How Formula 1 2021 was won – and lost

It was a title fight for the ages. Two of the best teams in Formula 1’s history finally went toe to toe for an entire campaign, led by two exceptional drivers who straddle the generations – the older master and younger challenger.

There were arguments, clashes and tactical games between Red Bull and Mercedes, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, throughout 2021. And in the end the Dutchman took his first F1 title. It was not without controversy and at times the atmosphere turned unbearably toxic, but F1 got the box office showdown it wanted – even, infamously, on the season’s final lap.

This is a story of how Hamilton came within touching distance of reaching the greatest achievement yet in his glittering career, but in the end he was beaten by Verstappen, the pretender prevailing to seal the championship and kickstart his own F1 legend.

Testing reveals an inverted formbook

Coming into the campaign, it was unknown how much the cars’ altered rears – with cuts to floor sizes, and smaller strakes on diffusers and brake ducts mandated – would alter the competitive picture. That was because this rule change, forced through to reduce speeds and the strain on Pirelli’s tyres as the cars reached new downforce and speed peaks, combined with the requirement for almost all the rest of each team’s design to be the same as it had been at the end of 2020.

The carryover cars looked nearly identical to the ones that had been used in the previous campaign, but the rear alterations did have a major impact on the championship battle and the eventual winners. This was because the changes hurt the teams using low-rake concepts – Mercedes and Aston Martin – much more than those using the high-rake approach pioneered by Red Bull. And so, in testing, Mercedes’ challenge for the year ahead was revealed. It finished with the fifth quickest time, but always felt