp retirement hands title to Surtees<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Champion John Surtees, Ferrari<\/p>\n Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n If you thought the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was unique in the title changing hands at the very end of the finale, please reconsider.<\/p>\n Graham Hill had been the most consistent driver over the 1964 season, but only the best six results counted, so he wasn\u2019t going to improve his points tally unless he finished on the podium again in Mexico.<\/p>\n Ferrari\u2019s John Surtees was his closest challenger, requiring at least second place to surpass the Briton, while Jim Clark needed to win and for Surtees not to do better than third.<\/p>\n Clark had been the strongest driver that season, taking four out of nine pole positions thus far and winning every race that he didn\u2019t retire from \u2013 only three, as his Lotus\u2019 fragility cost him dear in every other round.<\/p>\n Clark was fastest again, by nearly one second, at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where he led Dan Gurney and Surtees\u2019 team-mate Lorenzo Bandini on the grid, with Surtees and Hill down in fourth and sixth respectively. Both of them lost even further ground at the start, as the BRM driver was readjusting his goggles when the flag dropped.<\/p>\n The situation was ideal for Clark. He led, with Hill 10th and Surtees 13th. The Englishmen fought their way up to third and fifth respectively by lap 18 \u2013 such a result would have given the title to Hill by one point. But on lap 31, he and Bandini collided at the hairpin, which damaged the BRM\u2019s exhaust pipes. Hill dropped outside of the top 10 positions and never recovered.<\/p>\n The title just seemed to belong to Clark. But with some eight laps remaining, the Lotus suffered an oil leak. Clark lost the lead to Gurney on the penultimate lap, which handed the title back to Hill, then retired on the last tour.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t over. Having inherited second place, Bandini waved team-mate Surtees through, gifting him and Ferrari the world title.<\/p>\n 1974 US GP, Watkins Glen \u2013 Fittipaldi comes out on top<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren, Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari, John Watson, Brabham<\/p>\n Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n 1974 was a topsy-turvy season with four drivers in contention for the title \u2013 including Ferrari\u2019s Niki Lauda, who led after round 10 of 15 but retired from the last five races.<\/p>\n Therefore it was a likely duel between Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni, who were level on points \u2013 unless they both finished outside the top five and Jody Scheckter, completing his first full F1 campaign, won.<\/p>\n All of them ended up outside the top five on the grid at Watkins Glen, with Scheckter, Fittipaldi and Regazzoni sixth, eighth and ninth respectively. Brabham\u2019s Carlos Reutemann got pole by 0.017s over Hesketh\u2019s James Hunt, set for his first front-row start.<\/p>\n Reutemann led the race from start to finish, ruling Scheckter out of title contention \u2013 the South African retired from fourth anyway due to a mechanical issue.<\/p>\n Therefore it became all about who finished in front between Fittipaldi and Regazzoni, but the Swiss dropped down the order as he complained about his Ferrari\u2019s handling, finishing a lowly 11th. Fittipaldi took fourth position and his second crown.<\/p>\n 1981, Caesars Palace GP \u2013 Piquet crowned by just two seconds<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Nelson Piquet, Brabham<\/p>\n Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n 1981 was another hotly contested season, with five drivers within 12 points ahead of the title decider \u2013 but only three had a mathematical chance to win the title.<\/p>\n The season finale took place on the unloved Caesars Palace track in Las Vegas. Carlos Reutemann took pole position despite spectacularly colliding with title rival Nelson Piquet in qualifying, with the Brazilian taking fourth on the grid notwithstanding neck pain on the anti-clockwise track. Jacques Laffite complained of engine gremlins and found himself down in 12th.<\/p>\n Laffite needed at least second place to have the slightest chance of surpassing Reutemann, and he remarkably fought his way to that very position by lap 32 when Alain Prost pitted for new tyres, but the Ligier driver\u2019s Michelin rubber ended up suffering from the sweltering conditions too and he dropped down the order.