F1 2021 DRIVER STANDINGS DRIVER
F1 2021 DRIVER STANDINGS FULL

The race was red flagged, and the ensuing restart was a standing start with two laps remaining, with teammate Sergio Perez in the lead ahead of Hamilton in second.

F1 2021 DRIVER STANDINGS DRIVER

It was an issue over which Verstappen, who had just taken the lead of the driver standings for the first time in his Formula 1 career after winning the prior race in Monaco, had no control.

F1 2021 DRIVER STANDINGS FULL

Verstappen was well on his way to winning last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit when his car suffered a left rear tire failure and an ensuing blowout, sending him into the wall at full speed on the main straight. Placing sole blame on Michael Masi was nothing more than a desperate deflection technique.Īlso: 5 mistakes that cost Lewis Hamilton the title So let’s talk about the one “human error” that singlehandedly determined the outcome of the 2021 world championship, once the dust had settled. It’s nothing new, and they fell victim to it. When the race restarted with one lap to go, Hamilton was still in front, and although Verstappen did have new tires, we saw earlier in the race with Hamilton struggling to pass Red Bull’s Sergio Perez for several laps that newer tires by no means guaranteed a pass.īut Mercedes had two opportunities to pit Hamilton for newer tires themselves, and they took neither, as they did not want to sacrifice track position it’s the Catch-22 scenario that comes with leading the race. Of course, that “human error” wasn’t what formally determined the championship. The argument is that had all ( not just “any”) of the lapped cars been allowed to unlap themselves, there would not have been enough time to restart the race, and it therefore would have ended behind the safety car, with Hamilton winning a fourth straight race and a fifth straight world title.ĭuring the offseason, it was ruled by the FIA that “human error led to the fact that not all cars were allowed to unlap themselves”. The title protagonists had entered the season’s 22nd and final race tied at 369.5 points, so Verstappen’s pass and ensuing defense of the lead delivered him his first world title while denying Hamilton what would have been a record-tying eighth.īut the final lap was deemed controversial by many, given a decision that was made during the preceding safety car period to allow only the lapped cars between Hamilton, who had led the majority of the race, and Verstappen to unlap themselves, ultimately setting up a one-lap shootout for the title. The 2021 Formula 1 world championship battle between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton came down to the final lap of the final race of the season, with Verstappen passing Hamilton on lap 58 of 58 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. Last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw the real “human error” that ultimately sealed the 2021 Formula 1 world championship.

F1 2021 driver standings