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Taking a look at the most prestigious F1 races of all time

3 years ago
| BY News Team

The 2020 Formula 1 season is well underway with Lewis Hamilton leaving his rivals trailing in his tire marks. As things reach the business end, we’ve taken a look at the most prestigious races of all time.

For all F1 betting this season, William Hill has you covered here.

Top 10 races in Formula 1 history

2011 Canadian Grand Prix

Everyone loves a final lap dogfight and the one between Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel at Montreal in 2011 was a classic.

Button was down in 22nd at one point in the race, having suffered two collisions and a penalty.

The Brit managed to slice through the field after pitting for slicks and record a remarkable last-lap win.

2011 Chinese Grand Prix

A race that will go down as one of Lewis Hamilton’s greatest victories, for he had to pass Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel to top the podium.

At one point, due to a serious engine issue, it looked as though the Brit may not even begin the race, let alone win it, while Mark Webber weaved his way up from 18th on the grip to finish third.

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

One of the most dramatic Grands Prix of all time. Won by Jenson Button as the championship remained in doubt until the final lap, which concluded with a safety car leading them home.

Second for Fernando Alonso wasn’t enough to wrestle the title from Sebastian Vettel, who finished sixth despite having to come back from 22nd!

That effort was enough for the Red Bull driver to clinch a third title.

2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

A race that will be remembered for Sebastian Vettel starting from the pits but finishing on the podium, though Kimi Raikkonen claimed top spot.

After the field closed up for a safety car, Vettel weaved his way through the field in terrific style, and if it wasn’t for fading soft tyres he could have taken the lead away from Raikkonen at one point.

Fernando Alonso mounted a sustained challenge to Raikkonen’s lead late on, but the Finn held him off and, crucially, out of DRS range.

2014 Canadian Grand Prix

Another Mercedes meltdown led to a cracking renewal of the Canadian Grand Prix in 2014.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both suffered electrical faults and that resulted in a very unusual sight – a Red Bull slipstreaming past a Mercedes in the straight.

In the driving seat was Daniel Ricciardo, behind the wheel in a Grand Prix for the very first time, and he made it a winning debut.

2014 Hungarian Grand Prix

Another upset as Daniel Ricciardo turned the tables on the Mercedes pairing to get the chequered flag in a dramatic race.

With the aid of the safety car, and some wise pit stops ad tyres choices, Ricciardo found himself in a good spot entering the business end of the race.

With just 10 laps to go it was a race between Ricciardo’s fresh softs, Alonso’s worn softs and Hamilton’s equally worn mediums, and the Aussie driver delivered.

2015 United States Grand Prix

The scene of Lewis Hamilton’s third title triumph has to go down as one of F1’s top races.

It was a nail-biting, and at times uncomfortable to watch, battle between the Hamilton and his teammate Nico Rosberg, and mistakes from their duel allowed Red Bull into the race too.

After some early jostling, Rosberg had a 12-second lead at the half-way point, Hamilton was in DRS range at lap 37.

Rosberg was a second-and-a-half ahead and almost home and hosed come lap 47, but a bad wheel spin cost him the race and Hamilton claimed victory and a third title.

2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

After an uneventful 2016 in Azerbaijan, 2017 was fiery. The race produced moments of chaos from start to finish and further fuelled the title race between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

Some ‘tactical’ braking saw Vettel flare up and spend a moment alongside Hamilton gesticulating in rage, only to clash to wheel with the Mercedes driver.

Though Vettel felt it was Hamilton’s braking that was reckless, it was the German who received a penalty.

Through all of the commotion, Daniel Ricciardo slipped into the lead and claimed a fifth race win.

2019 Austrian Grand Prix

The Red Bull Ring was shrouded in 34c heat in 2019, with the tarmac fired up to over 50c, and the race was red-hot. Max Verstappen’s car went into anti-stall within seconds of the lights going out and his race look run at the start.

Verstappen drove hard to work his way up to second by lap 56 and was eating into Leclerc’s lead with every corner that passed.

On lap 68, the pair where nose-for-nose rounding corners, but one particular move, which took the stewards over three hours to decide if Verstappen had ‘won’ the corner, proved pivotal and Red Bull claimed a home win.

2019 German Grand Prix

Hockenheim has been the scene of some of the most enthralling races over the years and is one of the most popular F1 tracks, but 2019 has to top the lot.

Buckets of rain wreaked havoc with Mercedes’ chances and a win for Max Verstappen, and a second for Sebastian Vettel, was well-received by the crowd. A classic battle of tyres v conditions that shook up the podium.

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