<\/p>\n More importantly, Reutemann tumbled down to fifth on the opening lap, then lost two further positions to find himself seventh, just ahead of Piquet.<\/p>\n The Williams driver was suffering from gearbox issues and was overtaken by Piquet on lap 17, with the Brazilian executing a clean, crucial manoeuvre for the title.<\/p>\n Retirements for Gilles Villeneuve and Mario Andretti helped the title-contending duo climb back up the order, but Reutemann was struggling too much after losing fourth gear. An exhausted Piquet ended up fifth, just two seconds ahead of Laffite and John Watson. That made the difference in the title fight.<\/p>\n 1983 South African GP, Kyalami \u2013 Piquet prevails as unreliability strikes rivals<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Nelson Piquet, Brabham BT52B BMW, punches the air at the finish<\/p>\n Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n Ferrari had the best one-lap pace in 1983 as Rene Arnoux and Patrick Tambay got four poles each, but struggled to get consistent enough results \u2013 even though the Scuderia won the constructors\u2019 title and Arnoux recovered from a poor first half of the season to become a dark horse for the title, with three wins and two second places in six grands prix.<\/p>\n Arnoux still needed another victory in Kyalami, with fellow countryman Alain Prost leading the standings for Renault by two points ahead of Brabham\u2019s Nelson Piquet.<\/p>\n Despite Ferrari letting him go for 1984, Tambay gave his all and took pole ahead of the two Brabhams, with Piquet leading Riccardo Patrese. Arnoux and Prost started from fourth and fifth on the grid, which gave Piquet the advantage for the title.<\/p>\n All the more so as the Brazilian snatched the lead at the start and immediately pulled away. Arnoux retired from eighth as early as lap 10, as his engine overheated. By lap 28, Piquet led team-mate Patrese by 28 seconds, with McLaren\u2019s Lauda shadowing the Italian. Prost was down in fourth, six seconds further in arrears.<\/p>\n Alain Prost, Renault RE40 V6<\/p>\n Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n Piquet\u2019s advantage was such that he could afford pitting for new tyres and rejoining in the lead. In the end, it mattered little. Prost retired on lap 36 with turbo issues, meaning all Piquet had to do was finish fourth and score three points. He cruised to the finish and duly stood on the third spot of the podium.<\/p>\n 1986 Australian GP, Adelaide – Mansell’s blown tyre benefits Prost<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Podium: race winner and World Champion Alain Prost, second place Nelson Piquet, third place Stefan Johansson<\/p>\n Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n For the first time since the 1950s, two team-mates tackled the season finale with title chances. Team-mates, but rivals above all, with increasing acrimony between Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet.<\/p>\n Erstwhile championship leader Ayrton Senna had dropped out of contention due to his Lotus\u2019 unreliability, and Mansell was in a prime position to win the title. But only a competitor\u2019s best 11 results counted towards the championship; both Alain Prost and Piquet could reach 72 points with a victory, in which case Mansell needed to finish second to see them off, owing to countback rules.<\/p>\n Mansell and Piquet took a 1-2 in qualifying, with Senna and Prost on the second row on the grid, but the Frenchman\u2019s team-mate, Keke Rosberg, unexpectedly surged into the lead. The Finn disappeared into the distance, with his lead surpassing 30 seconds halfway through the race.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Prost overtook both Williams cars as Mansell attempted to manage his machinery and Piquet spun. This meant Prost was in a position to win the title; as it stood, if Rosberg let his team-mate through, McLaren\u2019s lead driver would end the season on 72 points \u2013 as many as Mansell, but winning on countback as he had more second places.<\/p>\n However, Prost clipped Berger\u2019s Benetton when lapping the Austrian and pitted for new tyres on lap 32. Goodyear had previously recommended a one-stop strategy, but after inspecting the McLaren\u2019s rubber, advised all runners that the whole race could be run on the same set of tyres.<\/p>\n Going into lap 63 of 82, Rosberg led his rivals by 22 seconds, with Prost putting pressure on Mansell for third place. That was when the Finn\u2019s right-rear tyre delaminated. But Williams didn\u2019t have time to warn its drivers, and Mansell\u2019s tyre exploded on the next tour. He retired and risked losing the title if Piquet or Prost won.