These are the five drivers that missed the target in 2021

The unbelievable Formula 1 season 2021 is done and dusted off, but the debate about the season finale is raging. Max Verstappen was crowned champion, Lewis Hamilton missed his historic eighth world title by a single lap. The racing season was the focus of the Verstappen / Hamilton rivalry, but the rest of the field was just as entertaining to watch.

In a 23-race season in which all drivers had to improve their game, some fell short. We took some time to review some of the best driving performances of the season. Now is the time to see which five drivers missed the mark.

5. Yuki Tsunoda – Scuderia AlphaTauri

Yuki Tsunoda drove a tsunami of hype into the 2021 Formula 1 season. Although he ended up behind Mick Schumacher in the 2020 Formula 2 championship, his talent was highly valued and Red Bull strongly insisted that he would be the next superstar driver will.

Tsunoda’s racing season didn’t live up to the hype and he struggled to perform anywhere near what the car was capable of. He was overqualified 22 times in a 23-race season by his teammate Pierre Gasly. Falls, poor performances and a lack of meaningful progress in the season seemed to dampen enthusiasm for the Japanese.

The only bright spot, a fourth place in Abu Dhabi, showed what Tsunoda is capable of. He will have to systematically channel this level of performance in 2022 if he is to realize the Red Bull potential that he has.

4. Mick Schumacher – Haas F1 Team

Mick Schumacher (GER) Haas F1 Team at the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi on December 10, 2021 | Irwen Song / Getty Images

Having a famous surname and being the son of one of the greatest Grand Prix drivers of all time is both a curse and a blessing. Schumacher entered Formula 1 as a Ferrari Academy driver and Formula 2 champion in 2020. Although he is very talented and deserves a chance in Formula 1, he has not received the same high level of appreciation as drivers like Tsunoda, Piastri or even Guanyu Zhou from Alpha Romeo.

That characterization may be unfair as the Haas F1 car was the slowest by a wide margin and did nothing to show Schumacher’s talents. He’s done a solid job throughout the season of gaining experience and racing other races when the opportunity arose, but there wasn’t a single moment that stood out as a possible glimpse of a future champion.

He had the measure of his team-mate all season, but in a sport as tough as Formula 1 you have to be special to be considered mediocre. Schumacher has the talent to be successful in Formula 1, but he has to do something special at Haas to make everyone aware of him.

3. Nicholas Latifi – Williams Racing

Nicholas Latifi from Canada and Williams prepares to drive in the garage during the final practice before the F1 Grand Prix of USA at the Circuit of The Americas on October 23, 2021 | Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Being a teammate of a superstar driver like George Russell is a difficult task. You will always be compared and measured against everything your teammate does. When he competed against Russell in qualifying, Latifi looked normal and failed to get the same level of performance out of the car that Russell could during the season.

His fall in Abu Dhabi ushered in the controversial end of the World Cup, and that’s what Latifi won’t want anyone to remember. He pulled the battered Williams F1 car adequately throughout the season, but never showed more than journeyman qualities.

Latifi has to find a different gear in his performances in order to get out of the backcourt in Formula 1. George Russell is moving to Mercedes GP, and the fast and experienced Alex Albon will join as his teammate in 2022. Latifi must match or exceed Albon’s performance if he is to be considered a top driver.

2. Antonio Giovinazzi – Alfa Romeo Racing

Antonio Giovinazzi from Italy and Alfa Romeo Racing prepare for the grid ahead of the sprint ahead of the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix on November 13, 2021 | Peter Fox / Getty Images

After several years of lackluster performance, Giovinazzi was unceremoniously sacked by the Alfa Romeo team in favor of Chinese star Guanyu Zhou. This sparked a tirade of rash comments and tweets that didn’t help either his case or his chances of returning to Formula 1.

Giovinazzi has only taken three points this season and should have got the upper hand against Kimi Raikkonen, who scored 10. Raikkonen did his final season in Formula 1 for fun, while Giovinazzi is there for a long-term career. The need to beat his teammate should have been a breeze for Giovinazzi, who knew his racecourse had been under threat for months.

They’re a capable couple, but they’ve never broken out. His post-shooting comments only added nails to the coffin of his F1 career.

1. Nikita Mazepin – Haas F1 Team

Nikita Mazepin, RUS, Haas F1 Team during the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2021 | Cristiano Barni / Getty Images

It’s hard to find another driver in Formula 1 history who’s had a worse season than Mazepin. Five DNFs, erratic behavior on the track and finishing last in almost every race is not the record every driver wants, but the one Mazepin has achieved.

Aside from his personal scandals and off-track antics, Mazepin did absolutely nothing to show that he was developing into a competent Grand Prix driver.

One could argue that the Haas F1 car’s amazingly poor performance did not allow it to demonstrate its capabilities, but that would be wrong. When Mazepin complained that teammate Schumacher had a lighter, faster chassis, Haas upgraded his car. Mazepin took full advantage of the upgrade by qualifying and overtaking Schumacher in the next race.

It’s one thing to complain about a competitive advantage your teammate may have over you, but quite another if you can’t take advantage of it once the field is leveled. Mazepin may mature and turn out to be a good Grand Prix racer, but in 2021 he showed no signs that this was coming anytime soon.

Over the course of the 2021 racing season, the vast majority of drivers increased their performance and gave the fans a spectacular racing year. Some drivers were better than others, but they all made one of the best and most talked-about seasons in Formula 1 history.

Similar: Formula 1 driver rankings: These are the top 5 drivers of the 2021 season