Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas are the three noteworthy absentees in an internal vote among their own Formula 1 drivers and team bosses who did best in the 2021 season.
World Champion Max Verstappen won both the driver and team boss polls ahead of Lewis Hamilton after beating the Briton to the F1 title in Abu Dhabi.
The Dutchman’s long championship battle with Hamilton will be regarded as one of the greatest sports competitions of modern times – and will spark a new passion for F1 among fans who have not been involved in the sport before.
Hamilton came second in both polls, in which the team bosses and drivers from all 10 teams on the grid submitted their list of the top 10 drivers. The scoring followed the same formula as in the Grand Prix, with the top driver receiving 25 points, the second 18 points, and so on.
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F1 allowed drivers to vote for themselves, although they said some refrained from doing so. Some drivers and teams did not vote.
Perez acted as the backbone of Verstappen’s title triumph, but the Red Bull driver failed to make the top 10 list despite winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and finishing on the podium four more times.
Ricciardo, who finished eighth in the drivers’ championship for McLaren this season, did not appear on the two lists either.
This may come as a surprise to many in the sport, as the Australian is considered one of the most popular characters on the grid.
Hamilton’s team-mate Bottas was voted ninth on the list of team bosses, but was removed from the top 10 drivers.
And that despite Bottas enjoying another stellar season at Mercedes, in which his presence as Hamilton’s # 2 driver helped the Briton win the championship in one race and frustrated rival Verstappen.
Instead, drivers selected Mick Schumacher as the tenth most impressive driver of the 2021 season, while Williams’ George Russell also earned recognition in his breakthrough season.
Voices from the F1 drivers
- 1 Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- 2 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- 3 Lando Norris – McLaren
- 4 Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
- 5 Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- 6 Fernando Alonso – Alpine
- 7 Pierre Gasly – AlphaTauri
- 8 George Russell – Williams
- 9 Esteban Ocon – Alpine
- 10 Mick Schumacher – Haas
Quotes from the F1 team bosses
- 1 Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- 2 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- 3 Lando Norris – McLaren
- 4 Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
- 5 Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- 6 Fernando Alonso – Alpine
- 7 Pierre Gasly – AlphaTauri
- 8 George Russell – Williams
- 9 Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes
- 10 Esteban Ocon – Alpine
via F1.com
Schumacher drove for Haas this year and couldn’t get a single point during the entire season. The best result of the German was a 12th place in Hungary.
Schumacher dominated his partnership with the Russian Nikita Mazepin and will be Ferrari’s reserve driver in 2022 alongside Antonio Giovinazzi, the Formula E-bound Ferrari.
At 22, the ex-Formula 3 and Formula 2 world champion still has a lot to do. And his advances at Haas in 2021 obviously caught the attention of fellow driver drivers.
Ranking list of the F1 drivers’ standings
- 1 Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- 2 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- 3 Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes
- 4 Sergio Perez – Red Bull
- 5 Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
- 6 Lando Norris – McLaren
- 7 Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- 8 Daniel Ricciardo – McLaren
- 9 Pierre Gasly – AlphaTauri
- 10 Fernando Alonso – Alpine
