2021 Season

Max Verstappen secured the Drivers’ Championship, driving for Red Bull, while Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team claimed the Constructors’ Championship in a season comprising 22 races. The 2021 campaign was marked by an exceptionally close title battle between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, with the points gap between the two fluctuating throughout the year and the lead changing multiple times.

Early in the season, Hamilton led after the opening rounds, but Verstappen overtook him after round 5. Both drivers exchanged the championship lead several times, with the points gap rarely exceeding 32 points. By round 21, Verstappen and Hamilton were tied at 369.5 points each, setting up a decisive final race. Verstappen ultimately finished the season with 395.5 points and 10 wins, narrowly ahead of Hamilton’s 387.5 points and 8 wins.

The Constructors’ Championship also saw a close contest, with Red Bull leading after several rounds, but Mercedes regained the advantage mid-season and finished with 613.5 points to Red Bull’s 585.5. Six different drivers won races, including Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo, while three sprint weekends were held.

Notable milestones included Verstappen’s 18 podiums and the season’s high number of different race winners. The campaign featured 20 retirements due to collisions, highlighting the competitive and incident-filled nature of the season. The 2021 season stands out in Formula 1 history as one of the closest and most fiercely contested championship battles of the modern regulation era.