Old rivals Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso shared an incredible battle to the finish line in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix - but TV viewers were frustrated that none of their scrap was captured in the live broadcast.
Vettel, on much older tyres, fought to hold off Alonso for P6 on the final lap of the race but, with Sergio Perez fighting to get past Charles Leclerc at the final corner for second place, the TV cameras chose to focus elsewhere.
Incredible onboard footage has since arrived from inside Alonso's helmet, as the two world champions put on an incredible show for the Japanese fans.
F1 helmet cam: Dramatic last-lap Alonso v Vettel battle captured
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and two-time champ Fernando Alonso have shared many a memorable battle over the years, particularly around the early 2010s when they were vying for world championships.
Both men have had to settle for spots lower down the grid in recent years, with Vettel set to retire at the end of the 2022 season. Alonso's Alpine has had some excellent pace all season, but struggled with reliability, while Vettel has had to make do with a poor Aston Martin car for his final season in F1.
READ HERE: Alex Dunne Has Sights Firmly Set On F1 - And A Plan To Get There
Heavy rain at Suzuka for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix afforded struggling teams some opportunity to make up some points in the tough conditions, and that is exactly what Vettel did. Despite spinning at the first corner (due to contact with Alonso), Vettel flew through the field after making an early switch to intermediates, and attempted to hold on to his tyres in the closing stages of the race.
With minutes to go in the race, Alonso switched to fresh tyres, and set about hunting down the Mercedes of George Russell for 7th, and Vettel for 6th place. Incredible onboard footage from Alonso's car shows the driver's view of the final lap in treacherous conditions, as he passes Russell at the first corner, before rapidly catching up to Vettel.
View this post on Instagram
Vettel's tyres were spent at this stage, but the German managed to get better traction through the final corner, after Alonso looked to have gotten ahead through the chicane. Vettel held off his old foe by just 0.011 of a second to take P6 for his and Aston Martin's joint-best result of the season.
The footage gives a brilliant insight into the view enjoyed by Formula 1 drivers when racing wheel to wheel.
READ HERE: Sebastian Vettel Leaves Door Open To F1 Return
Alonso and Vettel are two of the greatest drivers of the modern era and to get this perspective of the two racing side by side at the twilight of their careers was a real treat for F1 fans.
After hours in the pouring rain, Suzuka's fans got to see two legends cross the line separated by just 0.011s on Sunday 🤯
🎥 x @Tomo__moto_ #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/nT5sbKf7ke— Formula 1 (@F1) October 10, 2022
For fans sat at the final corner, it looked even better.
Fernando Alonso will take Sebastian Vettel's seat at Aston Martin when the German retires at the end of the 2022 season. It will be a serious challenge for the Spaniard, with the British team struggling for pace.
With six world championships and 85 race wins between them, Vettel and Alonso stand as greats of the sport. We only hope we get at least one more battle between them before the end of the season but, if this is to be the last in F1 between the legends, it was a pretty damn good one.
SEE ALSO: "F1xed" - The F1 Cost Cap Controversy Explained
