2021 is probably the most competitive Formula 1 season I’ve ever seen. I’m old, I started looking in 1993 when my only worry was that Nigel Mansell’s mustache was up and thought Ayrton Senna was a girl. In 2021 the business in the field is right, plus the incredibly intense title fight at the top with Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton against Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Last but not least, there were also many arcs of salvation for teams that had problems in recent years.
This season there were only straight-up bananas. From the shortest “race” in Formula 1 to the longest season of all time, with consecutive races that spanned the world and all of which were under enormous strain. The Formula 1 freight almost didn’t arrive in Brazil on time and nobody knew how things would go at Losail International in Qatar the first time. In the run-up to the race, Mercedes speculated that there might be three stops on Sunday, but it was Red Bull that ultimately got that strategy off the ground.
The other thing there was is the requests from the stewards. The back and forth between Mercedes and Red Bull has developed very heatedly on several occasions. After Hamilton and Verstappen collided at Silverstone, Red Bull brought in reserve driver Alex Albon to recreate the incident to demand a stronger sanction against Hamilton. Then last week, after the stewards agreed to let them drive in Sao Paulo, it was Mercedes’ turn to protest after Verstappen’s onboard took what he believed to be a violent and dangerous move.
Neither Hamilton nor Verstappen himself appear to be actually involved. The only moments they spoke up were an emotional post from Verstappen on social media after the Silverstone crash and a few snappy comments about the rear wing of Hamilton’s Red Bull before it was banned. The Brazilian Grand Prix shenanigans that forced Verstappen to pay a € 50,000 fine that we all know will sponsor the bar tabs at the FIA end-of-year gala for holding Hamilton’s car in Parc Ferme have touched.
The flames were not only fanned by the respective team bosses, but also stoked so hot, such as Christian Horner from Red Bull, who was investigated for disreputation against the FIA after he called a “rogue marshal” for the incident with the double yellow flag had to qualify. To be fair, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff also spoke many words and angrily described the decision not to review the Sao Paulo incident as “ridiculous”. It’s All, Make No Mistake, Incredible Drive To Survive. Up to and including Sky Sports F1, which broadcast the team boss’s press conference on TV on Friday, at which Wolff and Horner were informed of the rejection of the offer from Mercedes.
The drivers admittedly feel oppressed by the stewards; up and down any grid, absolutely all of them will tell you that they have never done anything wrong in their life and the regulations are out to get them – even if they put another car right into a wall. Verstappen complained that he was not getting presents from the stewards after he was fined with the yellow flag for the incident, and Hamilton has indicated a couple of times that decisions make him a specific victim. This is perfectly normal, they are competitors – however, the ongoing tussle between their teams is reaching a fever high beyond any standard rivalry and there is no chance it will be resolved before the end of the season. Let’s just hope it doesn’t pass.
Verstappen flew home from Qatar six points ahead of Hamilton. Mathematically, it is possible for him to sew the title in Jeddah if Hamilton has a DNF or does not get into the points. If Verstappen increases his lead over the Mercedes by 20 points, it will be done before Abu Dhabi.
But we’re talking about Lewis Hamilton here, who is pretty good at driving F1 cars, especially to win titles. So it is very likely that after the 22nd race of this incredibly long season it will go to the checkered flag. It would really be a shame if the fight continued in appeals and appeals to the commissioners instead of having such a close fight fought where it should: the scorching asphalt of the racetrack.
Do you have a story tip? Email it to [email protected]
The post F1 is so good right now that only bad stewarding could screw it up first appeared on monter-une-startup.
