The five greatest rivalries in Formula 1 history

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have provided Formula 1 fans with the closest and most exciting title fight since the Brit's maiden championship in 2008.

The Stevenage superstar beat Felipe Massa to the trophy by just one point that year with his dramatic finish in Brazil causing chaos in the paddock.

But as we look ahead to the final race of 2021 in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton and Verstappen find themselves level in the drivers' championship on 369.5 points.

Their battle has been brewing since the Dutchman's promotion to Red Bull in 2016 — and his team have now finally developed a car capable of challenging Mercedes' dominance.

Ahead of the season finale, we take a look at some of the greatest rivalries in the history of F1.

James Hunt vs Niki Lauda

With four world titles between them, James Hunt and Niki Lauda provided viewers with some excellent on-track battles in the 1970s.

Both drivers came through the ranks together and they formed a friendship during their junior careers as well as in F1.

Their rivalry peaked in 1976 when there were just three points separating the former housemates as they entered the final race in Japan.

Lauda had already suffered a near-fatal crash in the German Grand Prix that season and Hunt had won his home Grand Prix at Silverstone before having the victory revoked.

The race in Japan was full of drama and horrible weather conditions and saw Lauda withdraw, with the Austrian later stating "my life is worth more than a title."

Hunt looked set for an easy victory but a rapidly drying track saw the McLaren driver fall down the ranks with the championship hanging in the balance.

The British driver managed to recover with just two laps to go, however, and claimed third in the race to pip Lauda by a single point.

Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna have a combined total of 92 F1 race wins.

The two legendary drivers collided on several occasions during their careers, with their time at McLaren resulting in fireworks both on and off of the track.

Senna became Prost's team-mate in 1988. The latter was already a double world champion but his relationship with the Brazilian would deteriorate rapidly over the next few years.

Tensions initially rose in their first season together, as Senna pipped Prost to the title — in a campaign where the McLaren pairing won 15 of the 16 races on the calendar.

But in 1989 their rivalry created a toxic atmosphere in the McLaren garage, which resulted in Prost leaving to join Ferrari in 1990.

The two drivers' final grand prix as team-mates ended in controversy as Prost turned in on Senna, which resulted in the Frenchman retiring from the race.

Senna continued and went on to win but was later disqualified for rejoining the track in a dangerous manner.

The controversy ended in Prost being awarded the championship but the rivalry did not end there — one year later, the Brazilian would drive into the back of Prost in Japan en route to securing the title.

Between 1985 and 1993, Senna and Prost won all but two of the world titles up for grabs — their rivalry goes down as one of the greatest in F1 history.

Nigel Mansell vs Nelson Piquet

Both Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet shared the spotlight during their F1 careers.

Piquet joined Mansell at Williams in 1986 as a double world champion and the pair battled it out with Mansell looking set to take the title before his tyre exploded in Adelaide, handing the crown to Prost in the McLaren.

Piquet and Mansell waged a war of words outside of their cars, which resulted in the two sides of the garage withholding information from each other.

This led to Piquet winning both the 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix and 1987 Italian Grand Prix with technical advantages on his car that were not disclosed to his partner. 

Despite a horrific crash in San Marino, Piquet stole the title from Mansell in 1987 even though the Brit had won six races in comparison to Piquet's three.

Piquet left Williams for Lotus in 1988, but the two still enjoyed some ferocious battles on track.

This included the 1990 Australian Grand Prix — where Piquet stopped Mansell from claiming victory in the dying stages of the race.

Michael Schumacher vs Mika Hakkinen

Michael Schumacher had few serious challengers in his illustrious career but Mika Hakkinen was certainly a threat to the German.

The two drivers had several wheel-to-wheel moments in the late 1990s and early 2000s — with the 1998 title fight being a highlight of the rivalry.

Hakkinen and McLaren seemed untouchable in the early part of the season but Schumacher and Ferrari fought back to set up a dramatic conclusion at the Suzuka circuit in Japan.

Schumacher stalled his car on pole position, which allowed the Finn to pass him and win the world title.

1999 looked to be shaping up in a similar fashion but Schumacher broke his leg at Silverstone, meaning Hakkinen became a double world champion.

In 2000, it was a very different story — Ferrari finally won out and Schumacher claimed the title in Japan, kickstarting the new era of dominance for his team.

It was the seven-time world champion who would come out on top thereafter — but Hakkinen often proved a difficult driver to compete with on the track.

Lewis Hamilton vs Fernando Alonso

Our final warring duo highlights two drivers who still compete at the top level — albeit in very different cars.

Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are two of the most experienced drivers on the grid — and their rivalry dates back to 2007 when they both drove for McLaren.

During their first campaign as team-mates, the pair finished the season equal on points, with Kimi Raikkonen claiming the title in the Ferrari.

A two-time world champion, Alonso was perhaps angered by his lack of star treatment at McLaren and his aggregation spilled over into the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Spaniard was handed a five-place penalty for holding Hamilton up in the pits during qualifying.

Alonso returned to Renault in 2008 and then moved to Ferrari in 2010, where he had many wheel-to-wheel moments with Hamilton — though neither could defeat Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull.

Since his move to Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton has always challenged for the title but Alonso's decision to stay with an uncompetitive Ferrari and McLaren has hindered this rivalry.

However, with next year's regulation changes designed to shrink the performance gap between cars, we may see Alonso's Alpine closer to Hamilton than we have done in the last eight years. 

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