<\/p>\n Nigel Mansell, Williams FW11<\/p>\n Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n Williams played it safe and called Piquet in for new tyres; the Brazilian couldn\u2019t make up the lost time despite his pace, meaning Prost won the race and the world championship.<\/p>\n 2007 Brazilian GP, Interlagos – Raikkonen surges from behind<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari celebrates on the podium<\/p>\n Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n 2007 marked another intra-team rivalry as rookie Lewis Hamilton and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso went head-to-head for the title.<\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s maiden season had been nothing short of exceptional, and the 22-year-old Briton was the overwhelming favourite to win the title after winning a wet Japanese GP while Alonso crashed out. He then led his team-mate by 12 points and Ferrari\u2019s Kimi Raikkonen by 17.<\/p>\n McLaren however failed to pit Hamilton early enough on a drying track in Shanghai, and he got beached in the gravel trap at pitlane entry after his tyres got worn down to the canvas, setting up a fascinating title decider.<\/p>\n Second Ferrari driver\u00a0Felipe Massa<\/a> took pole at his home track, leading Hamilton, Raikkonen and Alonso on the grid.<\/p>\n Hamilton was passed by both his rivals on the opening lap, locking up as he attempted to fight back against Alonso and dropping down to eighth. A few laps later, the English youngster encountered a gearbox issue and found himself down in 18th.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-22 Mercedes with a lock up<\/p>\n Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n As it stood, Alonso was on 109 points, Raikkonen on 108 and Hamilton on 107.<\/p>\n Hamilton recovered to seventh position, enough to get back ahead of Alonso on countback in the standings, but Raikkonen overcut Massa in the second round of pitstops, giving him the extra two points he needed to win the title.<\/p>\n Post-race, the Williams and BMW cars were investigated over fuel temperature, as fuel was not allowed to be more than 10C colder than ambient temperature. Had they been disqualified, Hamilton would have scored three more points, with the title switching back to him.<\/p>\n Stewards cleared those cars of wrongdoing as they deemed they lacked the necessary data to prove the fuel\u2019s actual temperature. McLaren unsuccessfully appealed the decision.<\/p>\n 2010 Abu Dhabi GP, Yas Marina – Vettel triumphs as Alonso, Webber fall into trap<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Final standings Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing RB6<\/p>\n Photo by: Andrew Ferraro \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n For the only time in F1 history, four drivers were in contention for the title going into the season finale, as they shared all victories from round five onwards.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton needed to win, Sebastian Vettel required at least second place, and Mark Webber necessitated a top-five finish to have a chance to surpass Fernando Alonso.<\/p>\n Vettel took a decisive pole position, outpacing Hamilton by 0.031s with Alonso third and Webber down in fifth.<\/p>\n As it stood, Alonso was primed to win the title with 261 points, leading Vettel (256), Webber (248) and Hamilton (240). Alonso was passed by Button on the opening lap, but still had enough to be crowned, as he was virtually on 258 points.<\/p>\n The key moment of the race was Webber pitting as early as lap 11 as he struggled on the supersoft tyre compound. He was Alonso\u2019s main threat for the title, so Ferrari decided to cover him and called Alonso in. The Spaniard rejoined in 12th ahead of Webber, but behind Renault\u2019s Vitaly Petrov<\/a>, who had done his mandatory pitstop under safety car conditions on the first lap.<\/p>\n Vitaly Petrov, Renault R30<\/p>\n Photo by: Motorsport Images<\/p>\n In the last pre-DRS race, a dejected Alonso never managed to overtake the Russian rookie. He finished seventh, right ahead of Webber, while Vettel snatched the lead of the championship for the very first time of his career \u2013 at the very best time.<\/p>\n 2025 Abu Dhabi GP, Yas Marina – All to play for between Norris, Verstappen and Piastri<\/p>\n Championship situation before the title decider Max Verstappen has been mounting a sensational challenge against McLaren after being more than 100 points down on the championship lead at the end of August.<\/p>\n Lando Norris has the edge going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but Verstappen and Oscar Piastri\u2019s chances are not unreasonable. Find all title permutations below.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n We want to hear from you!<\/p>\n Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.<\/p>\n
1. Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo, 27pts
2. Alberto Ascari, Ferrari, 25pts
3. Jose-Froilan Gonzalez, Ferrari, 21pts<\/p>\n
1. Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo, 31pts
2. Alberto Ascari, Ferrari, 25pts
3. Jose-Froilan Gonzalez, Ferrari, 24pts<\/p>\n![\"Juan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/f1-spanish-gp-1951-juan-manuel.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Jack Brabham, Cooper, 31pts
2. Stirling Moss, Cooper\/BRM, 25.5pts
3. Tony Brooks, Vanwall, 23pts<\/p>\n
1. Jack Brabham, Cooper, 31pts
2. Tony Brooks, Vanwall, 27pts
3. Stirling Moss, Cooper\/BRM, 25.5pts<\/p>\n![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/jack-brabham-cooper-t51-climax-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Graham Hill, BRM, 39pts
2. John Surtees, Ferrari, 34pts
3. Jim Clark, Lotus, 30pts<\/p>\n
1. John Surtees, Ferrari, 40pts
2. Graham Hill, BRM, 39pts
3. Jim Clark, Lotus, 32pts<\/p>\n![\"Champion](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/f1-mexican-gp-1964-champion-john-surtees-ferrari.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren, 52pts
2. Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari, 52pts
3. Jody Scheckter, Tyrrell, 45pts<\/p>\n
1. Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren, 55pts
2. Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari, 52pts
3. Jody Scheckter, Tyrrell, 45pts<\/p>\n![\"Emerson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/emerson-fittipaldi-mclaren-cla-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Carlos Reutemann, Williams<\/a>, 49pts
2. Nelson Piquet, Brabham, 48pts
3. Jacques Laffite, Ligier, 43pts<\/p>\n
1. Nelson Piquet, Brabham, 50pts
2. Carlos Reutemann, Williams, 49pts
3. Alan Jones, Williams, 46pts
4. Jacques Laffite, Ligier, 44pts<\/p>\n![\"Nelson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nelson-piquet-brabham-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Alain Prost, Renault, 57pts
2. Nelson Piquet, Brabham, 55pts
3. Rene Arnoux, Ferrari, 49pts<\/p>\n
1. Nelson Piquet, Brabham, 59pts
2. Alain Prost, Renault, 57pts
3. Rene Arnoux, Ferrari, 49pts<\/p>\n![\"Nelson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nelson-piquet-brabham-bt52b-bm.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Alain](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/alain-prost-renault-re40-v6-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Nigel Mansell, Williams, 70pts
2. Alain Prost, McLaren, 64pts
3. Nelson Piquet, Williams, 63pts<\/p>\n
1. Alain Prost, McLaren, 72pts
2. Nigel Mansell, Williams, 70pts
3. Nelson Piquet, Williams, 69pts<\/p>\n![\"Podium:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/f1-australian-gp-1986-podium-race-winner-and-world-champion-alain-prost-second-place-nelso.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Nigel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nigel-mansell-williams-fw11-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Lewis Hamilton<\/a>, McLaren, 107pts
2. Fernando Alonso<\/a>, McLaren, 103pts
3. Kimi Raikkonen<\/a>, Ferrari, 100pts<\/p>\n
1. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 110pts
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 109pts
3. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 109pts<\/p>\n![\"Kimi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/f1-brazilian-gp-2007-kimi-raikkonen-ferrari-celebrates-on-the-podium.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/lewis-hamilton-mclaren-mp4-22--1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 246pts
2. Mark Webber<\/a>, Red Bull, 238pts
3. Sebastian Vettel<\/a>, Red Bull, 231pts
4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 222pts<\/p>\n
1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 256pts
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 252pts
3. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 242pts
4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 240pts<\/p>\n![\"Sebastian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sebastian-vettel-red-bull-rac-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Vitaly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/vitaly-petrov-renault-r30-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1. Lando Norris<\/a>, McLaren, 408pts
2. Max Verstappen<\/a>, Red Bull, 396pts
3. Oscar Piastri<\/a>, McLaren, 392pts<\/p>\n