The biggest title comebacks in F1 history: is there still hope for Charles Leclerc in 2022?
Max Verstappen leads the championship by 116 points from Charles Leclerc. The biggest title comebacks in F1 history include the one involving Lewis Hamilton in 2012.
John Surtees won the Formula One championship by a single point over Graham Hill. Surees had previously won titles on 350cc and 500cc motorcycles and the drivers' and constructors' titles with Ferrari in 1964.
The 1976 season was one of the most memorable in F1 history. Niki Lauda was 17 points behind with three races to go and he had a two-race spell on the sidelines. He returned to the sport at Monza weeks after being given the last rites in his hospital bed. Hunt won the title with a podium finish in the season finale in Japan.
Keke Rosberg came from fifth to win the championship in 2014. Alain Prost won the 1982 title. John Watson won it in the final race at Las Vegas. The championship was decided at the Italian Grand Prix.
Alain Prost came from 14 points behind to win the 1983 Formula One championship. Nelson Piquet won the title after a dramatic finale at Kyalami. Charles Leclerc is a potential contender for the 2022 title.
In 1986, Prost won the World Championship with two races to spare. He was 11 points behind Nigel Mansell, who had just won in Portugal. In Mexico, he won with P2 in the penultimate round. Nelson Piquet dropped to third place.
Lewis Hamilton was 12 points clear of Fernando Alonso after the Japanese Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen won the title in Brazil with Felipe Massa and Alonso third. in 2007 Raikonnen scored 20 points from the final two races to overturn a 17-point deficit.
Sebastian Vettel won the 2010-13 F1 title with four races to spare. He was 31 points behind with six races left in 2010. Valtteri Petrov finished in P7 at Abu Dhabi to give Alonso the title by four points.
Vettel won the title in 2012 after Alonso retired in Italy. Vettel was 39 points behind with seven races to go in 2011. He won in Korea, Korea saw Valtteri overhaul team mate Webber for victory and then in India he dominated to lead the championship by 13 points.
Hamilton won the 2017 Formula One title by 46 points from Sebastian Vettel. Valtteri won three of the first six races of season and was 14 points ahead at the summer break. He had two retirements in three races at start of final flyaway sequence.
