Ferrari vs McLaren: The Greatest Rivalry

The Ron Howard directed movie ‘Rush’ about the 1976 Formula 1 season depicts the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda driving for McLaren and Ferrari respectively. It’s a great film, the on track action is exhilarating, and the performances great, particularly that by Daniel Brühl who plays Lauda.

But this isn’t a review of the film, great though it is and well worth seeing, this is about looking at a few more of those McLaren Ferrari rivalries, because in many ways they have come to define the sport. How appropriate that a Hollywood Formula 1 film should feature the two biggest names of the sport. These two teams have been competing now for 50 years; theirs is one of the most enduring conflicts in Formula 1 history and always gives that extra edge when they’re competing for the top prize.

1974 was when they first duelled properly for the title. Clay Regazzoni missing out for the Scuderia by three points as Emerson Fittipaldi took the Woking teams first drivers title and their first constructors crown too.

Niki Lauda hit back for Ferrari the following year trouncing Fittipaldi, then came the famous ’76 season in which Hunt and Lauda emerged as motor racing greats and firmly established the McLaren and Ferrari rivalry in the veins of the sport. Lauda’s come back from almost being burnt alive has to go down as the most incredible piece of heroism the Formula 1 world has ever seen. While Hunt's drive in Japan to secure third and the title in the final race was mesmeric too.

There then followed a period where the teams never really competed on an equal footing despite some brief scuffles such as Ferrari’s Michele Alboreto offering a vague sort of challenge to McLaren’s Alain Prost in 1985 . However, here in chronological order are some of the best McLaren and Ferrari scraps.

1990

This started out as an Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost/McLaren vs McLaren war, but when Prost left to join Ferrari, the battle was joined between the two teams once again. Much has been written about the intense rivalry between these two greats. Needless to say it was never going to end well. Resentment and bitterness had been boiling away for well over a year by the time we reached the start of the 1990 season. 

All season long they battled, Senna starting off the best, but Prost steadily catching him until they reached the penultimate race in Japan. We all know what happened, as Senna deliberately crashed into Prost at well over 120mph to secure a title that looked like it was slipping away. 

1990 was a political/conspiratorial drama that was fuelled by a years worth of personal feuding that played itself out on the track in the most thrilling and ultimately dangerous way.

1998 – 2000

After years in the doldrums Michael Schumacher had lifted Ferrari once again to become title challengers. They were surely about to overcome Williams and finally take the title for the first time since 1979. They didn't figure on Adrian Newey leaving Williams and moving to McLaren to work more of his aero magic.

McLaren were dominant in 1998 and Mika Hakkinen had come of age. This was a friendlier and more respectful rivalry between the Finn and Schumacher, but it had its intensity too. Ferrari fought back after a poor start and Schumacher managed to take the title to the last race of the season in Japan. 

He stalled and a charge back was thwarted by a puncture, Hakkinen dominated the race and took McLaren back to the front for the first time since Senna won in 1991. Ferrari meanwhile were still waiting.

In ’99 Schumacher broke his leg and I think Hakkinen and McLaren believed they had it won. That season turned into less of a McLaren vs Ferrari battle and more into a Hakkinen vs himself battle. The lack of Schumacher seemed to dull him, and he had to fight hard to not let Ferrari’s number 2 Eddie Irvine snatch the title away. Another last race battle kept Hakkinen as Champion.

Finally it all came right again for the Scuderia. Schumacher dominated the early stages of 2000 for the Scarlet team, but a mid-season slump allowed Mika back in, and he was leading the title chase with three rounds to go. Schuey struck back though, and at the penultimate race, again in Japan, he could wrap up the title. 

What followed was a performance by two drivers who were just on a completely different level than the rest of the field. They tore away, and it was only a spit of rain that turned it in Schumacher’s favour to end 21 years of hurt for Ferrari; a tremendous way to win.

2003

Schumacher had now gone onto dominate the next couple of years, but a new Finnish superstar Kimi Raikkonen had arrived on the scene and was showing just how good he could be. Despite taking only one win to Schumacher's six he took the then five time champion to the last race in Japan. 

Kimi went full tilt at his first chance of glory while it looked as if Schumacher crumbled; eventually though second wasn't enough and Schumacher managed to just about scrape a point to secure his sixth crown.

2007

Kimi was now at Ferrari but this season was more about McLaren vs McLaren again, as Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton went head to head. It was a messy season with the spy-gate affair going off and Alonso falling out with the team, it was a drama you couldn’t take your eyes off. So inward was their battle they forgot about Raikkonen who stole the championship from them by one point at the final race in Brazil. McLaren and Ferrari took a clean sweep of victories that year.

2008

This was an equally dramatic season as the one before, but it came down to Lewis Hamilton for McLaren vs Felipe Massa for Ferrari. They both had their share of glory and of woes, but this season between the two teams was a friendly battle, but no less intense. 

In fact 2008 was perhaps the most dramatic finale to a Formula 1 season ever. Massa had won his home race in Brazil superbly and with Hamilton lying sixth as they’d entered the last lap, he’d also won the championship. But the rain was falling, Toyota driver Timo Glock had stayed out on dry tyres, and Lewis was catching catching catching. On the last corner of the last lap Lewis passed him for fifth and so won the crown in the most amazing way. 

The Lost Years

Since then we haven’t had a good McLaren vs Ferrari battle. We should have done, in 2010 Lewis was involved in the title fight to the last race with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber as well as Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso but he never had a chance. In 2012 too Lewis should have been a challenger, but his team sadly let him down, an Alonso/Ferrari against Hamilton/McLaren would have been spectacular as some of their all too brief on-track battles have since demonstrated.

But sometimes other teams come to the fore, Red Bull being the latest, but soon McLaren and Ferrari will recommence battle and the oldest rivalry in the sport will be fighting for the grand prize once again.