The Most Heartbreaking F1 Seasons Ever

Most dominant Formula 1 seasons and No championship

Here’s a Top 10 list of the most dominant Formula 1 seasons where a driver didn’t win the championship

10. Lewis Hamilton – 2016

Wins: 10 | Points Finish: 2nd Hamilton actually won more races than Nico Rosberg that year. But engine failures in Malaysia and reliability woes earlier in the season cost him dearly. Despite a late charge, Rosberg’s consistency gave him the title — and then he retired immediately after.

9. Max Verstappen – 2018

Wins: 2 | Podiums: 11 | Points Finish: 4th Red Bull didn’t have the pace for a title run, but Verstappen outperformed the car and often beat both Ferraris on merit. If not for early-season crashes and Renault reliability, Max could’ve made Hamilton sweat that year.

8. Ayrton Senna – 1989

Wins: 6 | Points Finish: 2nd Senna was faster than Alain Prost almost everywhere, but unreliability and their infamous Suzuka collision ended his title defense. The disqualification after that incident remains one of F1’s most controversial moments ever.

7. Sebastian Vettel – 2018

Wins: 5 | Points Finish: 2nd Vettel and Ferrari started 2018 as title favorites, leading the points mid-season. But crashes in Germany and Monza flipped the momentum to Hamilton. From domination to disaster in just a few months.

6. Alain Prost – 1983

Wins: 4 | Points Finish: 2nd Prost looked set for his first world title with Renault — until the car broke repeatedly in the final races. Nelson Piquet’s Brabham snuck past him in the standings by just two points, leaving Prost furious and Renault heartbroken.

5. Kimi Räikkönen – 2005

Wins: 7 | Points Finish: 2nd Räikkönen’s McLaren was lightning fast but fragile. He suffered multiple engine penalties and mechanical failures while Fernando Alonso’s Renault kept finishing. Statistically, Kimi was the fastest driver that season — just not the luckiest.

4. Nigel Mansell – 1986

Wins: 5 | Points Finish: 2nd Mansell entered the Adelaide finale leading the championship — until his left-rear tire exploded in front of the world. The title slipped away to Alain Prost, making it one of F1’s most gut-wrenching endings ever.

3. Lewis Hamilton – 2007

Wins: 4 | Points Finish: 2nd Rookie. Title contender. Heartbreak. Hamilton led the championship until the final race in Brazil, when a gearbox glitch and rookie nerves cost him the crown by just one point to Kimi Räikkönen. One of the tightest finishes in F1 history.

2. Stirling Moss – 1958

Wins: 4 | Points Finish: 2nd Moss won more races than champion Mike Hawthorn but lost the title by a single point — partly because Moss defended Hawthorn from a penalty earlier in the year. Sportsmanship cost him the crown but made him a legend.

1. Michael Schumacher – 2006

Wins: 7 | Points Finish: 2nd Schumacher mounted a stunning comeback in his final Ferrari season, erasing Alonso’s massive lead. But an engine failure in Suzuka — just two races from the end — crushed his title hopes. It was the perfect symbol of fate denying the great one last crown.