Jump to content

2021 Formula One World Championship

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from 2021 F1 World Championship)

The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over twenty-two Grands Prix, and held around the world. Drivers and teams competed for the titles of Formula One World Champion Driver and Formula One World Champion Constructor, respectively.[1]

Max Verstappen won his first World Championship (and the first for a Dutch driver), driving for Red Bull Racing-Honda.
Lewis Hamilton, the defending champion, finished runner-up by 8 points driving for Mercedes.
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas was third, in his final season with the team.
Mercedes won their eighth consecutive Constructors' Championship.
Red Bull finished second in the Constructors' Championship.
Ferrari finished third in the Constructors' Championship.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing-Honda won the Drivers' Championship for the first time in his career, having claimed 10 race wins across the season. Verstappen became the first-ever driver from the Netherlands,[2] the first Honda-powered driver since Ayrton Senna in 1991,[3] the first Red Bull driver since Sebastian Vettel in 2013 and the first non-Mercedes driver in the turbo-hybrid era to win the World Championship. This season saw the return of Aston Martin since 1960 after Lawrence Stroll invested into the British marque.

Honda became the second engine supplier in the turbo-hybrid era to power a championship-winning car, after Mercedes. Four-time defending and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes finished runner-up. Mercedes retained the Constructors' Championship for the eighth consecutive season.[4]

The season featured a close year-long battle for the title between Verstappen and Hamilton, with BBC Sport's Andrew Benson describing it as "one of the most intense, hard-fought battles in sporting history".[5] The two drivers exchanged the championship lead multiple times during the season, and the title contenders were involved in major collisions at the British, Hungarian and Italian Grands Prix. Both drivers entered the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tied on points, which ended with a controversial finish, as it was deemed that race control did not handle a late safety car period fully according to the regulations. Verstappen overtook Hamilton in a late restart, after which Mercedes initially protested the results, and later decided not to appeal after their protest was denied.[6] A review of the incident led to key structural changes to race control, including the removal of Michael Masi from his role as race director and the implementation of a virtual race control room, which assists the race director.[7][8]

This was the first season since 2008 where the champion driver was not from the team that took the constructors' title.[9] The season was also the final season in the sport for 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen.[10]

Entries

The following constructors and drivers were under contract to compete in the 2021 World Championship. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli.[11][12] Each team was required to enter at least two drivers, one for each of the two mandatory cars.[13][14]

Teams and drivers that competed in the 2021 World Championship
Entrant Constructor Chassis Power unit Race drivers
No. Driver name Rounds
Switzerland Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari C41[15] Ferrari 065/6[16] 7
88
99
Finland Kimi Räikkönen
Poland Robert Kubica
Italy Antonio Giovinazzi
1–13, 15–22[a]
13–14
All
Italy Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda AlphaTauri-Honda AT02[17] Honda RA621H[18] 10
22
France Pierre Gasly
Japan Yuki Tsunoda
All
All
France Alpine F1 Team[19] Alpine-Renault A521[20] Renault E-Tech 20B[21] 14
31
Spain Fernando Alonso
France Esteban Ocon
All
All
United Kingdom Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team[22] Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR21[23] Mercedes-AMG F1 M12[24] 5
18
Germany Sebastian Vettel
Canada Lance Stroll
All
All
Italy Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow[b] Ferrari SF21[26] Ferrari 065/6[27] 16
55
Monaco Charles Leclerc
Spain Carlos Sainz Jr.
All
All
United States Uralkali Haas F1 Team[28] Haas-Ferrari VF-21[29] Ferrari 065/6[30] 9
47
Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin[c]
Germany Mick Schumacher
All[d]
All
United Kingdom McLaren F1 Team McLaren-Mercedes MCL35M[32] Mercedes-AMG F1 M12[33] 3
4
Australia Daniel Ricciardo
United Kingdom Lando Norris
All
All
Germany Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 W12[34] Mercedes-AMG F1 M12[35] 44
77
United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton
Finland Valtteri Bottas
All
All
Austria Red Bull Racing Honda Red Bull Racing-Honda RB16B[36] Honda RA621H[37] 11
33
Mexico Sergio Pérez
Netherlands Max Verstappen
All
All
United Kingdom Williams Racing Williams-Mercedes FW43B[38] Mercedes-AMG F1 M12[39] 6
63
Canada Nicholas Latifi
United Kingdom George Russell
All
All
Sources:[40][25][41]

