Closest F1 Championship Finishes
Niki Lauda (1984) holds the record on 0.5 points, ahead of John Surtees (1964) on 1.
Record holder
| # | Season | Driver | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1984 | Niki Lauda | 0.5 |
| =2nd | 1964 | John Surtees | 1 |
| =2nd | 2007 | Kimi Räikkönen | 1 |
| =2nd | 2008 | Lewis Hamilton | 1 |
| =2nd | 1994 | Michael Schumacher | 1 |
| =2nd | 1958 | Mike Hawthorn | 1 |
| =2nd | 1981 | Nelson Piquet | 1 |
| =2nd | 1961 | Phil Hill | 1 |
| =9th | 1986 | Alain Prost | 2 |
| =9th | 1976 | James Hunt | 2 |
| =9th | 2025 | Lando Norris | 2 |
| =9th | 2003 | Michael Schumacher | 2 |
| =9th | 1999 | Mika Häkkinen | 2 |
| =9th | 1983 | Nelson Piquet | 2 |
| =15th | 1988 | Ayrton Senna | 3 |
| =15th | 1967 | Denny Hulme | 3 |
| =15th | 1974 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 3 |
| =15th | 1956 | Juan Fangio | 3 |
| =15th | 1950 | Nino Farina | 3 |
| =15th | 2012 | Sebastian Vettel | 3 |
| =21st | 1959 | Jack Brabham | 4 |
| =21st | 1979 | Jody Scheckter | 4 |
| =21st | 2010 | Sebastian Vettel | 4 |
| =24th | 1970 | Jochen Rindt | 5 |
| =24th | 1982 | Keke Rosberg | 5 |
How this is measured
Uses the points as they were actually awarded at the time, not recalculated under modern scoring — the margin of a title fight only means anything under the rules the drivers were racing to.
- Only seasons that have run to completion are counted, so a championship leader part-way through the current season is not treated as a champion.