Thrillers Late drama, tight finishes Few moments in Formula 1 rival the sheer thrill of a race decided in its closing stages, whether through a dramatic last-lap overtake or an agonisingly close finish. These unforgettable edge-of-your-seat spectacles are the ultimate crowd pleasers, and no one circuit has staged them more often than Monza: the temple of speed. In this collection of Formula 1's greatest thrillers, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza features no fewer than four times. For nearly 30 seasons, before chicanes and 'dirty' air diminished the noble art of slipstreaming, Monza's long straights and flowing corners provided the ultimate battleground for such duels. A driver could latch onto the car ahead, let it do all the work of punching a hole in the air, and so get towed along in its wake before darting out to seize the advantage. At Monza, this frequently led to multi-car battles, drivers ducking and diving in close company for lap after lap and victory decided in one final mad dash to the finish line. A close climax always raises the pulses but, in the split-second world of Formula 1, even one second isn't that close. A Grand Prix finish isn't utterly electrifying until the gap is measured in tenths - about one car-length on a typical circuit.

And if it's less than 0.1 seconds, the cars will be side-by-side, wheel-to-wheel as they scream past the chequered flag. Monza holds the record for the closest finish in history: a scarcely believable 0.010 seconds! Monza may have set the standard for heart-stopping finishes, but it is far from the only stage for late drama and tight finishes. Across the decades, Formula 1 has delivered heart-stopping thrillers at circuits around the world. Few moments in Formula 1 are as electrifying as a final-lap overtake for the lead, a breathtaking climax for both driver and crowd. Yet, such feats are rare. Across more than 1000 Grands Prix, victory has been snatched on the last lap just 26 times.

Many resulted from fuel miscalculations or mechanical failure, but a select few were decided purely in the heat of battle - a relentless chase to the flag. Would the leader keep their nerve and defend to the bitter end, or would the chaser force a mistake in sight of glory? This chapter revisits the races where the tension never let up as the battles raged to the very last lap. 10: Hamilton passed Rosberg for a sensational last lap victory Race 944 2016 Austrian GP On the final lap, Hamilton got a run on leader Rosberg to attempt a wide outside pass around turn 2. From the inside line, Rosberg left his turn-in so late that he crashed into his teammate, shunting Lewis off-track. Not only was he penalised for the affray, but Rosberg's car was also badly damaged too, passed by winner Hamilton and by Verstappen and Räikkönen. Until he lost his head, Nico had driven well from a gearbox-penalised P6 grid slot. His two-stop plan had proved superior to Hamilton's one-stop, a strategy forced on Lewis by the one-stopping Ferraris. But after leader Sebastian Vettel's right rear tyre exploded on lap 26, Rosberg led Hamilton.

At their second stops, Hamilton failed to undercut Rosberg, leaving him 16 laps to make the pass, doing so at turn 2 on that final, frenetic lap.