Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the drivers' title on the final lap of a season that changed hands repeatedly and reshaped race control.
Max Verstappen won his first drivers' title in 2021 by beating Lewis Hamilton on the last lap at Abu Dhabi. Mercedes kept the constructors' championship for an eighth straight season, and Honda's engine powered the champion, its second title-winning supplier in the turbo-hybrid era.
The 2021 Formula One World Championship was the 72nd running of the title and was contested over twenty-two Grands Prix. Max Verstappen won the drivers' championship by overtaking Lewis Hamilton on the final lap at Abu Dhabi, and Mercedes kept the constructors' title for an eighth straight season.
How did Verstappen win the 2021 title?
Verstappen won 10 races and became the first driver from the Netherlands to win the championship. He was also the first Honda-powered champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991, and the first Red Bull driver to win since Sebastian Vettel in 2013. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion, finished runner-up.
The title fight was close all year. The two drivers exchanged the lead several times, and major collisions occurred at the British and Italian Grands Prix. BBC Sport's Andrew Benson described the contest as among the most intense in sporting history.
The season was settled on the final lap, after a restart nobody had planned for.
What happened at Abu Dhabi?
Both drivers went into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on points. Race control did not fully apply the regulations to a late safety car period, and on the final lap Verstappen overtook Hamilton after a late restart to win his first championship.
Mercedes protested the result, but it later decided not to appeal after the protest was denied. The review led to structural changes in race control, including the removal of Michael Masi as race director and the introduction of a virtual race control room to assist the director.
Which drivers and teams made up the 2021 grid?
Every team ran Pirelli tyres and entered at least two drivers for the two mandatory cars. McLaren moved from Renault to Mercedes engines, Racing Point became Aston Martin, and Renault became Alpine, taking the name of its sportscar brand. Alpine took its name from Renault's sportscar brand.
Sebastian Vettel left Ferrari after six seasons and joined Aston Martin, replacing Sergio Perez. Perez moved to Red Bull and replaced Alexander Albon, making him the first driver since Mark Webber in 2007 with no Red Bull junior history.
Carlos Sainz Jr. took Vettel's seat at Ferrari after leaving McLaren, and Daniel Ricciardo moved from Renault to McLaren. Yuki Tsunoda was promoted to Scuderia AlphaTauri, becoming the first Japanese driver since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014, and Daniil Kvyat moved to Alpine as reserve.
Mick Schumacher, son of the seven-time champion, joined Haas, while Nikita Mazepin, fifth in the Formula 2 Championship, took the other seat. Kimi Raikkonen's final season came in 2021, and after he tested positive for coronavirus during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Robert Kubica took his place at Alfa Romeo.
What changed in the rules for 2021?
The championship introduced a budget cap of $145 million per year, and teams were limited in which components they could change. Mercedes' dual-axis steering system was banned, and the floor was clipped 100 millimetres inboard to cut downforce. The cap applied only to car performance spending until 2026.
Downforce fell by about 10% on paper, but teams added 4-5% over the winter, so the net reduction came to about 5%. The FIA also introduced wing load tests during the French Grand Prix to stop rear wings flexing at speed.
The budget cap excluded marketing, drivers' salaries and the salaries of the top three executives. Each sprint race added $500,000 to a team's cap allowance, and the planned sporting penalties for overspending were dropped after three teams, including Red Bull and Ferrari, voted against them.
| Stage | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Opening round | Bahrain | Hamilton won from Verstappen |
| Early season | Monaco | Verstappen won and took the championship lead |
| Mid-season | Austria | Verstappen won and extended his lead to 32 points |
| Mid-season | Britain | Hamilton won and cut the gap from 33 points to eight |
| Season finale | Abu Dhabi | Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap |
Which drivers stood in during free practice in 2021?
Five drivers acted as test or third drivers in free practice. Ilott and Kubica both drove for Alfa Romeo in free practice, for two and three races, while Nissany and Aitken covered for Williams. Zhou Guanyu also took a turn for Alpine at the Austrian Grand Prix.
How did the race weekend timetable change?
Thursday's media and scrutineering events moved to the Friday morning, and the two Friday practice sessions were cut from 90 minutes to 60. Parc ferme conditions began after the third practice session rather than after qualifying, which limited last-minute setup changes.
The 2021 W Series was added to the support races, alongside Formula 2, Formula 3 and the Porsche Supercup. Formula 2 and Formula 3 alternated their weekends, a cost-saving measure that meant neither series supported every event.
What did the pit stop tolerance rules require?
From the Belgian Grand Prix a technical directive set tolerance limits for pit equipment. Teams had 0.15 seconds from fitting and tightening the tyres to dropping the jack, and 0.2 seconds from dropping the jack to releasing the car. Pit equipment was meant to act passively, so the tolerances enforced that rule.
The FIA said it would use an intelligent wheel gun to check that the tolerances were respected. The directive had been intended for the Hungarian Grand Prix but was postponed.
Why was the Australian Grand Prix replaced by Qatar?
