• The 2021 F1 season was the answer to the prayers of millions of fans who hungered for a closer championship and a crushing of the Mercedes/Lewis Hamilton hegemony.
• Ultimately, despite errors and penalties, the utter dominance of the two title protagonists meant neither of them was in very small danger in a season where their teammates should have – but could not – do more to shake the championship order.
• Evidence of this comes from 14 of 22 1-2 results in which Hamilton and Verstappen finished either ahead or behind.
As the internet continues to simmer over arguably the most controversial F1 moment of the millennium; and Lewis Hamilton consequently blows hot and cold on his future in the sport (hint: he’s not going anywhere), seldom – if ever – has a single season provoked so much debate, analysis and indeed resultant rumination.
At face value, it was certainly one for the ages, created by sheer circumstance: the takeover of the 2020 cars and a mandated reduction in rear downforce tipped the expected order of competition, as Red Bull-Honda’s Max Verstappen emerged fastest in the first half of the season, but after a mid-season update and tactical use of engine penalties, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes benchmark recovered.
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