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Winning the World Championship is the biggest goal of every single driver on the grid but as of 2024, only 34 F1 drivers in 74 seasons have achieved this feat. Arguably, an even sweeter feeling for any driver is to chase down a title from their rival and win at the end by overcoming a massive points deficit.
There have been several instances in the sport's illustrious history when drivers have won their championships after overcoming a points margin. Below is the list of 5 drivers to achieve this feat with points adjusted to the current system:
#1 James Hunt- 1976 F1 season (97 points)
James Hunt is one of the most popular drivers to race in the sport owing to his charismatic personality and no-nonsense nature on and off the track. The British driver joined McLaren in 1976 and was in contention for race wins.
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However, he couldn't stop Ferrari driver Niki Lauda from dominating the first half of the 1976 season, as the Austrian built a gap of over two race wins before his accident in Nurburgring during the German GP.
With nine points being awarded for a race win, Hunt was able to claw back an advantage of 17 points, which translates to 97 points in the modern points system, and take the title at the final race of the season in Japan.
#2 Kimi Raikkonen- 2007 season (72 points)
It was the third time lucky for Kimi Raikkonen as he finally took the title in 2007 after failing to do so in 2003 and 2005. The Finnish driver, in his first season with Ferrari, took advantage of the infighting between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to clinch the title by 1 point by clawing back a deficit of 72 points in the current points system.
#3 John Surtees- 1964 season (56 points)
John Surtees was the first driver to win championships in both two and four-wheels, as he previously won titles on 350cc and 500cc motorcycles.
With nine points being rewarded for a race win, Surtees closed down the gap of 20 points in five races, which translates to 56 points in the current F1 system, to win the championship in 1964 by being a single point ahead of Graham Hill.
#4 Max Verstappen- 2022 season (46 points)
Max Verstappen retained his world title in the 2022 season from Charles Leclerc in a dominant F1 season with Red Bull. However, after three races into the season, the Dutch driver found himself 46 points behind the Ferrari driver.
However, Verstappen managed to halve the Monagasque's progress in the upcoming races to run away with the title in the second half of the season and finish with 15 race wins in the year.
#5 Sebastian Vettel- 2012 season (44 points)
Sebastian Vettel made history as he became the youngest three-time world champion in the 2012 F1 season with Red Bull. In a season full of twists and turns, the German managed to claw back the deficit of 44 points from Fernando Alonso and assert his advantage in the second half of the season.
He finished three points ahead of the Spanish driver at the end of the F1 Brazilian GP after finishing P6.
