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Max Verstappen could achieve a rare feat this weekend by winning the F1 world championship without winning a Grand Prix, which only happens in exceptional circumstances, as past examples show.
When the checkered flag falls, the battle for the championship is far from over. Max Verstappen heads into Saturday's sprint race with a realistic chance of winning a third world title, but his fate is just the latest chapter in a long saga where points, paperwork, and even a qualifying lap have determined the sport's biggest prize.
The sprint format, introduced just a few seasons ago, has transformed the weekend into a two-part showdown for the championship. Until 2021, the only points that mattered came from the Grand Prix itself, but today, a single sprint can tip the scales, reminiscent of previous moments when titles were decided far from the finish line. In 1987, the Williams garage was a battlefield where egos clashed. Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet traded the lead in the drivers' standings four times in the first eight races, before Piquet took the lead with nine consecutive podium finishes and a 12-point lead heading into the Japanese Grand Prix. During Friday qualifying, Mansell had a serious accident while attempting to beat Piquet's time. He broke his back and was rushed to the hospital. With his only rival out of the picture, Piquet won the championship on the starting grid, the title already secured before the race even began. A similar twist of fate occurred for British Formula 4 star Alex Dunne. While a life-size cardboard cutout representing him was crowned champion at Brands Hatch, the real Dunne was racing in Italy, battling for the Italian F4 title at Monza. He chose to chase both crowns, sacrificing the British final for a chance to stand on the Italian podium. The gamble paid off: he won the British championship and climbed to second place in the Italian standings on the same weekend. In the junior ranks, Gabriel Bortoleto's Formula 3 title was decided during a qualifying session at Monza. With a 38-point lead over rivals Paul Aron and Pepe Marti heading into the weekend, Bortoleto only needed to maintain his lead after the two points awarded for pole position. A red flag interruption gave Oliver Goethe pole position, leaving Bortoleto in fifth place and his rivals even further behind. The FIA confirmed his title in the pit lane, with two races still to go for the driver. Championships were also taken away by the stewards. Tomas Enge thought he had won the Formula 3000 title in 2002 after a victory at the Hungaroring, but he failed a random drug test for marijuana use. The penalty, announced before the season finale at Monza, nullified his victory at the Hungaroring and the title was awarded to Sébastien Bourdais. Enge spent just under three weeks as champion before this decision reversed his fortunes. The post-race disputes lasted for weeks. In 2007, McLaren's appeal over fuel temperature investigations delayed Kimi Räikkönen's confirmation as world champion by 26 days. Fourteen years later, the same team found itself at the center of a much more explosive controversy. At the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, race director Michael Masi restarted the race on the final lap in a manner that violated the rules, allowing Max Verstappen to overtake Lewis Hamilton and win the title. Mercedes' protests were rejected, and the FIA's only recourse—canceling the result—would not have restored the title to Hamilton. The decision was therefore upheld, and Masi lost his job.
Ironically, it was a decision made after the race that allowed Hamilton to win his first title before he even entered Formula 1, reminding us that the most decisive moments in the sport often happen off the track. As Verstappen lines up for the sprint, the pattern repeats itself: a championship can depend on a single lap, a qualifying session, or a decision made in the stewards' office, proving that in Formula 1, the race is never really over until the documents are signed.
When the checkered flag fell at Monza, the 2006 GP2 title had already been decided not on the track, but in the stewards' office. Nelson Piquet Jr. had cut Hamilton's lead to six points by defending his second place, but the championship still hung on a seven-point gap the following day. Piquet needed a win from seventh on the grid and the fastest lap to stay in contention. However, the fastest lap bonus was taken away from Giorgio Pantano after the stewards ruled that he had not slowed down under yellow flags. Hamilton, who set the second fastest lap, earned the extra point, sealing his championship title as soon as the results were ratified a few hours after the race. Other series have seen similar situations where missed opportunities have weighed heavily. In the now-defunct W Series, Jamie Chadwick won a third title in 2022 after the calendar was shortened with three rounds remaining. The abrupt end deprived Beitske Visser, Alice Powell, and Abbi Pulling of any realistic chance of overturning Chadwick's two-win lead, effectively freezing the standings.
Pierre Gasly's title hopes were dashed by the weather in 2017. After being called up to Toro Rosso mid-season, the Frenchman was sent back to Japan for the Super Formula finale at Suzuka, where he was just half a point behind leader Hiroaki Ishiura. Typhoon Lan brought torrential rain that delayed practice, canceled qualifying, and ultimately forced organizers to abandon both races without rescheduling them. With four rivals still mathematically in contention, the cancellation dashed Gasly's only remaining chance of winning the championship.
