VIDEO | The story of the MOST INTENSE title battle in Formula 1 history
This time last year I sat here and said how 2020 was the craziest season on record, and just when you thought it couldn’t get any more ridiculous 2021 tore up the script. We’ve had a truly remarkable season, from January right through to December and the last lap of the season in Abu Dhabi. So without further ado, here is the GP Blog 2021 season review.
January
The 2020 season was only just a few weeks in the past but plenty had been going on behind the scenes, and in particular driver changes. Although they had been confirmed in 2020, several drivers had new employers and were adapting to their new surroundings. Sebastian Vettel had joined Aston Martin, with Carlos Sainz filling his space at Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo replaced him at McLaren which meant Fernando Alonso could get down to work at Alpine who had rebranded from Renault. Yuki Tsunoda arrived at Alpha Tauri with plenty of expectation and it was all change at Haas as the Schumacher name returned in the form of Mick, and Nikita Mazepin partnered him, as both made their debuts in F1. As the new year was welcomed in Racing Point confirmed they’d be rebranding to Aston Martin after Lawrence Stroll brought a significant share in the car manufacturer.
Whilst defending champion Lewis Hamilton was enjoying his time off, there were no assurances over his place on the grid with the Brit yet to sign a new mercedes deal.
Away from the track, England went back into lockdown due to a second wave of the coronavirus whilst Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States.
February
As with most seasons February saw everything step up for the new season and that meant car launches… new colours, new cars and Robert Kubica in an Alfa Romeo outfit.
However, the most important news of the month came from the Silver Arrows and Lewis Hamilton, who finally confirmed the World Champion would race for a further season, and would bid to move out on his own as F1’s most successful driver, chasing an eighth title.
Fernando Alonso was gearing up for a return to the sport but broke his jaw in a cycling accident. Nevertheless the Spaniard thankfully made a full recovery and was ready to return to the pinnace of motorsport in March.
Away from the track, the England cricket team secured a famous victory in India whilst Machester United put, nine goals past Southampton in the Premier League…
March
March meant racing was back. We didn’t have to wait as long this season but it wasn’t all plain sailing with the coronavirus pandemic still having its say. Bahrain hosted pre-season testing and the opening race, with Australia postponing their race until later in the year due to strict COVID measures in Victoria. Red Bull were the standard setters in pre-season testing with Mercedes seemingly off the pace. McLaren and Ferrari looking set to battle it out for best of the rest. However, it looked like it would be a long season for Haas who brought up the rear. The season opened in Bahrain in style. Lewis Hamilton against the odds qualified on pole and secured a dramatic victory in Sakhir. He held off a charging Max Verstappen for the win. The race gave fans a sense of what was to come and the rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen started to bubble.
Rangers were crowned Scottish Premiership champions with almost two months to spare whilst over in the Netherlands The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy of incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte finished first in the nation's general election.
April
The season kicked off in March but we had to wait three weeks for any more action and by that time it was April, and Max Verstappen got his campaign well and truly underway with victory at Imola, whilst there was a huge crash involving Valtteri Bottas and George Russell who were vying for a Mercedes seat in 2022. The Chinese Grand Prix scheduled for April was scrapped and by the end of the month the Canadian Grand Prix was gone too, replaced by the Turkish GP.
April also saw covid restrictions eased in England and that meant I was finally able to get a hair cut. Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh sadly passed away at the age of 99.
May
The season really ramped up in the month of May! Three races starting with Portugal, arguably the most forgettable race of the season Lewis Hamilton was victorious as he regained the lead in the Drivers’ Championship. He backed this up with a superb strategy victory in Barcelona, before Max Verstappen hit back winning the Monaco Grand Prix and joining him on the podium was Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Hamilton could only manage P7 and it was the start of a tough run of form for the Silver Arrows. The Turkish Grand Prix had only been announced a couple weeks earlier but it was postponed due to the British government imposing a ten day hotel quarantine, which meant we saw the return of the Styrian Grand Prix and had a double header in Austria, something which would play into Red Bull’s hands.
From the track, to space and the four-astronaut crew of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience successfully splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, arriving from a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
Back on Earth Chelsea were crowned champions of Europe beating Manchester City in Lisbon, but City were top dogs in the Premier League!
June
June started with the Singapore Grand Prix being cancelled due to logistical issues but that meant the Turkish Grand Prix was able to take back its place on the calendar in October. Sergio Perez picked up his first win in the colours of Red Bull, victorious around the street’s of Baku. Max Verstappen had crashed from the lead after a tyre failure. After the Dutchman’s blowout, the focus really was on pirelli and their tyres. Paul Ricard, famous for being a snooze fest was a thriller as Verstappen reversed the roles of Spain to win the French Grand Prix, before winning the Styrian Grand Prix.
Football fever hit Europe as the delayed Euro 2020 got underway, and England finally got one up on Germany, winning 2-0 at Wembley. Meanwhile Disney Land Paris reopened for the second time having been closed for eighth months.
July
Max Verstappen capped off a perfect fortnight in Austria as he made it two win from two at the Red Bull ring, putting some day light between him and Hamilton. The British Grand Prix was a monumental weekend for multiple reasons, it was F1’s first ever sprint race, which was won by Verstappen, he was awarded three points for winning, but the real drama came on the opening lap of the race, as Hamilton wiped out his title rival into Copse, with the Dutchman crashing out at high speed. Thankfully he was fine after a precautionary hospital visit, but Hamilton struck back on track, and overcame a ten second penalty to win at Silverstone. The Australian Grand Prix was also scrapped!
