Despite ending up beached in the gravel on his way to the pits at the previous race in China, rookie Lewis Hamilton arrived in Brazil guarding a four-point lead over McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, and seven points clear of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. However, a gearbox glitch in Hamilton's car dropped him down the order in Interlagos. Hamilton recovered to seventh, but he missed out on the title by just one point to Raikkonen, who came from nowhere to win in Sao Paulo and take the title.
2008 (Sao Paulo)
Hamilton was on the brink of failure in Interlagos for a second consecutive year when championship rival Felipe Massa won for Ferrari. But, in rain-hit conditions, Hamilton passed Toyota's Timo Glock at the final corner on the final lap to finish fifth, beating Massa to the title by a single point.
2010 (Abu Dhabi)
Alonso headed to Abu Dhabi eight points ahead of Mark Webber. The Australian's Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel was a rank outsider, 15 points off the pace. But Vettel won from pole position, and took advantage of Ferrari's calamitous strategy - which left Alonso stuck behind Renault's Vitaly Petrov and only seventh when the chequered flag fell - to be crowned champion.
2012 (Sao Paulo)
Alonso was on the wrong side of history again in Sao Paulo. Vettel's hopes of a third straight title appeared all but over after an opening-lap tangle with Bruno Senna. That left Vettel last but he was able to finish seventh and see off Alonso's challenge by three points.
2014 (Abu Dhabi)
Double points were awarded (for the first and only time) at the final race in Abu Dhabi as Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg fought for glory. Rosberg took pole but Hamilton got ahead at the first bend and romped to championship glory.
2016 (Abu Dhabi)
Hamilton and Rosberg were at it again two years later, but this time the German held the upper hand. Hamilton needed to win and hope Rosberg finished fourth or lower. Hamilton controlled the race and tried backing Rosberg into the pack. It did not work. Hamilton won but Rosberg crossed the line in second to take the title. He retired five days later.
2021 (Abu Dhabi)
A season for the ages. A race for the ages. A winner-takes-all shootout with Hamilton and Max Verstappen level on points. Verstappen started on pole but Hamilton cleared his rival on the first lap. A record eighth title beckoned for Hamilton but a late safety car after Nicholas Latifi ended up in the wall changed the course of F1 history. Australian race director Michael Masi erroneously allowed all the lapped cars through leaving Hamilton exposed to Verstappen on new tyres for one dramatic lap of racing. Verstappen blasted past Hamilton at the fifth corner to win the race, and win the title.
