Why the 2021 Formula 1 season has been the best lately so far

2021 was full of drama and excitement as we hit halftime of the season. So here are three reasons in three minutes why this has been the best season ever in recent times.

A real title fight

For years, Formula 1 has been screaming for a competitive title race between two teams. Since Alonso and Vettel did it, we haven’t really had two teams fighting for the title. So far, Red Bull and Mercedes have fought hard for the drivers and constructors’ championship from the first race, and Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in particular drove electrically. We started in Bahrain, where Red Bull looked like the team to beat, but as so often before Hamilton pulled it out of his pocket. Despite having pole position in qualifying, it looked like Verstappen was going to win as he overtook in the final laps. However, his overtaking maneuver was deemed illegal and Hamilton took the seat back and held on. The overtaking maneuver also increased tension between the two teams. Off to Imola, where Max Verstappen fought back, and then you had the breathtaking races on the normally boring Circuit De Catalunya and Paul Ricard, where split strategies created great drama. And what do we say about the two races before the summer break … Pure drama and it will not only turn into a great rivalry on the track, but also bubble away from it. Great race, between great rivals, sparked a brilliant title fight in the second half of the season.

A competitive field

Because Mercedes has been so dominant in recent years, Formula 1 was sometimes viewed as boring, one-sided, and not particularly interesting. But this year was anything but that. Red Bull in particular has closed the void, McLaren has continued to develop after two brilliant seasons, Ferrari look like their old selves and then there’s Aston Martin who does one with a rejuvenated Sebastian Vettel competitive force is. Though Haas, Alfa Romeo and Williams are still missing a bit, they are competitive on their day. The first sign of this was in Imola when Lando Norris was on the podium and had a great duel with Hamilton, in Monaco Carlos Sainz showed what he can do at Ferrari, Vettel took a podium in Baku and then there’s Esteban Ocon’s impressive victory in Hungary. Oh and who could forget that Williams got his first points since 2018. A more competitive field has meant that we see more variety on the podium and more drama and who doesn’t love a bit of drama.

Lots of drama

If you know me, you know I love drama, and it’s had tons of it this season so far. From dramatic races to surprise winners and final lap action, 2021 picked up where 2020 left off. In Bahrain we had a great race for victory, in Imola Bottas and Russell crashed into each other, Monaco was remarkable when Leclerc was on pole position before he even started. The unbelievable drama in Baku with flat tires and Perez’s first Red Bull victory preceded it. We’ve had top-class, emphatic performances that don’t always make for great races, but you can’t help but sit back and applaud, think of Red Bull’s dominance in Austria. And then, of course, there was Esteban Ocon’s victory in Hungary, an honestly crazy race that really had a bit of everything.

Regardless of whether you want a tight title race or, as I love the chaos like Hungary, this season has it all so far and lets hope for more great action in the second half of the season.

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