5 F1 seasons where drivers were let down by their teams

In F1, synergy within a team is paramount. Whenever there is imbalance, you cannot succeed. Having a great car but a bad driver does not translate into titles. On the other hand, if you have a great driver but poor support from the team, then success will always elude you.

In the history of the sport, there have been occasions when drivers have driven their hearts out in what was a brilliant season put together by them. However, what turned out to be a limiting factor for success was the team not doing the job it was supposed to.

In this feature, we will take a look at five such scenarios where drivers were let down by their teams and it was that deficit that proved to be the difference between a title win and a runner-up position in the championship. So without further ado, let's get straight to it.

#1 Fernando Alonso-Ferrari (2012 F1 season)

Fernando Alonso's 2012 F1 season will go down as arguably one of the best seasons put together by a driver in history. More often than not, we see an F1 season in which a driver can put together one, two, or even three races where he transcends what the car is capable of. In 2012, Fernando Alonso did that almost every race weekend. Ferrari, in at least the first few races of the season, had an uncompetitive car. Alonso, however, was able to place the car in positions that others could not even think about.

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He won the race in Malaysia in treacherous conditions thanks to some smart decision-making and wet-weather brilliance. He did not take a step back from that point onwards as he maximized the result in every race despite not always having a car capable of winning.

However, it wasn't enough, as Ferrari was just not fast enough to help keep Alonso competitive against a marauding Sebastian Vettel in his Red Bull. Alonso went on to lose the title in the last race of the season but no one in the paddock could point a finger at him as someone who did not put everything into the performance. In essence, Alonso kept his end of the bargain, Ferrari could not!

#2 Kimi Raikkonen-McLaren (2005 F1 season)

New-age fans might not be aware of it, but Kimi Raikkonen was an absolute force of nature, at least until he won his first F1 title in 2007. He was easily one of, if not the outright fastest driver on the grid and what made him undeniable was his versatility. Whether it was a single-lap shootout, an extended stint in the race, or even finding his way through the field, Raikkonen was able to do all of that and more. The 2005 F1 season was arguably 'peak Kimi Raikkonen' and in the eyes of many, a driver that was just a menace for the entire field.

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Some of Raikkonen's race wins that season were stunning, to say the least. His qualifying lap at Monaco, where he just decimated the benchmark set by Alonso, or the race at Spa, where he toyed with the field before he went on to win, or the masterclass at Suzuka where he came through the field to win, were just examples of the sheer talent and application of it that was on display.

Having said that, the McLaren car was just not reliable. It broke down routinely and cost Kimi so many points that in the end, it was a cakewalk to the title for Alonso. In a more reliable car, the title battle could have been much different, but as it turned out, that was not to be the case.

#3 Kimi Raikkonen-McLaren (2003 F1 season)

For F1 fans who have followed the sport since early 2000s, finding Kimi Raikkonen twice on this list should not come as a surprise. The Finnish driver lost the title in 2003 by just one point.

What makes it even more impressive is that he went up against multiple world champion Michael Schumacher, who drove for Ferrari, and Juan Pablo Montoya driving a BMW Williams. The season was the epitome of consistency as Raikkonen always delivered while his two competitors had much bigger crests and troughs during the season.

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In the end, with McLaren lacking the peak performance of Ferrari, Raikkonen just didn't have the tools to beat Michael Schumacher and would have to wait a few years for an F1 title.

#4 Michael Schumacher-Ferrari (1997 F1 season)

The 1997 F1 season is often remembered as the season where Michael Schumacher tried to crash into Jacques Villeneuve to win the title in the last race of the season. Well, there's certainly some truth to that, and what the German did in the last race of the season was shocking, to say the least.

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Having said that, other aspects tend to be forgotten, including the fact that Schumacher had no right to be fighting for the title. The car he had was just not good enough to take on the mighty Williams and the fact that Schumacher was able to hang on for this long in the title race was almost shocking.

Do we condone what Michael did in the last race of the season? Of course not! However, Schumacher would never have been in that position if he had a more competitive car under him. He drove out of his skin to be a point ahead of Villeneuve in the last race of the season but the car was just not good enough to compete with Williams.

#5 Ayrton Senna-McLaren (1993 F1 season)

Ayrton Senna's 1993 F1 season was legendary, forcing Williams to take stock of the situation and hire the Brazilian as a replacement for Alain Prost within the team.

The 1993 season was one where McLaren were in a serious state of decline. The team did not have a proper engine deal until the start of the season. Not only that, it was behind the curve on key innovations like active suspension at the time. As a result, the car was just not good enough to fight for the title. Senna, however, did not think that way and went on to win 2 of the first 3 races of the season.

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Reality struck soon after and everything came crashing down as Prost in his Williams took over and cruised to the title. Senna, on his part, kept punching and producing spectacular drives one after the other, only to lose out in the title fight because the car was just not good enough.