The Australian Grand Prix had been postponed to 21 November, but on 6 July 2021 it was cancelled for a second consecutive year because of low vaccination rates and travel restrictions in Victoria. On 30 September the new Qatar Grand Prix was announced to fill the gap.
How did the Bahrain opener and Emilia Romagna race unfold?
Max Verstappen took pole in Bahrain, but Sergio Perez stalled on the formation lap and was sent to start from the pit lane. Hamilton won the opener from Verstappen, with Valtteri Bottas completing the podium. Hamilton had taken pole at Emilia Romagna, but rain at the start let Verstappen lead from the first corner.
In Bahrain Nikita Mazepin spun at turn three on the first lap and brought out the safety car. Hamilton passed Verstappen on lap 40, and Verstappen later re-passed him on lap 53 before handing the place back for exceeding track limits. At Emilia Romagna, Mazepin and Nicholas Latifi crashed at the exit of turn 13, and Hamilton hit the wall at turn 7 on lap 31.
A later collision between Bottas and George Russell at over 320 km/h (200 mph) on the start-finish straight brought out a red flag. Norris had overtaken Charles Leclerc for second, but Hamilton passed him, leaving Verstappen, Hamilton and Norris on the podium.
What happened at Portugal and Spain in 2021?
Valtteri Bottas took pole in Portugal and led early on, but Hamilton overtook him to win, with Verstappen second and Bottas third. Perez and Norris finished fourth and fifth. Verstappen set the fastest lap on the final lap, but that time was deleted for a track limits breach.
Hamilton took his 100th pole in Spain, but Verstappen overtook him at the first turn on lap one. Yuki Tsunoda pulled over at the reprofiled turn 10 five laps later, his first Formula One retirement. Verstappen pitted on lap 23 and regained the lead on lap 28, but a slow stop and a decision to stay out until lap 59 let Hamilton back in front for the win, with Verstappen second and Bottas third.
Why did the Monaco and Azerbaijan races matter?
Charles Leclerc took pole at Monaco but crashed in the final minutes of qualifying, and a driveshaft failure stopped him from starting. Verstappen led from Bottas and Carlos Sainz Jr. and won, taking the championship lead for the first time in his career.
In Azerbaijan Leclerc took pole again and this time he started. Hamilton passed him on lap two, and Sergio Perez won after the restart, when Hamilton missed a corner after forgetting to adjust his brake bias. It was Perez's first win for Red Bull.
What happened in the Styrian and Austrian races?
Verstappen took his third pole of the season at the Styrian Grand Prix, where three cars collided at the third turn on the first lap and forced Pierre Gasly out. Verstappen won from Hamilton, which extended his title lead to 18 points.
In Austria Verstappen took pole again, but Esteban Ocon retired with broken suspension on the first lap. Lando Norris and Sergio Perez each received penalties for forcing other drivers off track, and Verstappen won from Bottas and Norris, lifting his lead to 32 points.
What did Honda's engine success mean for the 2021 season?
Honda's power unit made it the second supplier in the turbo-hybrid era to back a title-winning car, with Mercedes the first. Verstappen was also the first non-Mercedes driver in that era to win the title, and the first Honda-powered champion since Senna in 1991.
Aston Martin returned to the sport after 1960, backed by Lawrence Stroll's investment in the British marque. Hamilton finished runner-up to Verstappen, and Mercedes held the constructors' crown for an eighth year running.
How did the sprint races work in 2021?
Sprint qualifying was trialled at the British, Italian and Sao Paulo Grands Prix. Qualifying for the sprints took place on Friday afternoon, and the result of the sprint race set the grid for the main race. The winner received three points, the runner-up two and third place one.
At Silverstone Hamilton took pole in qualifying, but Verstappen won the sprint from the front and started the Grand Prix from pole. Hamilton was second in the sprint and Valtteri Bottas third, which set the Sunday grid in Verstappen's favour.
The British race then produced a major collision at Copse. Verstappen and Hamilton touched at about 290 km/h (180 mph), and Verstappen hit the barrier, which stopped the race. Hamilton was given a ten-second penalty for the contact and served it during his pit stop.
Which races shaped the first half of the season?
Hamilton won the opening race in Bahrain, with Verstappen second and Valtteri Bottas third. At Emilia Romagna Verstappen went into the lead at the first corner on lap one, and the race ended with a podium of Verstappen, Hamilton and Lando Norris.
Verstappen won at Monaco, the first time he led the championship, and Red Bull edged a point ahead of Mercedes in the constructors' standings. Sergio Perez took his first Red Bull win at Azerbaijan, and Verstappen claimed his third win of the season in France.
Verstappen won in Styria and then again in Austria, where his lead grew to 32 points. Hamilton's British victory cut the gap from 33 points to eight, and the title fight carried on into the second half of the calendar.
Hamilton was again fastest in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix and took pole. Rainy conditions at the start led to Bottas misjudging his getaway.
The 2021 calendar also brought back the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, its first race since 1985, and added the Qatar and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix as debutants. The Qatar race took place at night at the Lusail International Circuit.