F1 is one of the most intense sports in the world. Unlike most others, combatants really do dice with death on their way around the course at speeds in excess of 180 mph.
But that’s only part of its draw and magnetism. What really makes the sport special is its historic rivalries. Throughout its history, the sport has seen great drivers square up against each other in an effort to be victorious.
This post looks at those rivalries in more detail. We explore some of the most memorable battles between the sport’s greatest adversaries and explore who came out on top.
Michael Schumacher Vs Mika Hakkinen
The late 1990s were something of a heydey for F1. Two of the sport’s greatest ever talents were racing at the same time, and everyone wanted to know who would come out on top.
Schumacher, the German, famously drove for Ferrari, while Hakkinen went for McLaren. Both wound up winning multiple championships, but it was Schumacher who ultimately came out on top in terms of the total number of wins. The German was famous for using every possible advantage at his disposal, including turning his head slightly to the side on certain stretches of the track to allow more air to travel into the air intake.
Ayrton Senna Vs Alain Prost
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost probably had the most legendary rivalry in the history of F1. Both became world champions, and both had a history of clashing on and off the track during the late 1980s and early 1990s before Senna’s untimely death.
What made the rivalry so interesting was the two men’s contrasting styles. Senna drove with flair and bravado, while Prost was more about precision and optimization. Fans were rapt to see which approach was best for the sport.
Sebastian Vettel Vs Lewis Hamilton
Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton’s rivalry continued for much of the 2010s. The two drivers made watching F1 exciting for an entire generation of young people. It was precisely what the post-Schumacher era needed.
There were also some good old-fashioned national rivalries thrown into the mix for good measure. People loved watching the young Brit battling it out with the dapper German.
In the end, both drivers won numerous titles, with Hamilton becoming the first Brit to do so since the heyday of Damon Hill in the mid-1990s. Hamilton was probably also the dominant character. Vettel won four world titles between 2010 and 2013 during his period of dominance. By contrast, Hamilton won four titles over eight years, and also racked up an impressive 81 titles over the same time frame. Incidentally, he’s still going strong, so we might not have the last word on this rivalry yet.
James Hunt Vs Niki Lauda
Finally, we have the famous 1976 rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The pair went back and forth for the entire season, trading win for win. The drama intensified after Lauda’s near-fatal crash towards the end of the season, which seemed to make things even more personal between the two sportsmen.
