Down to the wire: famous F1 showdowns

With 10 victories, Lewis Hamilton (right) has been the favorite to win the driver's title all season. Still, Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg (left) is keeping pace and is now just 17 points behind, going into the final race in Abu Dhabi. It's not the first time an F1 season has gone down to the wire, and two teammates have battled it out for the title before too.

Britain's Lewis Hamilton can clinch his second title by winning or finishing second on Sunday. If Rosberg wins, and Hamilton finishes third or worse, the title will go to Rosberg. In 2008, Hamilton needed to finish fifth or better to wrap up his first title over Felipe Massa. He did it by passing Timo Glock on the last lap in the rain in Massa's backyard, at Interlagos in Brazil.

Sebastian Vettel played a small role in that 2008 race - leading the charge that saw him and Hamilton pass Glock - but his own first title was even more of a surprise. Coming down to the last race in 2010, Vettel had not led the standings at all. He ended up winning the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which - combined with a strategy error by Ferrari's Fernando Alsonso - won him the title.

When it comes to teammate rivalries, one of the most famous in F1 history is between Ayrton Senna (left) and Alain Prost (right). Both men drove for McLaren-Honda in 1988 and 1989, but both of their renowned title showdowns actually played out on the penultimate race of the season at Suzuka in Japan. In 1989, after the pair collided and neither were classed as finishers, the title went to Prost...

The following year, with Prost having acrimoniously left McLaren to join Ferrari in the aftermath of the '89 scandal, Senna turned the tables on the return to Japan. This time, with Senna leading the championship heading into the race, he deliberately collided with Prost's Ferrari into the first corner, preventing them both from finishing but ensuring he won his second of three driver's titles.

In 1994, Michael Schumacher became Germany's first F1 champion by just one point, thanks to a last-race collision with rival Damon Hill at Adelaide. Schumacher was leading when he went off and damaged his car, but recovered to the track just long enough to take out Hill as he tried to claim the lead. Both men might have taken a back seat in the 1994 season, but for Senna's fatal Imola crash.

Coming into the final race of 2014, Lewis Hamilton has the upper hand. Not only can he guarantee a win if he finishes second or better, but he's won five out of the last six races. Rosberg is coming off a victory at the last race in Brazil though, and has nothing to lose.

The rivalry has been simmering all season long between the two Mercedes drivers, with things coming to a boil at the Belgian Grand Prix when Rosberg collided with Hamilton in an overtaking attempt, giving him a flat tire. Adding to the tension is a rule change that awards double points for the last race in Abu Dhabi. Rosberg called it "a bit artificial," but it boosts his chances on the final day.