A young driver realised his lifelong dream. A living legend came within one sweet lap from another golden chapter of an already chequered career. Raw ambition. Engineering excellence. Edge of the seat driving. Formula One discovered a bit of it all in 2021. Ironically, the sport also found itself staring at administrative ineptitude, scarring an otherwise spectacular season of high-quality motor racing.
The brightly lit Yas Marina circuit was meant to host a night of high celebration for Formula One. But the four Stewards and Michael Masi, the Director of FIA, let themselves down with their acts of randomness. Max Verstappen is the World Champion, but his dinner plate could have done without the extra sprinkling of salt and pepper from the administrators.
Formula One was afforded a thrilling final day, an advertisement they dearly needed. And one that they could not buy or make with all the money in the world. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix broke the deadlock between two fine drivers on a contrived final day, that dampened the grand spectacle.
Amidst high drama and fervent conversation, Red Bull’s Verstappen took full advantage of a fortuitous turn of events to secure his maiden World Championship. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes felt aggrieved and hard done by the nature of decisions made at the very end of a brutal season of racing.
"This is like running a motor race in a way we've not been used to in the past,” said Damon Hill, the champion in 1996.
"They've kept us guessing all the time as to which way a decision is going to go. One team who is not going to be complaining about what happened is Red Bull," he added.
The season was full of incidents. A taste of the intensity came in May, at Barcelona. Hamilton took a second stop and chased down Verstappen from 23 seconds back for a memorable win. But a couple of weeks later, the Dutchman led from the front for a solid win in Monaco. That took him to the top of the Drivers’ standings.
Mercedes got a taste of its own medicine, when Verstappen pulled off a sensational turnaround in the penultimate lap of the French GP, using a second stop and some fresh rubber to put it past a helpless Hamilton.
The championship acquired a sudden sense of urgency, lacking in recent years owing to a dominant Mercedes. Red Bull was giving the team from Woking, many sleepless nights.
Matters came to a head at Silverstone in July. The duo touched as Hamilton squeezed on the inside at Copse, sending Verstappen into the wall at 180 mph. The impact, all 51G of it, was felt around the world as tempers flared around the paddock.
The competition between Hamilton and Verstappen intensified in September. The 24-year-old Dutchman has brought raw aggression to Formula One, constantly driving on the edge. It was never more visible than it was at Monza. Verstappen drove the kerb as he sought to go past Hamilton at the first chicane.
There just wasn’t enough space, but the Dutchman refused to yield and lost control of his car. He ended up parked on top of the Mercedes. The Halo, a feature on the car, is designed to withstand a 12T impact. Fortunately, that was enough to save Hamilton grievous injury and the sport some serious damage.
Bad blood was flowing freely as the two rivals fought tooth and nail for the top spot in the F1 Championships.
As the battle reached Brazil, Verstappen was ahead, but no lead was comfortable with Hamilton hot on his heels. The Brit made a power packed effort to pass him over the back straight on lap 48 of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Verstappen refused to yield space, drove too quickly to the apex, forcing both drivers off the track. The stewards decided that no action was needed, raising a few eyebrows.
Hamilton recovered from the nudge off the track to secure victory in Brazil. He inched ever closer to Verstappen with another fine victory in Doha. Only two races remained.
Pole seemed to belong to Verstappen in Jeddah, before he lost his rear on the final corner of qualifying. Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas took the front row. It was enough for the Brit to make it three in a row.
Incredibly, 21 races into a packed calendar of acrimonious racing, the two title contenders were level on points at 369.5.
The script was a wild epic. David Fincher, the architect of Hollywood thrillers, would have jumped at it in sheer excitement. This was high drama at the pinnacle of motor racing. And there was only space for one. Verstappen and Hamilton were jostling to plant two feet at the apex, where there was barely enough for even one.
Sunday had to be wild. It was the final day of the season. Verstappen was hungry for his first championship. Hamilton was desperate to protect his turf and stamp his authority over the sport.
Tempers were flaring all around. The FIA threatened penalties for any gamesmanship – as Verstappen could have won the championship, if the two drivers failed to finish.
Red Bull secured Pole with some teamwork and a racy set of soft tyres. There was no sign of a let up in the hours leading to the race. Mercedes had the brighter start, Hamilton getting his wheels rolling a tenth of a second faster than his rival. The Brit snatched the lead straight off the blocks.
Verstappen was on softs, and enough pace to challenge Hamilton into turn seven. Even though he was forced wide, Hamilton managed to cut the corner and remain ahead of the Dutch driver.
Verstappen took an easy pit stop under virtual safety car and Sergio Perez played the perfect foil, holding up Hamilton just enough to eat into his lead.
But Hamilton passed Perez and worked diligently to rebuild his lead. With only six laps left to end of the race, Hamilton was comfortably ahead by twelve seconds.
An eighth championship beckoned Hamilton. Just when it seemed like the only result possible, Nicholas Latifi opened the door for Verstappen, when he lost control and put his Williams in the wall on lap 54. The safety car allowed Verstappen another set of swanky softs.
As if the drama on the track wasn’t adequate, the FIA was brewing fresh controversy. After initially suggesting that all cars shall remain in formation, they reversed that decision to clear the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen. Mercedes were forced to keep their driver on the track to retain position.
"First they said you're not allowed to unlap themselves, then they changed that once they saw it was safe to do so,” said a puzzled Nico Rosberg, the 2016 World Champion.
"The thing is that in the document it says 'all cars will be required to unlap themselves' and yet they only let those five cars that were between Lewis and Verstappen unlap themselves."
Hamilton was just a lame duck in the high lane for a Red Bull roaring on fresh rubber. Verstappen completed the rites without any strain to earn his stripes as a World Champion.
Relief and delight drenched Christian Horner and his bunch of smart engineers. Shock and sadness drowned Toto Wolff and his warriors in the Mercedes corner. Hamilton was gracious in defeat, despite soaking in a wave of deep disappointment.
Mercedes refused to take the slight without a fight. They filed a petition under Article 48.12 (unlapping of cars under safety car) and Article 48.8 (overtaking under safety car), only to be denied by the FIA. They have filed an intent to appeal though, and if they follow through in the next 48 hours, the last word will belong to an FIA Tribunal in the weeks ahead.
Irrespective, Formula One is in dire need for clear and consistent rules. And ninety five days before the drivers race again in Bahrain, in March 2022.
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