The biggest shake up of the regulations in recent times saw former champions struggle and less familiar faces leading the pack Witness the charging Red Bull lock horns with the mighty Brawn GP and watch as the title nearly slips through Jenson's fingers. When his critics thought he had lost his nerve, he produced the drive of his life to prove himself a worthy champion.
1999 saw Formula One celebrate 50 years as the worlds top motor racing series. The season was a classic and worthy of the title, the most open in years, producing six winners and four title contenders. The Championship again went down to the wire to the final race in Japan where Hakkinen (Mclaren) and Irvine (Ferrari) fought a psychological and tactical battle dividing the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship between them. A most unpredictable season produced truly dramatic racing. Eddie Irvines' maiden win in Melbourne, Ferraris' first one/two in Monaco, unforgettable racing in Canada and France, Stewarts' first win at the Nurburgring, Michael Schumachers' stunning return in Malaysia and of course, the thrilling showdown in Japan were just some of the highlights.
Right from the opening round of the 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, the potential for an extraordinary season was plainly evident. In particular, two Williams-Renault team-mates were quick to display the sort of skill and determination that would keep this contest on the brink to the very end. The rest as they say, is history. As Williams-Renault celebrate their fouth Constructors' Championship, Damon Hill is justly rewarded as the first son of a Formula One World champion to emulate his father's achievement.