Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton offered up one of the most fascinating conclusions to a Formula 1 season of all time in 2021.
It’s a finale which divided fans, and to this day, remains one of the most controversial moments in history, as a new drivers’ championship winner was crowned.
Although Hamilton had fought back towards the end of the campaign, his main rival hadn’t made life easy for him by finishing right behind him when he did beat him.
Verstappen’s consistency was key over the course of the season, and although the Abu Dhabi ending wasn’t as most had pictured, he came out the clear winner from the situation.
Can you think of a more controversial moment in F1 history than Abu Dhabi 2021?
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F1 stewards privately admitted Verstappen deserved a penalty for a violation at the Brazilian Grand Prix that year, despite avoiding punishment.
Funnily enough, that same weekend, Verstappen was fined £50k for touching Hamilton’s car against the rules, in an attempt to put pressure on him.
Helmut Marko blames politics for making Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s title fight ‘toxic’
Verstappen thinks Hamilton was a ‘stressful’ opponent, at least more so than Lando Norris, whom he has fought over the last few seasons.
There were multiple peaks in tension back in 2021, with crashes in Silverstone and Monza adding plenty of drama alongside Abu Dhabi.
But, ex-Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who was at the forefront of the battle, has now pointed the blame at one factor for causing a ‘toxic’ atmosphere.
“2021 was, in terms of emotions, politics – in terms of everything, the toughest year I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1,” he told F1-Insider. “Mercedes dominated. Suddenly, Red Bull came along with a relatively young driver and challenged everything.
“There were collisions on the track – the first at Silverstone, where Hamilton’s front wheel hit Max’s rear wheel, sending him flying at over 300 km/h. But there was also a sometimes toxic atmosphere off the track. Political intrigue everywhere. Really, really tough.
“Then the finale in Abu Dhabi, which went in our favour – partly because we changed the tyres at the right moment. At Mercedes, the fact that we lost that World Championship is still deeply ingrained.”
READ MORE: Helmut Marko admits Lewis Hamilton was simply ‘better’ than Max Verstappen in one area in 2021
The remarkable feat Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen achieved in 2021
There’s one glaring statistic that highlights the level of dominance that both Verstappen and Hamilton produced in 2021.
Across the 22 races, despite their crashes and the odd bit of reliability, they finished 14 races in first and second (either way round).
In the same car, that would be surprising, but in different cars, that shows just how dominant they were not only over the rest of the grid, but also over their teammates.
David Coulthard rates Verstappen over Hamilton, which feels a bit harsh, looking at the numbers, but the former still has plenty of time to catch and pass the Briton.
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