Sport is unlike any other form of entertainment. The thrill of a live event and the emotional investment we make in the fortunes of the competing athletes makes those moments of triumph all the more memorable.
Formula 1 is no exception, and there have been countless moments since the first F1 race at Silverstone in 1950 that have become ingrained in the consciousness of fans across the world. Even if you aren't old enough to have seen it happen live, some images and memorable lines of commentary have an ability to stay with us and shape how we see the sport today.
If you are one of the many new fans who have started following motorsport in recent years on the back of the success of the Netflix series 'Drive to Survive', we thought we'd help you catch up with 76 years of history by listing what we consider to be the most iconic and best F1 moments of all time. From moments of genius to moments of tragedy, these are what our experts consider to be the top 5 best F1 moments of all time.
1. Lap of the Gods - Ayrton Senna - Donington 1993
Ayrton Senna was one of the most naturally gifted racing drivers of all time with an almost otherworldly ability to judge grip levels in treacherous conditions. This was all too evident at the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park. The McLaren Ford MP4/8 was some way off the pace of the dominant Williams Renault's and Senna knew he would have to wait for extreme conditions to stand any chance of fighting for victory.
On a wet track, Senna made a bad start from 4th on the grid, dropping to 5th behind Karl Wendlinger's Sauber having been crowded out by Michael Schumacher up ahead. This only increased Senna's resolve, with the McLaren driver sweeping past both Schumacher and Wendlinger by turn three. This left him behind the dominant Williams cars who really should have had a massive advantage in these treacherous conditions given their advanced traction control system. However, by turn six Senna was past 2nd place Damon Hill and by turn ten he was remarkably in the lead having dived down the inside of arch nemesis Alain Prost into the Melbourne hairpin.
This would be the last they saw of him with Senna ultimately finishing a full 1 minute 23 seconds ahead of Hill who was the only other driver to finish on the lead lap. Prost took a dismal 3rd over a lap behind Senna having made 7 pit stops during the race, most of which were to change onto the wrong tyres as Williams repeatedly relied upon incorrect weather forecasts.
2. "Is that Glock?" - Lewis Hamilton - Brazil 2008
Lewis Hamilton stunned the watching world on his debut season in 2007 as he out performed his reigning World Champion team-mate Fernando Alonso and looked certain to win the title until a series of misfortunes in the final two races saw him finish just a point behind Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. He was determined to put this right in 2008 and entered the final round of the season in Brazil with a 7 point lead over the other Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. All he had to do was finish 5th to win the championship even if his Brazilian rival won the race.
Hopes of a dull and processional race were dashed by rain before the start, with the changeable conditions making tyre choices tricky. Massa led throughout before rain began to fall again on lap 63 of 71 with all the front runners with the exception of Toyota's Timo Glock rushing back into the pits for intermediate tyres. This dropped Hamilton to 5th before the British driver ran wide on lap 69, allowing Sebastian Vettel to take that all important 5th place as Massa continued to dominate at the front.
Hamilton was getting desperate but unable to do anything about Vettel up ahead. When Massa crossed the line to win, Ferrari assumed they'd repeated their unlikely title triumph from the previous year. However, they'd failed to take account of Glock who was increasingly struggling on dry tyres as the rain continued to fall. Hamilton caught the Toyota and out braked him into the final corner of the last lap to take 5th place and seal his first World Championship. If the race had been a movie, you may rightly have scoffed at how preposterous it all was with Hamilton's overtake coming at the most dramatic of moments with just seconds of the championship left.
3. "And colossally, that's Mansell!" - Nigel Mansell - Australia 1986
No driver embodied drama quite like Nigel Mansell. From collapsing having pushed his broken car over the line at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix, to storming around the outside of Gerhard Berger at the terrifying Peraltada corner in Mexico 1990, the British driver just seemed to create excitement and intrigue at every turn.
