What makes a truly great Formula 1 season? For some, it's the fierce rivalries between drivers; for others, the thrill lies in the closeness of the competition. Then there are those rare years that tell a story so captivating it resonates far beyond the usual fan base - an F1 season that becomes part of sporting folklore.
As Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary, our motorsport specialists have looked back through the decades to select five unforgettable F1 seasons that capture everything that makes the sport so compelling: drama, rivalry, innovation and sheer human spirit.
Whether you're a lifelong devotee or a newcomer eager to explore the sport's storied past, we hope this curated list inspires you to discover more - and perhaps even witness the next chapter unfold live at a Grand Prix.
1. 2012 - Seven From Seven
Bitter rivalries, intense competition and pure unpredictability - the 2012 season had it all.
The first seven races produced seven different winners from five different teams, thanks in part to Pirelli's high degradation tyres, designed to encourage overtaking but presenting a formidable challenge for teams to master.
In the season's opening months, Fernando Alonso somehow extracted miracles from a lacklustre Ferrari, building a lead that only the resurgent Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel could overcome - and only at the final round in Brazil. Many still consider Alonso's 2012 campaign one of the greatest F1 seasons by an individual driver in the history of the sport.
Among the season's other highlights: Kimi Raikkonen's race winning return with Lotus, Michael Schumacher's final pole position lap in Monaco, Pastor Maldonado's remarkable victory for Williams in Spain and Sergio Perez's trio of podiums for the underdog Sauber team. These is just a few of the many magic moments that made 2012 the best F1 season of all time.
2. 1986 - Victory by Stealth
For many enthusiasts, the mid-1980s marked Formula 1's golden age - monstrous turbo engines producing over 1,000bhp, minimal aerodynamics encouraging brave overtaking and a grid filled with legends.
Ayrton Senna dazzled for the fading Lotus team, taking eight pole positions and two wins, while the Williams duo of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet fought each other fiercely in the year's quickest car. Amid the chaos, Alain Prost's measured consistency in an underpowered McLaren earned him the nickname "The Professor".
The championship finale in Adelaide delivered heartbreak for Williams as Mansell's tyre failed while poised for the title. A cautious pit call for Piquet handed Prost an unlikely victory and with it his second world championship. Even today, Prost regards 1986 as the best F1 season of his illustrious career.
3. 2010 - The Five Way Shoot-Out
2010 was quite possibly the most highly anticipated F1 season of all time. World Champion Jenson Button moved to join Lewis Hamilton at McLaren. Fernando Alonso made his long anticipated move to Ferrari and Red Bull's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel finally seemed to have been provided with a car to match their talents.
While the Red Bull was the fastest package, poor reliability, drive errors and the occasional collision between the squabbling pair kept the McLaren drivers and Fernando Alonso in with a chance of taking the title. Button finally got knocked out of contention with two races remaining after a dire race in Korea, but the other four drivers all arrived at the final race with a chance of winning the title. Alonso held an unlikely 8 point lead from Webber, with Vettel a further 7 points behind with 25 points available for a win. Hamilton's 24 point gap seemed insurmountable, but F1 is "IF" spelt backwards as the legendary Murray Walker used to say.
An accident on lap one brought out the safety car which prompted Alonso and Webber to put early in an attempt to run to the end of the race without making any further stops. The strategy didn't work out as the pair got trapped behind slower traffic relegating them to 7th and 8th at the flag. By taking victory, Vettel secured enough points to win his first world championship, leaving Alonso and Ferrari stunned.
4. 2008 - "Is that Glock?"
Lewis Hamilton had rocked the F1 world in 2007, coming within a single point of becoming the first ever rookie champion. Only a sensor issue in the final race prevented him from achieving this incredible feat. 2008 was therefore his chance at redemption but Ferrari had made good progress over the winter and their Brazilian driver Felipe Massa was in the form of his life.
The technical development battle ebbed and flowed over the course of the season between McLaren & Ferrari in what was just the latest chapter in a series of bitter championship battles between the teams. However, Hamilton and Massa also had to deal with the threat from underdog Robert Kubica, whose heroics in the BMW kept him in contention for the title until the penultimate race of the year.
Hamilton entered the final race in Brazil with a 7 point lead over Massa at a time when 10 points were available for a win. He therefore needed to secure a 5th place finish to be certain of the championship which, given the form of the McLaren, seemed easily achievable. However, the race was disrupted by intermittent rain which made tyre choice tricky. With just a few laps to go, Hamilton found himself in 6th place behind Sebastian Vettel in the lowly Toro Rosso. Massa meanwhile looked set for the championship in a dominant lead position.
However, rain started to hit the track again as the final lap approached. Unbeknown to Hamilton who was on intermediate tyres, the Toyota of Timo Glock was up ahead on dry tyres. Pushing for all he was worth, the British driver caught Glock on the approach to the final corner and made the move to take that all important 5th position.
Ferrari mechanics had already started celebrating the title before reality struck. It was an ending that defied belief - and one of the most dramatic conclusions in sporting history. Without question, 2008 is worthy of being featured in any list of the best F1 seasons.
5. 1976 - The Greatest Sporting Comeback
Few stories in sport rival the drama of 1976.
Reigning champion Niki Lauda seemed destined for another title for Ferrari until a horrific crash at the Nurburgring left him with severe burns and life threatening injuries. So severe was Lauda's condition that he was read the last rites by a priest as he lay in his hospital bed. Incredibly, Lauda was back behind the wheel just 40 days later, still bandaged and visibly scarred at Ferrari's home race in Monza.
His rival, the charismatic McLaren driver James Hunt, capitalised on Lauda's absence to close the points gap. The championship came down to the rain soaked final race in Japan, where Lauda, still recovering both physically and mentally, pulled out of the grand prix on lap two on safety grounds. Hunt continued to finish third which was enough to claim the title by a single point.
Lauda would reclaim the championship the following year, but his courageous comeback in 1976 remains the defining moment of his career and quite possibly the greatest sporting comeback of all time. The story later inspired the acclaimed film Rush, starring Chris Hemsworth.
See the Next Chapter Being Written.
Be there as the next chapter in Formula 1 history unfolds.
With Elegant Sports, you can experience the world's most exhilarating races in true style - from the glamour of Monaco to the night lights of Singapore - complemented by luxurious accommodation, seamless travel arrangements and bespoke itineraries crafted exclusively around you. Create your own dream
F1 holiday package with help from our luxury travel specialists today.