Many think the 2021 F1 season was one of the best in years. However, our managing editor has a completely different view. Let us know if you agree with the sentiments he expresses in the 2021 F1 Season Review.

I’ve spent the last few days ruminating about the 2021 F1 season, as I suspect most F1 fans have. In the weeks leading up to the finale, and the days since, I have read countless headlines and social media posts recounting 2021 as one of the best title fights that people have ever witnessed. However, I feel the complete opposite, and I will try to explain why below.

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A new approach

The 2021 F1 season left the sport in a precarious position. Well, Covid-19 did. After years of complaints regarding the lack of wheel-to-wheel action and overtaking at the pinnacle of four-wheel racing, series rule makers decided to make sweeping changes that would enliven the spectacle (remember this word for later).

The new rules were aimed at revolutionising the way F1 cars generate their aerodynamic grip. There was a shift from the current ‘over-car’ aero devices and the limitations they bring, to the return of under-car, or ground-effect aerodynamics. The venturi (or ground) effect had been banned from the end of the 1982 season. At the time, speeds were rising and safety was not what it is today. This meant that when cars were involved in accidents, the results were pretty dire. 


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Travel turmoil

These new rules were implemented to promote closer running of F1 cars that the current aero set-ups just don’t allow. One car following another relinquishes a great deal of grip as it loses downward pressure thanks to the disrupted/dirty air leaving the car in front and flowing over its own aero devices. Then Covid-19 struck and the world was thrown into turmoil. 

F1, and many other series, were left floundering in the wake of the worldwide pandemic and the ensuant travel restrictions. Would there be a 2020 season? Are there enough races to crown a champion? Where would they take place? To their credit, the series organisers pulled it off. They gave us a slightly shortened, but complete, season. However, the implementation of the 2021/new rules was pushed back a year to 2022. 

A stop-gap year

This left teams in a sticky situation as they were caught in a season when the old/2020 car was supposed to be retired and the new car was not yet allowed. In addition, the organisers were also concerned about the pace of the 2020 car, which was the quickest F1 cars have ever been in terms of lap times.

The interim solution was the removal of a section of the floor of the car. This is vital for airflow in and around the rear bodywork and diffuser. Subsequently, the change affected cars to various degrees. Many teams were left in a situation that they had not budgeted for, i.e. more car development. Therefore, they simply planned to run their 2020 cars in mildly revised form. However, there is a championship to fight for and loads of prize money up for grabs. 

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Battle commences

The 2021 season commenced in Bahrain and it was clear that there would be a two-way fight for supremacy. Defending champions Mercedes-AMG F1 and Lewis Hamilton were immediately battling the RBR of young gun Max Verstappen.

Both drivers are extremely talented, albeit at different points in their careers. Englishman Hamilton has seven titles to his name, while the young Dutchman has seven years of F1 competition under his belt, but without a car to allow him to deliver on his inherent speed. 

It was shaping up to be a thoroughly entertaining battle between two championship teams and their respective lead drivers. Through 2021 we were promised a battle royale, the likes of which we had not seen for years, not since the start of the turbo-hybrid era and Mercedes dominance of the sport. But…

War wages

And this is where I think the 2021 F1 season was a complete and utter s***show. There have been many great F1 competitors over the years, immensely skilled pilots that battled wheel-to-wheel, lap after lap for an entire season, providing immense entertainment while displaying high levels of car control.

Among my favourites are the Hakkinen/Schumacher years. Two rivals who went into a battle fought hard and were often seen discussing race tactics the moment they were out of the car. More recently, we got to watch the likes of Vettel, Alonso and Raikkonen fight hard but fair. In a recent podcast (link here) Raikkonen rated the way he could always race at close quarters with Alonso knowing what to expect, but he doesn’t feel the same about some other drivers in the field… (who could he possibly be referring to…?)

Bitter rivals

The 2021 season developed and it was clear that the reigning champ had a battle on his hands. The RBR16B was the faster car, as chief designer Adrian Newey admitted (link here) at a season-ending post-race interview.

With a faster car the young, hungry Dutchman was a real contender for the first time in his career. And he was not going to let much get in the way of that. As he and Hamilton battled, on occasion, the season crumbled into one of acrimony, particularly between the team bosses and fans. Not to mention some questionable on-track antics from the RBR driver.

An early lead in the championship was eaten into by the resurgent defending champion. In the final few races, the Mercedes W12 and its multi-titleholder driver were in the ascendency. Hamilton drove his socks off to win in Brazil, a feat he repeated twice more before arriving at the final round, level on points with his rival. He clawed back a seemingly insurmountable deficit to stand a real shot at his eighth crown.

Flashpoints in 2021

What should otherwise have been a closely fought contest devolved into a few incidents that were seen in different lights by each supporting camp. The main flashpoints were Imola, Silverstone, Monza, Brazil and the opening lap of the final race. That was it. 

Imagine, for a second, if Sachin Tendulkar faced Shane Warne for just one over in an entire series. Or if Nadal and Federer played just a handful of games, not sets or matches, for an entire year. How about if a dominant Tiger Woods faced his nearest rivals for only a few holes of golf? We’d all feel pretty shortchanged. 

The on-track skirmishes brought with it increased bitterness from the men who signed the paycheques, Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, and could not do their talking on the track, but rather to the media between sessions. Former F1 champ Jacques Villeneuve even likened the driving standards to that seen at a rental karting facility (full story here).

Woeful decision-making

Incidents between the protagonists shone a very bright spotlight on those that adjudicate the rules over race weekends. In most instances, they were found wanting and decisions that should have been fair and equitable, fell on one side or the other, depending on which fanbase you asked.

The final charade was how the season-finale, and title-deciding race ended. Race Director, Michael Masi went against his own interpretation of the Safety Car rules (read more here) to set up a final lap showdown that was heavily skewed in favour of one driver. His actions were not dissimilar to an umpire in cricket tripping a batsman mid-game-winning run.

Forgetful…

Many people are claiming that 2021 was a great season. I think the 2021 F1 season was an annus horribilis: a year of complete disaster and dread.

The FIA seems to place a higher value on the ‘spectacle’ of racing, i.e. the entertainment factor, than the fairness of competition, even former racer JP Montoya thinks so. They have, at several stages this season, left drivers and teams second-guessing how the rules would be applied at any given race or for any situation. That effectively meant each on-track incident was a lottery.

Aftermath

Mercedes-F1 initially lodged an intent to protest the outcome of the final race, and ultimately the championship. But the German automaker pulled the plug mere hours before it would have to file the appeal. At any rate, this driver’s title will always have a contentious cloud hanging over it.

Mercedes rescinded their intent to appeal in the wake of a statement by the FIA a few days ago. The governing body stated that fans “misunderstood” the situation (essentially calling us daft) and simultaneously stated that they implement “detailed analysis and clarification exercise for the future”. My interpretation of this is admitting that something isn’t quite right and it needs fixing. Surely it has to be one or the other, it can’t be both? That rotting cherry is the perfect topping to the lop-sided cake that was the 2021 F1 season.