Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni headed to the finale at Watkins Glen level on points - with Emmo ahead on countback, having won more races - while outsider Jody Schecker was in the mix too. Emmo only had to avoid being beaten by Regazzoni to be assured of the crown, while Scheckter needed a victory.

It was clear from the early laps that Regazzoni was struggling with a myriad of handling problems, and his prospects rapidly faded, and while Scheckter held fourth ahead of Emerson, it was several places short of where he needed to be. A problem down the road for Scheckter would later him out, effectively sealing the deal for Emmo, who brought his M23 home in fourth position.

James Hunt entered the finale three points behind Niki Lauda after an extraordinary season in which the Austrian icon suffered a horrifying, near-fatal accident at the Nurburgring, yet miraculously missed only two events during his recovery. Japan hosted its inaugural World Championship Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway, but race day was beset by persistent rain and fog beneath the famous mountain.

Lauda withdrew early on amid safety concerns, meaning James needed third or better, and his position in the lead looked assured. But tyre issues slowed his progress, and he dropped back, before pitting and re-emerging fifth. In the closing stages, James rose to secure the third place that he needed to become Formula 1’s newest World Champion. 

The 1984 season remains the closest in Formula 1 history and was unsurprisingly decided in the season finale at Portugal’s Estoril Circuit - the only time that the venue has hosted the last event of the campaign. Such was the dominance of Niki, Alain, and the MP4/2, that one of them was already guaranteed the title after Round 14 of 16 in Italy. 

Alain had led the Drivers’ standings for the first 11 rounds, but never by more than 11.5 points, meaning Niki was typically within a race win (worth nine points in ’84) of his teammate, and a retirement in Round 12 saw Niki steal a march and leap above him for the first time that season. Alain did all he could on his part to win the race, but the runner-up position was all Niki needed to clinch the crown, as his pre-event margin of 3.5 points – courtesy of half-points having been distributed for that year’s rain-shortened Monaco Grand Prix – ensured he emerged 0.5 ahead of Alain.

Alain had his first match point heading into the 14th of 16 rounds in 1985, at the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, having taken five victories from the preceding 13 Grands Prix. When sole rival Michele Alboreto suffered an engine failure at the fast and flowing Kent circuit, it effectively ended the contest, but Alain still needed to finish inside the top five to be guaranteed the crown.

He did just that, classifying the race in a low-key but crucial fourth. It was the first of four titles for Alain, and the first time a McLaren driver had clinched a title in advance of the last event of the season, as he washed away the disappointment of 1984.  

In one of Formula 1’s most enthralling seasons, Alain used his guile and patience to remain in the title picture in spite of the pace advantage Williams possessed, with Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet regularly taking points off each other. Alain trailed Mansell by six points heading to Australia’s Adelaide street circuit for the finale and realistically needed a win, with Mansell retiring, to stand any chance of retaining his crown.

It was to be a tall ask, and yet it’s exactly what happened. Mansell suffered a spectacular high-speed tyre failure and retired, Williams serviced Piquet as a precaution, and Alain snuck through into the lead to seal the victory he needed to become a two-time Champion.

The dominance of the iconic MP4/4 was such that it was clear after the opening round that either Ayrton or Alain would emerge as that year’s Champion! Mathematically, that was the case after Round 11 of 16, in Belgium, but the duel between the duo went down to the penultimate round of the campaign.

Despite Alain’s back-to-back victories in Portugal and Spain, and a couple of tricky events for Ayrton, it was the Brazilian who stood on the brink of his maiden world title in Japan. Ayrton slipped back at the start but carved his way through the order and, at mid-distance, passed Alain, who was also ailing with a gearbox issue. Ayrton's win sealed the deal.

One year on, and it was Alain who entered the second-to-last round at Suzuka with a chance of clinching the title. But, unlike in 1988, the previously cordial relationship between Alain and Ayrton had irrevocably collapsed through the course of the 1989 campaign, and after a back-and-forth season, Ayrton had no option but to take victory.

Alain led, but Ayrton attempted a pass into the chicane, only for the two cars to come together. Ayrton continued and won the race, but officials determined that he had cut the chicane and subsequently disqualified him from the Grand Prix. That outcome sealed the title for Alain, albeit in acrimonious circumstances.

