Could F1's 'kingmakers' tradition impact the 2021 title battle?

As 2021’s nip-and-tuck Formula 1 title battle counts down, and DNF anxieties ramp up, it’s worth a glance beyond power unit reliability to anticipate the deciding factor.

The Turkish Grand Prix demonstrated perfectly how a team’s number two driver can deny points to a rival contender. But F1 history informs us that occasionally circumstances conspire for the ‘wingman’ to be the final arbiter in the crowning of a champion, relinquishing track position at the season finale and thereby donating the requisite points that guarantee the crown for their contender team-mate. Here’s a reminder of F1’s four kingmakers over the decades, with a certain Italian team conspicuously prominent.

F1’s most celebrated kingmaker is Peter Collins, uniquely instrumental in crowning Juan Manuel Fangio in 1956 with his fourth of five titles. Famously, Collins went beyond just points by donating his car to ‘The Maestro’ at a time when shared drives were permissible.

PLUS: How Britain’s lost Ferrari star epitomised a bygone F1 era 

Fangio entered the Monza season finale as firm title favourite; Ferrari team-mate Collins and Maserati’s Jean Behra each with an outside chance. A car breakage forced Fangio out, whereas Collins worked himself towards a position that could have won him the race and with it the championship. Instead he handed his car over to Fangio, who duly won his fourth title.

“I’m too young,” stated 25 year-old Collins in explaining this extraordinary act of sportsmanship, adding: “And Fangio deserved it anyway.”

So instead of Collins, just two years later the distinction of becoming Britain’s first F1 world champion fell to close friend Mike Hawthorn. His season-long ‘Battle of Britain’ with Stirling Moss culminated at the Moroccan GP. They lined up side by side, Hawthorn’s Ferrari on pole. Moss’s only chance was to win the race and set fastest lap in his Vanwall, which is exactly what he did, leading from start to finish. Even so, Hawthorn knew that second place was enough to secure the title by a single point.

Phil Hill (left) dutifully played the team game to aid Ferrari colleague Hawthorn in 1958

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The race wasn’t going his way – he spent much of it running third and fourth, but help was at hand through Ferrari team-mate Phil Hill, who slowed his pace and waved Hawthorn through to second. Somewhat akin to Nico Rosberg in 2016, Hawthorn shocked the world by abruptly announcing his retirement. His health was a problem, but he was also deeply troubled by the death of close friend Collins at the Nurburgring 10 weeks earlier. Just three months later Hawthorn too was killed, victim of a road accident.

If ever there was a kingmaker villain, it would have to be Lorenzo Bandini. At Mexico City in 1964 the Italian faced exactly the same situation as Phil Hill: wave Ferrari team-leader John Surtees through into second place to clinch the championship by one point from BRM’s Graham Hill. Which is what he did on the very last lap when the leading Lotus of Jim Clark, also a contender, had its engine seize.

At least Bottas won’t need to sacrifice a championship chance as did the altruistic Collins, or the home victory required of the amenable Massa. But his forfeit could well be a race victory, and most likely his very last as he heads to Alfa Romeo

Even then, Surtees would likely have missed out if Bandini hadn’t already accounted for points leader and pre-race title favourite Graham Hill by punting him off and out of third place. Hill only needed two points to become champion, and folklore has it that, the following Christmas, he sent Bandini a book on advanced driving. So in his role as kingmaker, Bandini uniquely assisted Surtees with a double-whammy!

Finally, fast-forward to 2007 and Lewis Hamilton’s debut season. The rookie had led the 17-round championship from round six, and faced a finale shootout at Interlagos between himself, McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who required victory to stand any hope.

Hamilton didn’t need to win but was quickly in trouble, finishing up seventh but adding two points to his season’s tally. Up front the Ferrari pair of Felipe Massa and Raikkonen streaked away from Alonso, but the wrong driver was leading… This was a period when team orders were banned but, with a title at stake, a surreptitious switch was inevitable.

A genuine mistake by leader Massa at Descida do Lago gave the subterfuge authenticity, but sure enough the predictable switcheroo took place during their second pitstops and Raikkonen was champion by a single point. That’s how close Hamilton came to winning the world championship in his rookie season.

Massa gave up home win in 2007 to aid title push of Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen

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Which brings us to today’s epic struggle. Valtteri Bottas’s superior frontrunning record, particularly in qualifying, singles him out over Sergio Perez to line up alongside Collins, Phil Hill, Bandini and Massa as F1’s fifth kingmaker. At least Bottas won’t need to sacrifice a championship chance as did the altruistic Collins, or the home victory required of the amenable Massa. But his forfeit could well be a race victory, and most likely his very last as he heads to Alfa Romeo.

Following the recent DTM ruckus when Mercedes’ satellite entrants denied the Red Bull-backed Ferrari team the 2021 title, don’t rule out other Mercedes-powered or Red Bull teams waving through one or other contender, especially the AlphaTauri drivers. Yuki Tsunoda held up Hamilton in Turkey for seven laps to assist Verstappen, and how could Red Bull deny Pierre Gasly a 2023 seat if he is the catalyst in delivering this title to Milton Keynes?

But if the role of ‘F1 kingmaker’ does fall to Bottas, he would be well advised to keep a very low profile on 4 September next year. That’s the date scheduled for the Dutch GP at Zandvoort!

Could Bottas aid Hamilton's title bid at a crucial juncture?

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images