Free practice drivers

Across the season, five drivers drove as a test or third driver in free practice sessions. Callum Ilott and Robert Kubica drove for Alfa Romeo Racing at two and three Grands Prix respectively, while Roy Nissany and Jack Aitken drove for Williams at three Grands Prix and at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, respectively. Zhou Guanyu drove for Alpine at the Austrian Grand Prix.[25]

Drivers that took part in free practice sessions during the 2021 World Championship
Constructor No. Driver Rounds
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 98
88
Great Britain Callum Ilott
Poland Robert Kubica
3, 9
4, 8, 11
Alpine-Renault 37 China Zhou Guanyu 9
Williams-Mercedes 45
89
Israel Roy Nissany
Great Britain Jack Aitken
4, 7, 9
22
Source:[citation needed]

Team changes

McLaren announced that they would change from using Renault power units to ones built by Mercedes, resuming the McLaren-Mercedes partnership that ran between 1995 and 2014.[42] Racing Point became known as Aston Martin. The name change was brought about by the team's part owner Lawrence Stroll investing in the Aston Martin marque making its return to the sport since 1960.[43] Renault became known as Alpine, taking on the name of Renault's sportscar brand.[19]

Driver changes

Mick Schumacher made his Formula One debut with Haas.

Four-time World Drivers' Champion Sebastian Vettel left Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season after racing with the team for six seasons.[44] Vettel's seat was taken by Carlos Sainz Jr., who had left McLaren after two seasons.[45] Daniel Ricciardo moved from Renault to McLaren, where he replaced Sainz.[46] Ricciardo was replaced by double World Champion Fernando Alonso, who drove in Alpine's first season, having last raced in 2018 for McLaren.[47]

Vettel moved to Aston Martin, where he replaced Sergio Pérez.[48][49] Pérez, who had previously signed a contract to drive for Aston Martin's predecessor, Racing Point, until 2022,[50] moved to Red Bull Racing where he replaced Alexander Albon, who was Red Bull Racing's reserve and test driver for the 2021 season.[51] Pérez became the first driver since Mark Webber in 2007 to join the team without being previously a Red Bull Junior Team member.[52]

Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, who had raced for Haas since 2016 and 2017 respectively, left the team at the end of 2020.[53] 2020 Formula 2 Champion Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, took one of the seats at the team[54] while the other was filled by Nikita Mazepin, who finished fifth in the Formula 2 Championship.[55][56]

Yuki Tsunoda, who finished third in 2020 Formula 2 Championship, graduated to Formula One with Scuderia AlphaTauri, replacing Daniil Kvyat, who moved to Alpine as their reserve driver.[57] Tsunoda became the first Japanese Formula One driver since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014.[58]

Mid-season changes

During the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Kimi Räikkönen tested positive for coronavirus.[59] He was replaced at Alfa Romeo Racing by reserve driver Robert Kubica, who last raced at the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, driving for Williams.[60] Räikkönen was also replaced by Kubica at the subsequent Italian Grand Prix.[61]

Nikita Mazepin tested positive for coronavirus during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, and was not replaced for the race as Haas did not field a third driver in free practice.

Calendar

The 2021 calendar consisted of twenty-two events, which were subject to the permissive COVID-19 regulations set by local governments and the Formula One Group.[62] The British, Italian and São Paulo Grands Prix featured the sprint qualifying format.[63]

Round Grand Prix Circuit Race date
1 Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir 28 March
2 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Italy Imola Circuit, Imola 18 April
3 Portuguese Grand Prix Portugal Algarve International Circuit, Portimão 2 May
4 Spanish Grand Prix Spain Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló 9 May
5 Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 23 May
6 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit, Baku 6 June
7 French Grand Prix France Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet 20 June[e]
8 Styrian Grand Prix Austria Red Bull Ring, Spielberg 27 June
9 Austrian Grand Prix 4 July
10 British Grand Prix United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 18 July
11 Hungarian Grand Prix Hungary Hungaroring, Mogyoród 1 August
12 Belgian Grand Prix Belgium Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 29 August
13 Dutch Grand Prix Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 5 September
14 Italian Grand Prix Italy Monza Circuit, Monza 12 September
15 Russian Grand Prix Russia Sochi Autodrom, Sochi 26 September
16 Turkish Grand Prix Turkey Istanbul Park, Tuzla 10 October[f]
17 United States Grand Prix United States Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas 24 October
18 Mexico City Grand Prix Mexico Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City 7 November[g]
19 São Paulo Grand Prix Brazil Interlagos Circuit, São Paulo 14 November[h]
20 Qatar Grand Prix Qatar Lusail International Circuit, Lusail 21 November
21 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Saudi Arabia Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah 5 December[i]
22 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi 12 December[j]
Sources:[64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73]

