Sebastian Vettel The German had won the 2010 and 2011 titles with Red Bull Racing, but his 2012 challenge did not start well as he won only once in the first 13 races to be 39 points off Fernando Alonso at the top. But a run of four successive wins turned things around and he went on to be champion by three points, and he would also win the 2013 crown too.
Fernando Alonso The Spaniard had been champion in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, but moved to McLaren in 2007. There he had an acrimonious time with the British team, where Hamilton was his teammate, but despite that he almost won his third title on the trot, losing out to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at the final round in Brazil by a solitary point.
Michael Schumacher The Ferrari driver went in 2002 on the back of triumphs in 2000 and 2001, and he won his fifth title, and third on the bounce with ease. He won 11 races, which was a record at the time and finished on the podium in every race. He had won his first two titles in 1994 and 1995 with Benetton, but finished only third in 1996 in his first year at Ferrari.
Mika Hakkinen McLaren's Finnish driver had won the 1998 and 1999 championships at the final races on both occasions. A run of three wins in four events mid-season had helped him put him six points clear in the standings, but title rival Schumacher won the final four races for Ferrari to ensure that Hakkinen missed out on his hat-trick.
Ayrton Senna The Brazilian had never looked like challenging in 1992, after winning in 1990 and 1991, as Nigel Mansell was the class of the field in his Williams, with Senna finishing 58 points adrift in fourth.
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