Brazil performed host to a different System 1 traditional final weekend, with Max Verstappen’s masterful efficiency at a soaking moist Interlagos additionally transferring him comfortably away from Lando Norris within the drivers’ standings. Will it show to be the 2024 season’s decisive race? We glance again at another examples from the flip of the millennium that modified the course of title battles…
USA 2003 – Montoya’s pricey penalty
Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, Williams racer Juan Pablo Montoya and McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen had been in shut competition for the 2003 world title heading to the penultimate spherical of the season at Indianapolis, which delivered blended climate circumstances and a chaotic affair.
On a day dictated by operating the appropriate tyre on the proper time and never making any errors, Montoya dramatically dropped out of the championship dialog by way of a drive-through penalty for clashing with Rubens Barrichello and a visit over the grass within the rain.
EXCLUSIVE: Montoya on Verstappen vs Norris, extra title race ‘fireworks’ and F1’s ‘million-dollar query’
Pole-sitter Raikkonen led early on however was overhauled by Schumacher at one-third distance, when the Bridgestone intermediates held the sting over the Michelin wets, setting the German up for his sixth crown – achieved in one other dramatic race – on the Suzuka finale.
