Max Verstappen won the 2021 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship after a scintillating fight with Lewis Hamilton - from the first lap to the last.
It was not until Lap 58 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that the Dutchman sealed his first crown, in a race which appeared to be heading Mercedes’ way.
From red-flag rollercoasters to steward-call controvseries, and of course hard racing all the way, the 2021 season was the mother of all F1 campaigns.
Verstappen versus Hamilton will go down in history and here is how it unfolded...
Round 1: Bahrain Grand Prix - Hamilton wins
A proper taste of what was to come. Verstappen on pole, the Dutchman won the battle off the line but was undercut by Hamilton at the pit stops. Red Bull were angry over alleged track limit breaches before Verstappen finally pulled off the overtake on fresher tyres. Alas, he handed the place back having finished the move off the track and Hamilton held on for a tight win. Appetite: whetted.
Round 2: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
Hamilton started on pole but lost the lead to Verstappen after a fantastic move at a wet Imola. With the track yet to fully dry, the Brit slid off and damaged his wing but was given a route back after a nasty crash between then-teammate Valtteri Bottas and future-teammate George Russell brought out a red flag stoppage. A strong recovery took him from eighth to second.
Round 3: Portuguese Grand Prix - Hamilton wins
With Bottas on pole, the Finn looked comfortable as the title rivals scrapped behind. Verstappen took Hamilton at a safety-car restart before the defending champion found his feet and swooped to lead the race by Lap 20. A slow Bottas pit stop allowed Verstappen to take second with Hamilton cruising to victory.
Round 4: Spanish Grand Prix - Hamilton wins
An incredibly tight qualifying in Hamilton’s favour was undone at the first turn thanks to Verstappen’s strong move down the inside. Mercedes hit back with a two-stop strategy that left Red Bull in no man’s land - even admitting as much over team radio as Hamilton won the race with a move six laps from the end.
Round 5: Monaco Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
The cracks begin to show for Mercedes as Hamilton flounders in qualifying and Verstappen is promoted to pole after Charles Leclerc’s gearbox failure. The Dutchman flies into the distance to win and take the championship lead - with Hamilton labouring to seventh.
Round 6: Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Neither scores a point
Leclerc’s second surprise pole in a row did not stop the title contenders from running first and second after the first few laps in Baku. A slow stop put Hamilton behind Verstappen before the Red Bull suffered a tyre failure and hit the wall with five laps to go. A red-flag restart saw Hamilton accidentally trigger the ‘magic’ button on his brakes, underpowering them for the first corner as he ran wide and finished 15th, and Sergio Perez won the race.
Round 7: French Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
A first-turn wobble from Verstappen allowed Hamilton to take the lead but Red Bull had the strategy, and pace, advantage to snatch the win on the penultimate lap.
Round 8: Styrian Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
The first of a Red Bull Ring double-header during the team’s strongest period of the season. Verstappen led from pole to win by a monster 35 seconds, while Hamilton stopped late to claim the fastest lap point. The Dutchman lapped everyone not in a Red Bull or Mercedes car.
Round 9: Austrian Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
A fifth consecutive Red Bull victory and third in a row for Verstappen, a ‘Grand Slam’ of pole, fastest lap, race win, and leading every lap left his advantage at a season-high 32 points - as Hamilton languished to finish fourth.
Round 10: British Grand Prix - Hamilton win
Verstappen won the first sprint qualifying event of the year and was thought to have the race pace, giving Hamilton a limited window for a ferocious attack off the line. A titanic battle resulted in Hamilton clipping Verstappen down the inside of Copse, sending the Dutchman into the barriers at high speed and requiring a hospital check up. A ten-second penalty was not enough to prevent the Brit from winning on home turf and his jubilant celebrations infuriated his wounded rival.
Round 11: Hungarian Grand Prix - Verstappen bumped off again
Not for the only time this season, an appeal lodged by one contender against the other dominated the build-up but stewards refused to punish Hamilton further for his role in the Silverstone crash. Red Bull’s mood did not improve when Bottas caused collisions with both Perez and Verstappen off the line at a damp Hungaroring. A red-flag restart led to the frankly ludicrous scene of Hamilton arriving at the lights alone having been the only one not to dive into the pits for dry tyres. He rushed back to finish second, behind Esteban Ocon, while Verstappen took his damaged Red Bull home in ninth.
Race 12: Belgian Grand Prix - Verstappen takes the half-win
F1 returned from its summer break to an incredibly wet Spa that created a fascinating qualifying session - and little else. George Russell stunned with his Saturday finish of second on the grid, separating Verstappen on pole and Hamilton. Downpours continued on Sunday and two laps took place under the safety car amid hours of delays, leading to no change in the grid and half points being distributed. Fortuitously, both championship leaders finished in positions that handed out half points, meaning neither could later win the title by 0.5 points.
