The fiercest rivalries in the history of F1

Formula One can be defined by some of the biggest and most fierce rivalries in sporting history. From off-track differences to driving on a knife edge in a race, here are the most incredible rivalries in Formula One!

The mid-70s in Formula One were defined by James Hunt and Niki Lauda's rivalry on the track. The pair were so different in every way. Hunt was known for his flamboyant playboy lifestyle, driving fearlessly and on the edge, while Lauda was much more reserved and took a more methodical approach.

Their rivalry reached its pinnacle in the 1976 season. Lauda was the defending champion and started the season in fine form, but his near-fatal crash at the German Grand Prix, where he was left severely burnt, left him unable to compete. Shockingly, Lauda returned six weeks later, competing in bandages and still in pain.

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The championship went down to the final race in Japan, which was held in torrential rain. Lauda pulled out of the race with two laps left due to a lack of safety. Hunt needed to finish fourth to claim the championship, and dramatically finished third, securing his second world title. Despite the rivalry, Hunt and Lauda were extremely close friends.

At the turn of the century, Formula One was captivated by the rivalry between McLaren's Mika Hakkinen and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, the two most talented drivers of the generation competing on the best teams. Hakkinen was the calm, calculated driver, while Schumacher pushed the car to the limits and drove ferociously.

The pair had too much respect for each other to get into a war of words, but they pushed each other to their limits to fight for world championships. The 1998 championship comes to mind, where Hakkinen looked unstoppable, but Schumacher made it a fight and took it to the final race of the year in Japan. Unfortunately for the German, it ended in disaster, stalling on a pole.

Hakkinen won the championships in 1998 and 1999, while Schumacher won in 2000 and 2001 before the Finn decided to retire at the end of that season. Their rivalry and level of competition took Formula One racing to another level, and it remains a golden chapter in the sport.

Max Verstappen is the more dominant driver now, but in the late 2010s and 2020s, Formula One had the perfect rivalry. It was the champion and veteran Lewis Hamilton versus the young and hungry Max Verstappen, showcasing a dynamic shift in the F1 landscape.

Hamilton knew Verstappen was getting faster and closer to the top of the pack, and in 2021, Hamilton finally met his match with Verstappen. The pair fought fearlessly, resulting in shocking crashes like the one at the British GP, and overspilled tensions in the paddock between Red Bull and Mercedes.

The championship came down to the final race in Abu Dhabi, and no one expected it to finish the way it did. A win for either would have secured the title, and Hamilton looked highly comfortable at the front until a crash caused a safety car. Controversially, Verstappen was allowed to pass all the lapped cars and was right behind the Brit with one lap left. In a one-lap dog fight, Verstappen's fresh-wheeled Red Bull overtook Hamilton, and he won the title.

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When Nelson Piquet joined Williams in 1986, he joined as a two-time champion and the top driver in Formula One. However, Nigel Mansell said not so fast, picking up five wins in the Williams to Piquet's four in the same car. Mansell should have won the 1986 championship, but an infamous tire blowout gave the title to Alain Prost.

The pair's rivalry on the track spilled into the paddock. Piquet's comments outside the car didn't go down well with Mansell, and information sharing became an issue. Piquet won the 1986 Hungarian GP and the 1987 Italian GP with technical advantages he'd not shared with Mansell.

An enormous crash for Piquet gave Mansell the upper hand in 1987, but after picking up six wins to Piquet's three, Mansell still lost the title. The pair had a few more battles in the early 90s, with Piquet taking one of his finest victories over the on-rushing Mansell at the 1990 Australian GP. All in all, despite friction off-track, on it, they raced fairly.

The fiercest rivalry in Formula One history is that of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. The pair clashed often and had two completely different styles of winning. Prost was smooth, calculated, and strategic, while Senna was known for his raw speed and intense driving style.

Their rivalry was at its pinnacle in the late 80s as teammates of McLaren. During the 1988 and 1989 seasons, both pushed each other to extreme limits, causing extreme tension in the team that spilled consistently on the track. In 1989 and 1990, two collisions effectively decided both titles at the Japanese Grand Prix.

In 1989, a collision at the chicane caused Prost to retire, and Senna was disqualified after rejoining and winning the race, handing Prost the victory. In 1990, a notorious first-lap crash initiated by Senna took both drivers out, handing the Brazilian the championship.

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