Ayrton entered the penultimate round of the campaign at Suzuka with a chance of the title after another season of competing against Prost for honours – but this time the arch-rivals were competing for different teams, after the Frenchman had moved from McLaren to Ferrari. Ayrton’s nine-point advantage meant that, in an era of nine points for victory, he would be assured of the title in advance of the finale at Adelaide if he preserved that buffer at Suzuka.

The two title rivals joined each other on the front row of the grid and, with Prost making a slightly better getaway, Ayrton remained fully committed on the inside line. Infamously, the two came together at high speed, putting both out of the race in an instant, and with neither taking any points, it secured Ayrton a second world title.

By 1991, there was a distinct familiarity to the way a season was unfolding – for the fourth straight year, a McLaren driver clinched the Drivers’ crown at the penultimate round at Suzuka! But unlike in the previous years, it was not a fight between Ayrton and Alain Prost - rather, it was Ayrton sealing a title that had initially appeared a formality after four straight wins to start the season, before a resurgent Williams and Nigel Mansell gradually ate into Ayrton’s advantage.

His lead had been reduced to 16 points after Round 15 in Spain - Formula 1’s first visit to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – but Ayrton responded in style the following round in Japan, on a circuit where he thrived. When Mansell spun off early in the race, Ayrton was assured of the title, and nobly, he relinquished the lead late on so teammate Gerhard Berger could take victory.

Mika Häkkinen headed to the finale at Suzuka four points clear of Michael Schumacher after a classic McLaren versus Ferrari title battle. A top two finish would be enough for the Flying Finn to secure his first World Championship, but Schumacher signalled his potential by claiming Pole position.

However, the Ferrari driver stalled on the dummy grid and had to start from the back. This immediately handed the initiative to Mika, who didn’t turn down the gilt-edged opportunity that came his way. Schumacher mounted a comeback from the tail end of the field, but a puncture mid-race terminally damaged his car, and officially confirmed Mika as Champion. The Finn, already up front and comfortable, went on to win around the figure-of-eight circuit to emerge as the new Champion in style.

Another season, another final round decider at Suzuka for Mika. A year on from winning his first World Championship, Mika was faced with a similar situation, though this time in his quest for a second title it was Eddie Irvine, not Michael Schumacher, standing in his way. And unlike in 1998, Mika entered the decider trailing Irvine by four points after an unpredictable campaign in which the advantage had ebbed and flowed between several teams and drivers.

But the outcome, for Mika and McLaren, was the same. Again, Schumacher took Pole position, but Mika beat him off the line to score a convincing victory and, with it, sufficient points to leapfrog Irvine at the top of the standings to put the seal on world title number two.

There are last race deciders, and then there are last race deciders! After a season-long duel with Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton only required fifth place on Massa’s home turf in Brazil to be assured of the crown. There followed a rollercoaster of emotions on a tense rain-hit afternoon at Interlagos, with Lewis doing what he needed before a late shower prompted chaos.

Lewis slipped to sixth place, but a slick-shod Timo Glock ran out of grip on an increasingly slippery track, and Lewis snuck back through into fifth at the final corner of the entire season. Cue bedlam in the pit lane as Lewis clinched the Championship in the most dramatic of circumstances.

For the first time in 15 years, there were three drivers capable of winning the World Championship heading into the 2025 season finale. Lando entered Sunday’s Grand Prix 12 points clear of reigning Champion Max Verstappen, and 16 clear of teammate Oscar Piastri, knowing that a podium would be enough to seal the Championship. All three Qualified at the front to set up a dramatic finale, with Verstappen on Pole ahead of Lando and Oscar.

The Australian pulled off a beautifully executed overtake on his teammate midway through the opening lap, and began to chase down Verstappen, leaving Lando to defend from Charles Leclerc. He did so magnificently, executing a calm race in difficult circumstances, even navigating heavy traffic after his Lap 16 pit stop, making light work of overtaking Kimi Antonelli, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, and Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda, who did his best to disrupt the Britain’s progress. From here, there would be no stopping Lando, as he cruised to his first World Championship.