A history of F1’s second-half comebacks

The greatest comeback since Lazarus? Everyone loves a good comeback story, and Formula 1 has enjoyed plenty of them over its nearly 75-year history as a gladiatorial contest of man and machine.

As things stand in the current season, Max Verstappen has a somewhat healthy 78-point lead over Lando Norris, but the seemingly invulnerable Dutchman has now had to accept that he no longer has the outright fastest car in F1; McLaren and Mercedes have shared the most recent quartet of victories heading into the summer break. Red Bull, for its part, has only got a 42-point lead over McLaren in the constructors’ standings.

If Verstappen and Red Bull manage the unthinkable and fail to lock out the championships this year, it’ll be the biggest drivers’ title swing from mid-season in, well, ever.

Many have tried to battle against insurmountable odds and failed; Damon Hill cut Michael Schumacher’s huge lead in the 1994 drivers’ championship down thanks to the German’s indiscretions that year, but the Benetton driver denied him the chance to complete the turnaround with their infamous Adelaide finale collision.

Then there was Sebastian Vettel’s attempt to close down Jenson Button’s considerable lead in 2009 as Red Bull’s development had pushed it beyond Brawn GP, but Button managed to shake off the championship jitters to close out the team’s fairytale story.

But there are plenty of examples of drivers who went beyond considerable odds in the second half of the season to clinch the title. For a full reflection on this year’s title, we’ve picked out the winners who drove for different teams versus the driver leading at the intermediate point of the season. Or, in one case, held a significant lead with only three rounds left…

1964 – Surtees denies Clark successful title defence, helped by Hill’s dropped score

Top three after Round 5: Clark 30, Hill 26, Ginther 11

Top three at end of season: Surtees 40, Hill 39, Clark 32

After the fifth round of the 1964 world championship, at Brands Hatch, John Surtees hadn’t even figured among the top five in the championship. He had just 10 points and tied for sixth with Dan Gurney, behind a trio of drivers – Richie Ginther, Peter Arundell, and Jack Brabham – tied on 11. The stage was set for Lotus driver Jim Clark and BRM’s Graham Hill to engage in a duel for a second world title.

Surtees had managed just two…