Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that a “Hollywood screenwriter” could not have come up with such a remarkable story as the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Formula 1 saw a gigantic battle between Red Bull and Mercedes this year when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton competed for the drivers’ championship.
The drivers started the final race tied on points, and the title was decided on the final lap of the season after a controversial restart after Verstappen overtook Hamilton to claim the title.
It was a year full of drama on and off the track. Hamilton and Verstappen were involved in accidents together at Silverstone and Monza, and had other clashes in Brazil and Saudi Arabia when they fought wheel to wheel.
F1 had a strong year in terms of attendance, welcoming large numbers to most races, including the United States Grand Prix, which saw 400,000 spectators attend the Circuit of The Americas over three days.
It was a booming first year for Formula 1 under the direction of Stefano Domenicali, who took over from Chase Carey as CEO and President of the series during the winter break.
Horner joked that, in his opinion, Domenicali “has to buy Red Bull a huge Christmas basket because of the excitement, races and drama he has had this year”.
“I think it was 47 years ago that the last time this championship went to a race where the drivers were tied,” said Horner.
“I don’t think even a Hollywood screenwriter could have come up with the details of this year. And, as we have seen, the popularity of Formula 1 has gone through the roof.
“It will probably have the world’s greatest sporting event as a finale this year.
“And the amount of new fans we were able to welcome in the sport was amazing, phenomenal.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes AMG, Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing, arm wrestling for the trophy on the grid
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Ferrari F1 boss Mattia Binotto was full of praise for the work Domenicali – a former colleague at Ferrari – and F1 owner Liberty Media have done to expand the reach of the series.
“He’s doing very well,” said Binotto.
“I also think Liberty Media is doing very well. Since Liberty Media started they have made a lot of improvements to the show and the way we present the show to fans, not just in terms of broadcasting but social media and all that.
“Of course we improved the level of communication and the way we interact with the fans.
“I think that Stefano is just doing very well after a year. It’s not easy for him to maintain the level after Chase because Chase did a fantastic job.
“But I know Stefano and I’m pretty sure that he will do very, very well in the future too.”