Italy were crowned European champions at Wembley, but the less said about that the better, and the Tokyo Olympics got underway with Adam Peaty’s gold in the 100 metres breastroke the highlight in week one for Great Britain.
August
The Hungarian Grand Prix saw Esteban Ocon win his first race in Formula 1 as he took advantage of some first corner crashes, a mistake from Mercedes and some superb defence from his teammate Alonso. Sebastian Vettel was disqualified from the race after failing to provide a legal fuel sample and after over a year of waiting, Williams were finally back in the points. The Japanese Grand prix was cancelled for a second year in a row but the month ended with a damp squid, as the Begian Grand Prix was rained off after a couple of laps behind the safety car. However, one bonus from the race was George Russell’s mega lap to put his Williams in P2! He’d eventually be awarded with a first ever F1 podium. The fans stood outside for hours and it wasn’t a great look for race control when they awarded half points.
Despite the rain at Spa, the season was heating up on the track but it was even hotter off it, as Greece, Spain and Tunisia recorded record temperatures. Meanwhile researches announced they counted Pi to 62.8 trillion digits, a new world record.
September
September saw Kimi Raikkonen announce his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the season. The 2007 World Champion was to bring an end to a remarkable career in motorsport. A week later he tested positive for coronavirus and missed what would have been his first and only Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort replaced by Robert Kubica. Kimi’s departure set the driver market alight. Valtterri Bottas took his fellow Finn’s place at Alfa, and George Russell was confirmed for a Mercedes seat. Williams opted for Alex Albon to replace him and that meant there was only one seat up for grabs on the grid, the second seat alongside Bottas at Alfa Romeo. A second race in the States was confirmed with the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for May 2022! Verstappen won his home race but McLaren stole the show at Monza as Daniel Ricciardo led the only one-two of the year. Hamilton and Verstappen would crash again in bizarre fashion wiping both out of the Italian Grand Prix. Lando Norris was cruelly denied victory in Sochi with fellow Brit Hamilton taking his first win since Silverstone. The Qatar Grand Prix was also confirmed in September, something I actually predicted a couple of years ago!
Switching from F1 to tennis and Emma Radacanu beat Leyla Fernandez in the US Open final, becoming the first qualifier to win a grand slam.
October
Valtteri Bottas picked up his only win of the 2021 season with an excellent display in Turkey. The Finn seemed to be racing with freedom after it was confirmed he’d be leaving Mercedes. Max Verstappen upset the form chart in Austin as he won the US Grand Prix. It was a crucial win for Red Bull and it stamped their authority on the title race.
The T20 Cricket World Cup got underway but up in space an X-class solar flare, erupted. An associated coronal mass ejection may have grazed Earth on October 30th or 31st. And here’s me reading that like I know what it means.
November
We are into the business end of the season, and Red Bull and Max Verstappen had one hand on the title as the Dutchman romped to victory in Mexico City, a race they were expected to win, but the performance was emphatic. However, Hamilton fought back in Brazil, overcoming an engine change, a penalty for an illegal rear wing and a scuffle with Max on track to win at Interlagos, arguably the performance of the season. The first ever Qatar Grand Prix closed the month and it was another convincing display from Hamilton who closed the gap in the title race and kept his hopes alive. Remember that last seat we mentioned? Well Antonio Giovinazzi’s time was up as he was replaced by Guanyu Zhou of China. Zhou arrived having spent the last few seasons with Uni Virtuosi in Formula 2.
At the end of the month Formula 1 also paid its respects to Sir Frank Williams, who passed away at the age of 79. As team principal of the Williams team, he oversaw nine Constructors’ Championships and seven Drivers’ Championships, as well as 114 race victories.
Kimala Harris became the first acting female president of the United States after she was given presedential power for a short time whilst Joe Biden underwent a medial procedure. And a new coronavirus variant called omicron was disocovered in South Africa.
December
Well after a season of hard graft it came down to two races in the dessert. Hamilton’s magnificent run of form continued, pulling himself level with victory in Saudi Arabia. But it wouldn’t be 2021 without a bit of drama, the pair clashed on several occasions and there was even contact when Verstappen was told to give Hamilton the lead of the race. However, Hamilton’s win meant they would go into the season finale in Abu Dhabi level on points. It was winner takes all! Verstappen qualified on pole but Hamilton stormed in front off the line, and for all the world looked as if he was just too quick for Red Bull, Mercedes’ extra power evident. However, Perez brought Verstappen back into the race by holding the Merc up, before Hamilton pulled away again. However, chaos ensued. Nicholas Latifi crashed with just a handful of laps to go bringing out the safety car. Verstappen pitted, but Hamilton couldn’t afford to lose track positon. First Michael Masi said cars wouldn’t unlap themselves, then Red Bull had a word, then only five cars unlapped themselves, it was pure confusion. Verstappen eventually had a free shot at Hamilton, giving him his first World Championship, it was heartbreak for Hamilton, but delirium for Red Bull. The drama wasn’t done just yet as Mercedes lodged a series of appeals but they eventually conceeded defeat, and Verstappen was officially World Champion.
And that’s where we are now, the end of the most dramatic, thrilling, tense and controversial year in Formula 1 history. A record 22 races and each one threw up something different. I just wanted to say from all of us here at GP Blog, thank you for your support in 2021, it means more than you could ever imagine.
