What can Verstappen and Hamilton learn from previous F1 title battles?

After a period of rest, Formula 1 is set to return with a bang this weekend. The Belgian Grand Prix is on the horizon as the sport heads into the second triple-header of the season. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are finely poised in the 2021 World Championship. Just eight points split the two drivers who will be doing battle until the final chequered flag drops in Abu Dhabi. 

With it being so close, here at GPblog, we have looked back at previous seasons to see the World Championship differences at the summer break and subsequently the outcomes. Despite there being a scheduled record amount of races this season, each event carries more weight with the uncertainty regarding the global coronavirus situation. 

As it stands, ten races are officially scheduled with an 11th listed as TBC between now and mid-December. But there are significant question marks sitting around a number of races including Grands Prix in the United States, Mexico and Brazil. Replacements will be sought after but nothing is guaranteed making the Championship lead far more valuable compared to years gone by. 

2018 - Hamilton leads Vettel by 24 points 

Over the first half of the 2018 season, Sebastian Vettel looked like he was finally going to impress the Ferrari fans with a fight for the championship. In fact, two races prior to the summer break of 2018, the German led the World Championship. But Vettel’s skid into the gravel trap at his home race completely swung the Championship. 

Following wins in Germany and Hungary, Hamilton formed a 24 point lead over his rival during the summer break. Vettel won the first race back, but the Brit reeled off four consecutive victories to cruise to his fifth world title. In the end, Hamilton won by 88 points. 

2017 - Vettel leads Hamilton by 14 points 

Unlike in 2018, Vettel was able to stay ahead of his rival during the summer break. In fact, the Mercedes driver didn't hold the lead in the championship in the first half of the season. But again, Hamilton and Mercedes found some form and excelled later in the year. 

Following the summer break, Hamilton won five out of the following six races. Hamilton wasn’t behind in the championship for much longer and he again cruised to victory. Hamilton won the championship by 43 points. 

2016 - Hamilton leads Rosberg by 19 points 

The last time Hamilton was beaten over the course of a season came in 2016, but actually, Rosberg had to play catch up in the second half of the season. In a similar style to Hamilton in 2017 and 2018, Rosberg reeled off three consecutive victories and crucially finished three when Hamilton had his engine blow-out in Malaysia. 

Despite Hamilton winning the final four races, the Brit didn’t succeed in winning the Championship because Rosberg kept pushing to achieve second-place finishes. Eventually, Rosberg won the Championship by just 5 points and announced his retirement the same month. 

2015 - Hamilton leads Rosberg by 21 points 

2015 saw an interesting battle develop between the Mercedes drivers, but Rosberg failed to score points in two races after the summer break allowing the Brit to really pull away into the distance. With the wins swinging between the two drivers in the first of the year, F1 fans expected a close battle to continue. 

But it wasn’t the case. So much so that Rosberg won the final three races of the year and still didn’t get close to Hamilton. In the end, Hamilton beat his Mercedes teammate by 59 points. However, the trio of wins for Rosberg did give him the required momentum for the 2016 season. 

2014 - Rosberg leads Hamilton by 11 points 

This is when the Mercedes teammate rivalry really ignited. Rosberg led the Championship by 11 points at the summer break, but that grew after Hamilton failed to score points in the subsequent Belgian Grand Prix. The two drivers touched on the circuit and Hamilton came off worse. 

The difference opened up to 29 points but didn’t stay open for long. Hamilton won six of the final seven races to secure his first World Championship title since 2008. Hamilton received double points for his victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, whilst Rosberg failed to score at all meaning the final difference in the Championship isn’t truly comparable. 

2012 - Alonso leads Webber by 40 points, with Vettel 42 points behind

In one of the most remarkable seasons this century, then Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso had a significant Championship lead during the summer break. The Spaniard won three races prior to the summer break but failed to secure the top step of the podium in the second half of the season. 

Red Bull Racing really took control of the Championship after the summer break. Mark Webber only managed to score 47 points following the break, but it was his teammate Sebastian Vettel who really rose to the challenge. Four consecutive wins and six consecutive podiums from the German meant that he had caught up and overtaken Alonso ahead of the final race of the season. Despite scoring ten points fewer than his rival in Abu Dhabi, Vettel had done enough to win the championship by three points. 

2010 - Webber leads Hamilton by 4 points, with Vettel 10 points behind 

Another really interesting season saw at least five different drivers in the mix for the title at the summer break. The order continued to change between the drivers, with eventual champion Vettel dropping to fifth with just five events remaining. 

After winning the Japanese Grand Prix, an engine retirement in South Korea meant that Vettel failed to get back-to-back victories. But he returned to winning ways in Brazil. Vettel had a 15 point deficit going into the final race, but a seventh and eighth-place finish from Alonso and Webber respectively meant that Vettel’s victory was enough to give him the championship win by four points. Winning three out of the last four races was clearly very helpful.