Top 3 F1 title deciders that ended in heartbreak

F1 is not a sport for the light-hearted, with its highest of highs and lowest of lows. When you win you feel like a king, but when you lose, it can get very lonely. This is true especially when you fight for the championship. Post the title decider, the driver that wins is on top of the world, but for the driver that misses out, it can be tough to accept defeat and bounce back.

In this piece, we look at the top 3 scenarios in F1 history where the title deciders resulted in extreme heartbreaks for the drivers — the ones that were not easy to overcome.

---

Top 3 heartbreaks in F1 title fights

#3 F1 Adelaide GP 1986: Nigel Mansell suffers tire failure

Nigel Mansell led the championship going into the final race of the season as part of a three-way championship battle with Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. All he needed to do was finish third if Piquet won the race, and Mansell would have been crowned the champion that season.

By lap 63, it seemed that celebrations were in order as the Briton ran in third with Piquet leading the race. Mansell was comfortable in his position and the title was all his for the taking.

On lap 64, however, in a dramatic turn of events, Mansell's left rear tire exploded. This took him out of the race, and subsequently, the championship out of his hands. Piquet had to take the precautionary pitstop which handed Alain Prost a much-deserved title. One couldn't help but feel sad for Nigel, who almost had the title in his grasp.

---

#2 F1 Brazilian GP 2008: Lewis Hamilton wins the title at the last corner

One of the most heartwarming post-race celebration moments throughout history is Felipe Massa pumping his chest with tears in his eyes after winning the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. The tears of heartbreak for the affable Brazilian were due to his loss in the world title battle on the last corner of the last lap of the season.

After a season-long battle with a generational talent like Lewis Hamilton, Massa reached the last race of the season 7 points behind. He needed to win the race and hope Hamilton finished sixth or below. Come race day, the Ferrari driver had accomplished this feat by the time he crossed the finish line.

When Massa crossed the finish line, Hamilton was in sixth position. Miraculously then, 5th-placed Timo Glock, who had opted for slicks in the wet conditions, started to slow down dramatically. This presented the Briton with the opportunity to jump the German on the last corner of the last lap.

Hamilton duly obliged and won the championship, becoming the youngest driver to do so at the time. Everyone's heart, however, went out to the Brazilian driver who had the title stolen from him in the cruelest of fashions.

---

#1 F1 Abu Dhabi GP 2021: Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton on the last lap

Lewis Hamilton makes another appearance on this list but this time around he was on the receiving end. In a Titanic battle with Max Verstappen in the 2021 F1 season, Hamilton reached the last race of the season level on points and needed to finish ahead of Verstappen to clinch the title.

Throughout the race, it did seem like that was going to be the case as Hamilton jumped the Red Bull driver at the start and never looked back. A late-race safety car, however, turned the race on its head. It allowed Red Bull to put Verstappen on fresh soft tires while Mercedes gambled on the race ending under the safety car.

In a strange turn of events, Michael Masi, the race director, would call in the safety car with just one lap left, surprising many. This gave the Dutchman a clear shot at going after the seven-time world champion.

Verstappen made the most of his fresh tires to overtake the Briton and win the race. Although the Red Bull driver was considered the deserved champion, the Safety Car restart procedure came under a lot of scrutiny. His subsequent silence on social media has kept fans speculating on whether Hamilton will return to drive for the 2022 F1 season.