2012 – Sebastian Vettel
A man who knows all about title comebacks is Sebastian Vettel, whose first championship in 2010 – a year that also witnessed a change in the points-scoring system, with 25 now awarded for a win – saw him overturn Lewis Hamilton’s earlier advantage and take his debut title by just four points from Fernando Alonso.
But in terms of bouncing back in particularly dramatic style, the 2012 season was especially memorable. An eventful start to the campaign saw a different driver take victory at each of the opening seven races, with one of these claimed by Vettel.
Alonso, meanwhile, went on to build a lead in the championship and, with eight races remaining, held 164 points to Vettel’s 140. The German then bolstered his challenge by embarking on a run of four consecutive wins in the latter part of the season, meaning that he led Alonso by 13 points entering into the finale in Brazil.
That advantage looked to have quickly evaporated just a few moments into the race, with Vettel dropping to the back of the field following a first-lap incident with Bruno Senna. Despite sustaining damage to his car – and enduring a lengthy pit stop amid the arrival of rain – the Red Bull driver ultimately crossed the line in sixth, enough to beat second-placed Alonso to the title by just three points.