McLaren has just taken the lead of the Formula 1 constructors’ championship for the first time since 2014. It looks increasingly strong, but Lando Norris is still a long way behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the drivers’ contest.
There’s a real chance the two big F1 prizes could go to different teams in 2024, so we thought it time to look back at when that’s happened before.
The drivers’ title winner has only come from a team that didn’t take the constructors’ crown that same season on 11 occasions. And the reasons for the discrepancies are varied…
1958 – Ferrari consistency vs Vanwall pace
Poor reliability cost Moss against Hawthorn in the drivers’ title, but Vanwall outscored Ferrari overall
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Drivers’ champion: Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari)
Constructors’ champion: Vanwall
Stirling Moss famously won four of the 10 world championship grands prix in 1958 – with Cooper and Vanwall – yet lost the title to Ferrari’s one-time winner Mike Hawthorn. What’s more, Moss would still have lost the crown had the current points system been in place, underlining the boom-or-bust nature of his campaign versus Hawthorn’s consistency. And, under the current system, Ferrari would have won the constructors’ title as well!
Vanwall had a small pace advantage over Ferrari as they battled for F1’s inaugural constructors’ crown. Moss and Tony Brooks won six races for Vanwall, whereas Ferrari scored just two victories with Hawthorn and Peter Collins.
That was enough for Vanwall to defeat Ferrari, despite the fact the former wasn’t ready for the season-opening Argentinian GP, a race won by Moss in a Rob Walker Cooper.
PLUS: Stirling Moss’s 10 greatest drives
Moss lost out for a number of reasons. Aside from his four wins, he only finished one other race, whereas Hawthorn racked up five second places. Moss also famously defended Hawthorn at the Portuguese GP, saving his fellow Briton from disqualification, and a miscommunication at Porto meant he didn’t beat Hawthorn’s fastest lap, for which there was a point.
When Phil Hill moved aside to allow team-mate Hawthorn into second at the Moroccan finale, it was enough to defeat race winner Moss by a single point.
1973 – Intra-team fight allows a great to profit, part one
Lotus team-mates Fittipaldi and Peterson took points away from each other in 1973, allowing Tyrrell ace Stewart to beat them to the drivers’ title
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