Fine 9: The back-to-back club Lewis Hamilton seeks entry into in 2015

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  Juan Manuel Fangio, 1954-57: Fangio had been the 1951 champion in an Alfa Romeo before Ascari interrupted his reign. He lifted his second title in 1954, dominating the field as he made history by winning races for two teams – Maserati and Mercedes – and he remains F1’s only champion to have won a title driving for more than one manufacturer in a year. He clinched the second of his four consecutive titles driving for Mercedes in 1955, winning four races, won narrowly in 1956 with Ferrari, and with Maserati the following year.

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  Jack Brabham, 1959-60: The Australian won his first championship in 1959 in unusual fashion as he ran out of fuel on the final lap of the season at the United States Grand Prix at Sebring, but got out and pushed his car over the line to be classified fourth, although it turned out he had already sealed the title when neither of his rivals for the title, Stirling Moss or Tony Brooks, could win. Retaining the title proved easier for Brabham as he won five of the season’s 10 races to wrap up things with two rounds to spare. Brabham would also win the 1966 championship.

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  Alain Prost, 1985-86: Having gone close in 1983 and 1984 it was a case of third time lucky for the Frenchman in 1985. In his second year at McLaren, five wins gave him the championship by 20 points. It proved tougher going a year later as Prost only took the title after winning the final race in Australia while championship leader Nigel Mansell retired with a puncture. Prost also won titles in 1989 and 1993. (Photo: Pascal Rondeau / Getty Images)

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  Ayrton Senna, 1990-91: The Brazilian won all three of his world titles with McLaren in the space of four years. His first came in 1988, but he was denied the following season by teammate Alain Prost, with a collision between the pair in the penultimate race in Japan wrecking Senna’s hopes. In 1990 he was the beneficiary of a coming together at the same venue with Prost, who had joined Ferrari, to take the drivers’ title. A more sedate affair played out in 1991 as Senna won seven times to retain his title with a race to spare.

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  Michael Schumacher, 1994-95; 2000-04: The most successful driver in F1 history and the only man to have won back-to-back titles twice. The German won with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, then, after a spell of near misses at Ferrari, he went on an unprecedented run to win five championships in a row with the Italian team between 2000 and 2004, winning 48 of the 85 races during that period to underline his dominance. (Photo: Rabih Moghrabi / AFP)

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  Mika Hakkinen, 1998-99: Hakkinen had been in F1 since 1991 but had to wait until the final race of 1997, in Jerez, Spain, to pick up his first win. That success gave the Finn the impetus to make use of a strong McLaren car in 1998 to triumph eight times and claim the championship. He repeated that success the following year, victory in the final race in Japan allowing him to leapfrog Eddie Irvine to retain his crown. (Photo: Patrick Hertzog / AFP)

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  Fernando Alonso, 2005-06: Alonso had won his first race with Renault in 2003, but in 2005 he really came of age as the Renault proved to be the class of the field. The Spaniard won seven times to become Spain’s first F1 world champion with two races of the season still to go. 2006 was tougher as he went up against Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari, but seven more victories saw him retain his crown. He missed out on a third title on the trot in 2007 by a single point and he has lost out at on further championships at last race deciders in 2010 and 2012. (Photo: Mauricio Lima / AFP)

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  Sebastian Vettel, 2010-13: Vettel and Red Bull Racing proved dominant, with the German driver and the Austrian marque taking charge of the sport between 2010 and 2013, winning four drivers’ and four constructors’ championships. His first, in 2010, was secured with a win in Abu Dhabi, which enabled him to become the youngest F1 champion at 23. He dominated in 2011 to win with four races to spare, clinched the championship at the final race in 2102 and returned to dominance in 2013 to wrap up the title with three races to go. (Photo: Christopher Pike / The National)

Graham Caygill examines the nine other drivers in Formula One history who have managed to win a successive world title, a club Lewis Hamilton is hoping to make ten-strong this season. Click the arrows above to scroll through the photos and read Graham's commentary.

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