Race 13: Dutch Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
On rowdy home turf, Verstappen romped to victory around Zandvoort with nobody able to get near his imperious display. Unchallenged from the start, the Dutchman retook the championship lead in front of his adoring fans.
Race 14: Italian Grand Prix - Hamilton’s turn to be taken out
A rather dull sprint qualifying dropped Hamilton to the second row amid a very strong display from the McLarens. Daniel Ricciardo won at Monza following another potentially serious crash between the title rivals. After Hamilton exited the pits neck and neck with Verstappen, the Red Bull driver was cut off at the chicane yet hit the Mercedes, ending up on top of it as both exited the race.
Race 15: Russian Grand Prix - Hamilton wins
Verstappen took a three-place grid penalty for the Monza crash and decided to go all the way to the back of the grid through engine penalties. Hamilton started fourth but snatched a dramatic win, his 100th in F1, off Lando Norris after the youngster made an error on tyre choice amid some late drizzle. Verstappen steamed back to a very strong second place.
Round 16: Turkish Grand Prix - Hamilton struggles in his own rise up the grid
In Istanbul it was Hamilton’s turn to take a grid penalty but Mercedes took the win nonetheless courtesy of Bottas. Verstappen came home second with Hamilton fifth and rueing his late pit-stop strategy, and Red Bull raising an eyebrow at the Merc’s straight line speed increase.
Round 17: United States Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
Expected to be a good track for Mercedes, Verstappen was on sterling form to qualify first and take the win by just over a second. Hamilton took Turn 1 ahead and led until Verstappen performed the undercut, before holding off the defending champ in a titanic battle for the chequered flag.
Round 18: Mexico Grand Prix - Verstappen wins
The race when it all seemed so simple. A disastrous qualifying around a track Red Bull are usually strong was brushed aside as Verstappen jumped both Mercs off the line and steamed into the distance. Victory by over 16 seconds put him 19 points clear with four races to go.
Round 19: Brazilian Grand Prix - Hamilton wins
It’s always darkest before the dawn, as it was for Hamilton after a rear-wing infringement dumped him to the back of sprint qualifying despite putting his car on pole at Interlagos. The track is something of a second home for the Brit, who raced from 20th to fifth on the Saturday before another five-place drop for a fresh power unit. It was no matter as he leapt up the field to challenge Verstappen for the lead. The Red Bull forcing him off the track, and somehow avoiding a penalty, only kept him behind for so long as Hamilton eventually made the move stick for one of the most impressive wins of his career.
Round 20: Qatar Grand Prix - Hamilton wins
The barbs continued to be thrown off-track as Red Bull made their unhappiness known with Mercedes’ rear-wing, after the Brackley team had tried to appeal Verstappen’s lack of penalty in Brazil. Neither came off and the rivals did their talking on track with both in scintillating form around Losail. Hamilton finished first, almost a minute ahead of Fernando Alonso in third, leaving Verstappen without an answer despite giving it his all.
Round 21: Saudi Arabia Grand Prix - Hamilton wins
F1’s first venture to Jeddah on the self-professed fastest street circuit in the world, saw more than just sparks fly. Bottas backed up Verstappen as the two Mercs pitted under a safety car for Mick Schumacher’s shunt but Verstappen had the last laugh, swapping tyres under the subsequent red flag. Off the line, the Dutchman hopped over the chicane kerb to keep the lead and the race director dished out punishment proposals to the teams during the next red flag. Hamilton was allowed to restart the race from the lead but Verstappen’s fresh tyres helped catapult him into first, only for yet another Turn 1 tangle as he cut the chicane again. In attempting to give the place back, the pair collided once more before Hamilton headed off for the win, with a disparate Verstappen second and later handed a time penalty.
Race 22: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Verstappen claims the crown
The duel in the desert began with Hamilton swooping through Turn 1 ahead despite starting second and on slower tyres. Verstappen fought back at the end of the back straight and dived down the inside, leading to Hamilton cutting the chicane and keeping the place - without punishment from the stewards. Red Bull fumed and threw Sergio Perez’s sterling defence and a two-stop strategy to try and catch the defending champion. A virtual safety car also wasn’t enough to turn the tide… but a full safety car was. Nicholas Latifi’s crash led to the backmarkers between the pair being moved out of the way and Verstappen, who had pitted for Softs, made the move on the very last lap to seal the title. Cue Mercedes, protests...
