The Most Memorable Grands Prix of the Last Three Decades

Observer motor sport correspondent Maurice Hamilton will cover his 500th grand prix, which is a fantastic excuse to share his 10 most memorable grands prix from a remarkable career that began in 1977

Dijon-Prenois, France, 1979Unforgettable final laps as Gilles Villeneuve and René Arnoux fought forsecond place. They were off the road more than on it, the Renault andFerrari banging wheels and having fun. If it happened today, the FIAstewards would have a collective fit.

Jarama, Spain, 1981Outrageously talented but usually without a car to match, Villeneuve somehow managed to keep his cumbersome Ferrari in the lead and ahead of a train of cars for the final 30 of 80 exhausting laps.

Monte Carlo, Monaco, 1982Alain Prost led until the Renault spun. Riccardo Patrese took charge — and spun. Didier Pironi moved ahead, but the Ferrari ran out of fuel on the last lap. As did the next leader, Andrea de Cesaris. Patrese, who had been push-started, crossed the line first — and didn't know he had won.

Adelaide, Australia, 1986A race-long fight for the title with all three contenders, at some stage, being in a position to become champion. Nigel Mansell went out with a spectacular puncture. Nelson Piquet was then in line until a pit stop. Alain Prost, the outsider, ran out of fuel as he crossed the line to win.

Suzuka, Japan, 1989Ayrton Senna and Prost finally had a chilling head-to-head, the McLarens absolutely flat out with Prost leading most of the way, Senna desperate to keep his championship alive. After the inevitable collision Senna continued and fought back to the front, only to be excluded. An exceptionally tense afternoon.

Suzuka, Japan, 1994In treacherous conditions, Damon Hill led the last lap. If he slid off, his championship chance and reputation would be finished. The restarted race was to be decided on aggregate time. Hill had to finish three seconds ahead of Michael Schumacher and drove the lap of his life against unseen opposition and won by 3.3sec. Nerve-racking to the end.

Hungaroring, Hungary, 1998To beat McLaren, Ferrari employed a three-stop strategy as opposed to two for McLaren. Schumacher had to pull out 25 seconds in the 19 laps before his third stop. He drove each lap as if it was a qualifying lap; a superb demonstration of his skill.

Indianapolis, US, 2001Chosen, not for the race, but for the occasion. The first major public gathering, two weeks after 9/11. Around 225,000 people turned out, nervous, but defiant. The pre-race emotion made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. After dithering over whether to cancel, it was the finest thing F1 has ever done.

Suzuka, Japan, 2005No coincidence that this race track, one of my favourites, features so strongly. It promotes breathtaking racing, none better than the overtaking moves by Fernando Alonso and then Kimi Raikkonen as he took the lead on the last lap.

Silverstone, Britain, 2008Chosen as a representative of many great occasions at a classic venue, but also as a perfect example of Lewis Hamilton's exceptional ability on a wet track in a race full of drama.