It was therefore quite unusual for Mansell that he was willing to play it safe and settle for 3rd place at the 1986 Australian Grand Prix having entered the final race with a 6 point lead over McLaren's Alain Prost. This 3rd place would be all he needed to secure his first world championship and he was on course to achieve it until lap 64 of 81 when his tyre dramatically exploded at over 180 mph on the high speed Brabham Straight. Commentator Murray Walker spoke for a nation as he bellowed "And colossally, that's Mansell!".
Unlike Murray, Mansell somehow managed to stay in control, miraculously avoiding what could potentially have been a very serious accident as his rival Alain Prost went on to take the win and the world championship. One month later at the annual prize giving ceremony, F1's chief medical doctor Professor Sid Watkins allegedly pointed out to a despondent Mansell that if he had lost control and been injured in an accident, the race would have been immediately stopped and Mansell would have been classified in that coveted 3rd position.
4. "I was in a different dimension" - Ayrton Senna - Monaco 1988
The only driver to get two mentions in our list of the best F1 moments is Ayrton Senna. Alongside his mastery of wet weather conditions, Senna was also renowned for his qualifying abilities, using meditation techniques to achieve heightened concentration levels. Unquestionably the greatest of his 65 pole positions came at the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix when the Brazilian set a time that was over 1.4 seconds faster than that of his team-mate Alain Prost on a circuit which is considered to be the ultimate challenge of a drivers abilities.
To put this into context, the entire 20 car grid in Q1 for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was split by little over a second from Max Verstappen in first to Franco Colapinto in 20th. What made this all the more remarkable was the fact that Prost was no slouch. He was already a double world champion by this point and had won in Monaco three times in the past four years.
Senna would later claim that he had gone to a completely different level during this lap, describing himself as being in a "different dimension" where he could visually see the car from above in what many interpret as being an out of body experience. It would be easy to dismiss such claims as nonsense if it wasn't for the size of the gap he enjoyed over Prost. All of this added to the mystique surrounding Senna which was only heightened by his untimely death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
5. Villeneuve Vs. Arnoux - France 1979
"Unconventional" is probably the best word that can be used to describe Gilles Villeneuve. The Canadian made his F1 debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix after an unusual early career which involved quite a lot of snowmobile racing. He cited this as being the reason for his remarkable car control skills, having grown accustomed to four wheel drifting on ice at over 100mph. In an era of turbo powered cars with over 1,000 bhp, this was vital.
This exuberant style quickly won over the hearts of the Ferrari team, including company founder Enzo Ferrari who many claim loved Villeneuve "like a son". This was despite Enzo having ordinarily maintained an emotional distance between himself and his drivers to avoid being hurt in the event of a fatality.
If you ever wanted to understand how Villeneuve managed to engender this support, all you need to do is search for the Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux battle at the 1979 Dijon Grand Prix. Fighting against the superior Renault's, Villeneuve absolutely refused to let Rene Arnoux take his second position away in a battle which raged over the final couple of laps of that race. The pair repeatedly banged wheels and swapped positions with Villeneuve somehow managing to keep the home favourite at bay.
At the end of the race, the pair got out of their cars and embraced, having enjoyed the titanic battle just as much as the rest of the watching world. It's one of the purest, most exhilarating and best F1 moments in the history of the sport and a must watch for anyone who has trying to catch up with the 76 year history of the sport.
Experience The Best F1 Moments with Elegant Sports
Nothing quite rivals the excitement of a live sporting event, and you can be there in person to witness the next great F1 moment when you create an F1 break with Elegant Resorts. We'll take the time to get to know you so we can build a tailor made F1 holiday package which is every bit as unique as you are.
From helping you pick the right race, to helping you book a stay in the best hotels, a table at the best restaurants and arranging all manner of experiences along the way, our Luxury Travel Specialists will create your perfect tailor made F1 holiday package for a sporting experience you'll never forget. Get in touch with our team today to start the countdown to lights out.