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.
| Race | Winner | Win Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 Swiss Grand Prix | Giuseppe Farina | 0.4s |
| 1954 French Grand Prix | Juan Manuel Fangio | 0.1s |
| 1955 Dutch Grand Prix | Juan Manuel Fangio | 0.3s |
| 1955 British Grand Prix | Stirling Moss | 0.2s |
| 1955 Italian Grand Prix | Juan Manuel Fangio | 0.7s |
| 1956 French Grand Prix | Peter Collins | 0.3s |
| 1959 United States Grand Prix | Bruce McLaren | 0.6s |
| 1961 Dutch Grand Prix | Wolfgang von Trips | 0.9s |
| 1961 Belgian Grand Prix | Phil Hill | 0.7s |
| 1961 French Grand Prix | Giancarlo Baghetti | 0.1s |
| 1967 Italian Grand Prix | John Surtees | 0.2s |
| 1969 Italian Grand Prix | Jackie Stewart | 0.08s |
| 1970 German Grand Prix | Jochen Rindt | 0.7s |
| 1970 Austrian Grand Prix | Jacky Ickx | 0.61s |
| 1971 Italian Grand Prix | Peter Gethin | 0.01s |
| 1973 Italian Grand Prix | Ronnie Peterson | 0.8s |
| 1973 United States Grand Prix | Ronnie Peterson | 0.668s |
| 1974 Belgian Grand Prix | Emerson Fittipaldi | 0.35s |
| 1974 Swedish Grand Prix | Jody Scheckter | 0.38s |
| 1974 Italian Grand Prix | Ronnie Peterson | 0.8s |
| 1976 Dutch Grand Prix | James Hunt | 0.92s |
| 1977 United States Grand Prix West | Mario Andretti | 0.773s |
| 1977 Monaco Grand Prix | Jody Scheckter | 0.89s |
| 1978 South African Grand Prix | Ronnie Peterson | 0.466s |
| 1978 Dutch Grand Prix | Mario Andretti | 0.32s |
| 1979 Monaco Grand Prix | Jody Scheckter | 0.44s |
| 1979 Italian Grand Prix | Jody Scheckter | 0.46s |
| 1980 Austrian Grand Prix | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | 0.82s |
| 1981 Spanish Grand Prix | Gilles Villeneuve | 0.22s |
| 1982 San Marino Grand Prix | Didier Pironi | 0.366s |
| 1982 Austrian Grand Prix | Elio de Angelis | 0.05s |
| 1985 Dutch Grand Prix | Niki Lauda | 0.232s |
| 1986 Spanish Grand Prix | Ayrton Senna | 0.014s |
| 1988 Hungarian Grand Prix | Ayrton Senna | 0.529s |
| 1988 Italian Grand Prix | Gerhard Berger | 0.502s |
| 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix | Thierry Boutsen | 0.288s |
| 1991 Japanese Grand Prix | Gerhard Berger | 0.344s |
| 1992 Monaco Grand Prix | Ayrton Senna | 0.215s |
| 1992 Australian Grand Prix | Gerhard Berger | 0.741s |
| 1993 French Grand Prix | Alain Prost | 0.342s |
| 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.982s |
| 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix | Damon Hill | 0.603s |
| 1996 European Grand Prix | Jacques Villeneuve | 0.762s |
| 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix | Jacques Villeneuve | 0.771s |
| 1997 Argentine Grand Prix | Jacques Villeneuve | 0.979s |
| 1998 Australian Grand Prix | Mika Hakkinen | 0.702s |
| 1998 German Grand Prix | Mika Häkkinen | 0.426s |
| 1998 Belgian Grand Prix | Damon Hill | 0.932s |
| 1999 Canadian Grand Prix | Mika Häkkinen | 0.782s |
| 1999 Austrian Grand Prix | Eddie Irvine | 0.313s |
| 2000 Canadian Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.174s |
| 2000 Malaysia Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.732s |
| 2001 Monaco Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.431s |
| 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.588s |
| 2002 Austrian Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.182s |
| 2002 European Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 0.294s |
| 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 0.434s |
| 2002 Italian Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 0.255s |
| 2002 U.S. Grand Prix | Rubens Barrichello | 0.011s |
| 2002 Japanese Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.506s |
| 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix | Giancarlo Fisichella | 0.945s |
| 2003 Monaco Grand Prix | Juan Pablo Montoya | 0.602s |
| 2003 Canadian Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.784s |
| 2004 Monaco Grand Prix | Jarno Trulli | 0.497s |
| 2005 San Marino Grand Prix | Fernando Alonso | 0.215s |
| 2006 German Grand Prix | Michael Schumacher | 0.72s |
| 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton | 0.715s |
| 2009 Australian Grand Prix | Jenson Button | 0.807s |
| 2009 Belgian Grand Prix | Kimi Räikkönen | 0.939s |
| 2010 Monaco Grand Prix | Mark Webber | 0.448s |
| 2010 Singapore Grand Prix | Fernando Alonso | 0.293s |
| 2010 Japanese Grand Prix | Sebastian Vettel | 0.905s |
| 2011 Spanish Grand Prix | Sebastian Vettel | 0.63s |
| 2012 Monaco Grand Prix | Mark Webber | 0.643s |
| 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Kimi Räikkönen | 0.852s |
| 2012 US Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton | 0.675s |
| 2013 British Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 0.765s |
| 2014 Spanish Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton | 0.636s |
| 2015 Chinese Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton | 0.714s |
| 2016 Spanish Grand Prix | Max Verstappen | 0.616s |
| 2016 Singapore Grand Prix | Nico Rosberg | 0.488s |
| 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton | 0.439s |
| 2017 Russian Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 0.617s |
| 2017 Austrian Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas | 0.658s |
| 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix | Sebastian Vettel | 0.908s |
| 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix | Sebastian Vettel | 0.699s |
| 2019 Belgian Grand Prix | Charles Leclerc | 0.981s |
| 2019 Italian Grand Prix | Charles Leclerc | 0.835s |
| 2020 Italian Grand Prix | Pierre Gasly | 0.415s |
| 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton | 0.745s |
| 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Max Verstappen | 0.594s |
| 2022 Canadian Grand Prix | Max Verstappen | 0.993s |
| 2023 Australian Grand Prix | Max Verstappen | 0.179s |
| 2023 Singapore Grand Prix | Carlos Sainz | 0.812s |
| 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | Max Verstappen | 0.725s |
| 2024 Belgian Grand Prix | Lewis Hamilton | 0.647s |
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