Fernando Alonso suffers ultimate heartbreak as shock driver steals F1 title

Over the long course of the F1 world championship, the drivers' championship has been decided in the season finale a total of 29 times.

Famous examples include Lewis Hamilton's last gasp victory in 2008, and defeat to Max Verstappen in 2021, or Michael Schumacher crashing Damon Hill out to win in 1994 and then himself out in 1997 to hand Jacques Villeneuve the crown. 

But only once of those 29 times have four drivers all entered the final race with a chance of ending it as world champion. 

That came at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - held 15 years ago today - where the two overwhelming title favourites snookered themselves, clearing the path for a historic world champion to be crowned, with a record that is still held to this day. 

After the Brazilian GP the weekend before, the standings were thus. 

With Sebastian Vettel 15 points behind and Hamilton 24, they were seen as the rank outsiders, with Alonso the overwhelming favourite to join Brabham, Stewart, Lauda, Piquet, and Senna in the three-time club. 

On paper, it was straightforward for Alonso. If Vettel won, he needed to be in the top four to claim the title, and if it was Webber, simply be second to him. Hamilton, 24 points behind, with 25 on the table, was a contender in name only. 

Vettel took pole, ahead of Hamilton, outgoing champion Jenson Button, Alonso and Webber. If they finished like that, Alonso was champion, just.

And then the race started, and a lap 1 collision involving Michael Schumacher would have terrible consequences for Alonso and his old Ferrari team.

After Vitantonio Liuzzi had rammed Schumacher, narrowly missing his head, the likes of Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov decided to pit under the safety car and go onto the hard tyre - more than capable of running to the end. 

Webber, after a wall-strike was struggling for pace, and pitted, rejoining down the order, and crucially behind Rosberg and Petrov, who did not need to stop again, as Ferrari dropped the ball.

Failing to realise that Webber was out of the title question and that leader Vettel was emerging as the major threat, Alonso was quickly hauled in to cover the Australian, himself coming out tucked up behind Petrov's Renault. Which is where he stayed.

Alonso stopped on Lap 15, giving him around 40 laps to pass the Renault, but could not get past the slippery car in the days before DRS, meaning Alonso and Webber had effectively snookered themselves out of the title.

This left the path clear for Vettel to sweep to victory, and at the age of 23 years, 4 months, 11 days, to become the youngest Weltmeister in F1 history - a record he still holds to this day. 

In the end, Vettel finished on 256 points, Alonso 252, Webber 242, and Hamilton 240, with Alonso coming home in seventh place, three places behind the magical fourth he required.

He would go even closer to becoming a three-time champion in 2012, finishing just three points behind Vettel, but the wait for the veteran Spaniard goes on. 

If he were to win the 2026 drivers' title with the new regulations for Aston Martin, he would shatter the record between titles, currently set at seven years by Lauda from 1977 to 1984. 

Alonso's wait would be 21 years.