Ranking Formula 1’s top five drives of the 21st century including Lewis Hamilton masterclass

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Since the start of the new millennium, F1 fans have been treated to 509 Grand Prix weekends that have seen 32 different drivers occupy the top step of the podium. Here are the best five:

5. Sergio Perez’s maiden Formula 1 victory at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

Sergio Perez’s very first Grand Prix victory couldn’t have come at a better time for the Mexican driver.

Looking at an exit from the grid upon the conclusion of the 2020 term, Perez showed exactly why he deserved a drive in the following year over the 87 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit’s outer loop.

The race couldn’t have got off to a worse start for the Racing Point man. After starting from fifth, Perez was caught in the middle of an incident with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, which demoted him to the bottom spot of the pack.

However, the incredible pace of his ‘pink Mercedes’ that weekend saw him back into the points-paying positions by lap 20, and he firmly set his sights on potentially grabbing his second podium of the season.

As he continued to pick his way through the field, Perez found himself in third place with 30 laps remaining.

Through the misfortune of George Russell and Mercedes’ incompetence, the Mexican driver inherited the lead and crossed the line to take his first victory after 190 starts, marking a dramatic way to end the longest wait for a maiden win in F1 history.

4. Kimi Raikkonen’s charge through the field at the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen’s breathtaking charge through the field at the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix remains one of the most unlikely wins in F1 history due to the combination of his P17 grid slot and the technical difficulty of the legendary Suzuka circuit.

The Grand Prix began with chaos, and ended with one of the greatest last-lap overtaking manoeuvres of the era.

With Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso also starting from the back-end of the grid, the Finn was locked in a three-way battle for the majority of the race, before pulling off a genius pit-stop strategy that saw him emerge behind race-leader Giancarlo Fisichella with eight laps to go.

Qualifying lap after qualifying lap from Raikkonen set the timing sheets alight, and by the penultimate lap of the race, the Iceman was within striking distance of the championship-winning Renault ahead of him.

As both drivers approached the final chicane of the second-to-last lap, the McLaren star feinted right, spooking Fisichella into taking a defensive line into the corner and scuppering his exit.

As they raced down into turn one for the final lap of the race, Raikkonen bravely sent it around the outside of the Italian, snatching the lead to take the ninth, and greatest, victory of his career.

3. Max Verstappen’s momentum-shifting comeback at the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

After Max Verstappen displayed one of the most dominant title victories ever during the 2023 season, his dominance has dwindled to a point where Lando Norris had emerged as a championship candidate in the following term.

Upon the grid’s arrival in Sao Paulo, the Dutchman hadn’t won a Grand Prix for 10 consecutive race weekends, and after taking a grid penalty that saw him drop down to P17 for the Grand Prix, it looked as if he would make it 11.

As the heavens opened on the Interlagos circuit, Verstappen began to walk on water. The Red Bull star made up six positions on the opening lap alone, and no one could match the lightning-quick pace he had in his locker.

As the rain intensified, most of the frontrunners pitted for a fresh set of intermediate tyres, bumping Verstappen up to P2 as he decided to stay out, betting on a red flag being thrown at any moment.

Two red flags later, only Esteban Ocon stood between Verstappen and a historic Formula 1 victory, and the Dutchman wasted no time in getting the job done.

From that moment, he simply disappeared. Despite the treacherous conditions, Verstappen set 17 fastest laps and crossed the finish line with a 19.4-second advantage over second place.

2. Jenson Button’s dramatic victory at the record-breaking 2011 Canadian Grand Prix

Arguably the most chaotic race in the history of Formula 1, Jenson Button’s victory at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix was a tale of resilience and pure bravery.

The 2009 world champion entered the pits on six separate occasions, including one drive-through penalty, throughout the entirety of the 70-lap race, and found himself occupying every single position in the pack at some point or another.

He collided with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in two separate incidents, and was languishing in dead last after the latter incident left him with a puncture.

Despite this, the changing weather conditions played into Button’s skill set, and the Briton quickly started to pick his way through the pack.

The relentlessness of his charge saw Button move up from 21st to 10th in just nine laps, and by lap 65, he was firmly in second place behind Sebastian Vettel.

On the very last lap, under immense pressure from Button, the German driver slid wide on a damp patch at turn six, allowing Button to sweep past him into the lead and to the chequered flag, having led for only about half a lap of the entire four-hour event.

1. Lewis Hamilton’s wet-weather masterclass at the 2008 British Grand Prix

In a season where the title race was mightily close, a young Lewis Hamilton delivered a performance at the 2008 British Grand Prix that made the rest of the world’s best Formula 1 drivers look like amateurs.

The rain was absolutely torrential in Northampton that day, and it played into the hands of the 23-year-old as he looked to claim his maiden F1 title.

Championship rival Felipe Massa couldn’t manage with it at all, spinning a total of five times during the Grand Prix and ending the race as the last-place man of all 13 finishers.

On the other hand, Hamilton was simply racing on a completely different circuit from everybody else. He didn’t just win the Grand Prix, he finished over a minute ahead of Nick Heidfeld in second place, and had lapped all but the top-three finishers by the time the chequered flag fell.

The wet weather masterclass remains the largest winning margin in the 21st century, and marked the first of nine trips to the top step of the podium at Silverstone that he has achieved in his illustrious F1 career.