The Closest F1 Finishes in History

In Formula 1 history, just 96 races have been won by under a second. Here are the top five closest F1 finishes in history!

#5 – 1969 Italian Grand Prix, 0.08s

Kicking off the top five closest F1 finishes in history is the 1969 Italian Grand Prix. The 1969 Monza race featured four drivers finishing within two tenths of one another at the end of the race.

Essentially an oval track with a few extra corners, Monza was a slipstreaming paradise back in the sport’s earlier years which led to races which featured many lead changes and close finishes.

At the 1969 Italian Grand Prix, the lead would switch hands many time times across the 68 laps, with four different drivers officially leading a lap. Jackie Stewart led across the line from Lap 38 to the end of the race but would occasionally toy with his competitors, allowing them to pass only to re-pass them moments later.

The four-way drag race to the line resulted in Stewart winning by 0.08s, Jean-Pierre Beltoise following just 0.09s behind second-placed Jochen Rindt and Bruce McLaren just a further 0.02s further back.

#4 – 1982 Austrian Grand Prix, 0.05s

While their competitors all finished at least a lap down, there was just five hundredths separating Elio de Angelis and Keke Rosberg at the end of the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix.

Alain Prost had led 20 laps of the race and led by half a minute until Lap 48 of 53, when a mechanical failure put him out of the race. It left de Angelis and Rosberg to battle for victory over the last five laps, both in search of their first win.

De Angelis began the final lap leading by 1.6 seconds, but Rosberg rapidly closed down the margin. At the final corner, a wide moment for De Angelis in his Lotus allowed Williams driver Rosberg to get within touching distance. A drag race to the line resulted in de Angelis claiming victory by half a tenth of a second.

It was a day of firsts and lasts at the Österreichring. De Angelis celebrated his maiden win, while Lotus team founder Colin Chapman celebrated victory in Formula 1 for the final time before his death later that year.

#3 – 1986 Spanish Grand Prix, 0.014s

F1’s first visit to the Jerez circuit resulted in a spectacular finish, with Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell separated by just fourteen thousandths on the finish line at the 1986 Spanish Grand Prix.

Senna led the opening stages of the race with Nigel Mansell in hot pursuit after passing his Williams team-mate Nelson Piquet. The British driver took the lead from Senna’s Lotus and the scrap became a three-way fight with Alain Prost also getting involved in McLaren machinery.

On Lap 62, Senna passed Mansell and Mansell then lost another position to Prost. Mansell pitted for fresh tyres and with both Senna and Prost struggling for grip, Mansell closed in easily. Passing Prost was easy work for Mansell, but Senna proved to be more of a challenge.

His defensive tactics made it difficult for Mansell to find a way through. His final opportunity came at the final corner, where he got a better exit than Senna. Mansell fell just short of catching Senna and the pair crossed the line separated by just 0.014s.

#2 – 2002 United States Grand Prix, 0.011s

The 2002 United States Grand Prix came to a strange conclusion, with Rubens Barrichello crossing the finish line just over a hundredth ahead of team-mate Michael Schumacher.

Ferrari had dominated the Indianapolis race, with Schumacher leading almost every lap. Team-mate Barrichello had only taken over the lead briefly during pit stop periods. The pair manufactured a photo finish at the end of the race – but it would be Barrichello who crossed the finish line first.

Although denied, it has been presumed that Schumacher gifted the victory to Barrichello following controversy in the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix earlier in the season where team orders resulted in race leader Barrichello slowing on the start/finish straight to allow Schumacher past.

#1 – 1971 Italian Grand Prix, 0.01s

The 1971 Italian Grand Prix tops the list of the closest F1 finishes in history. Peter Gethin claimed the only win of his career by one hundredth of a second.

Until 2003, the 1971 Italian Grand Prix ranked as Formula 1’s fastest ever race – and it continues to rank within the top ten fastest races in the sport’s history today. At the end of it. Peter Gethin, Ronnie Peterson, Francois Cevert, Mike Hailwood and Howden Ganley all crossed the line within six tenths of each other.

The race featured upward of 25 lead changes and with cars running with their engines at full power thanks to the demands of the Monza circuit, it was a race of attrition. Eight different drivers led at least one lap through the afternoon.

Cevert and Peterson were the leading drivers at the final turn but Gethin took a trip onto the grass to get by the duelling pair and ultimately came out on top for BRM.

Every Formula 1 Race Won by Under a Second

The list below shows every occasion that a Formula 1 race has been won by under a second.