The following rounds were planned, but were cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Grand Prix Circuit Scheduled date
Chinese Grand Prix China Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai 11 April
Canadian Grand Prix Canada Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal 13 June
Singapore Grand Prix Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore 3 October
Japanese Grand Prix Japan Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka 10 October
Australian Grand Prix Australia Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne 21 November[k]
Sources:[66][70][74][75][76]

Calendar expansion and changes from 2020 to 2021

Liberty Media, the sport's commercial rights holders, announced that there would be scope for the 2021 calendar to expand beyond the planned twenty-two races of the 2020 calendar.[77] The sporting regulations were amended to allow for a maximum of twenty-five Grands Prix per year.[78]

Further changes to the calendar are planned following the disruption to the 2020 championship brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic:

Liberty Media was also reported to have come to an agreement in principle with race organisers to host a second race in the United States. Plans to hold the race at a circuit in Miami Gardens were unveiled.[101][102] A second proposal to move the former Brazilian Grand Prix from São Paulo to a new circuit in Rio de Janeiro was also suspended.[103]

Calendar changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic

The original calendar that was approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council included the Chinese Grand Prix, which was due to take place on 11 April. However, the event was postponed and later cancelled, due to travel restrictions. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, which was originally intended to be a one-off Grand Prix in 2020, was retained in its place. Additionally, the Australian Grand Prix, which had been due to take place on 21 March as the inaugural Grand Prix of the championship, was postponed to 21 November. On 6 July 2021, the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix was revised to be a cancellation for a second consecutive year, due to low vaccination rates and travel restrictions in place in Victoria.[104][105] The dates for the São Paulo, Saudi Arabian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix were changed to accommodate this.[66]

On 28 April 2021, the Canadian Grand Prix was cancelled for a second consecutive year and was replaced by the Turkish Grand Prix, originally intended to make a one-off return in 2020.[106] On 14 May 2021, the Turkish Grand Prix was postponed due to the British government imposing a ten-day hotel quarantine on travellers from Turkey into the United Kingdom. As a result, the French Grand Prix was moved forward a week and the Styrian Grand Prix, which was originally intended to be a one-off race in 2020, was added to the calendar in its place.[70] On 4 June 2021, the Singapore Grand Prix, which was originally due to take place on 3 October, was cancelled due to ongoing safety and logistic concerns[74] and was replaced by the re-joined Turkish Grand Prix.[107]

On 18 August 2021, the Japanese Grand Prix was cancelled for a second consecutive year.[76] The race calendar was revised again on 28 August 2021, consisting of twenty-two Grands Prix, with the Turkish, Mexico City and São Paulo Grands Prix moved a week later, the round in which the cancelled Australian Grand Prix was due to take place left empty in order to replace it, and the confirmation that the Japanese Grand Prix would not be replaced.[72] On 30 September 2021 the new Qatar Grand Prix was announced in place of the cancelled Australian Grand Prix.[73]

Regulation changes

The 2021 championship was originally due to introduce significant changes to the regulations, including the sport's governance, car designs and the sporting rules but these were delayed in March 2020 in response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[108] These rule changes were instead introduced in 2022.[109]

Financial regulation

The championship introduced a budget cap, with teams limited to spending a maximum of $145 million per year.[110][111][m] Teams were required to use more commercially available materials and to submit their annual expenditure.[112] Some teams argued to further reduce the budget cap to $100 million, citing concerns that the long-term financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the future of as many as four teams.[113][114] Formula One managing director Ross Brawn stated that the sport's intention is to reduce the budget cap further in the coming years.[111]

The value of the budget cap was set for twenty-one races; each additional race increased the budget cap by $1 million, and vice versa: each race removed from the scheduled twenty-one race calendar deducted the budget cap by $1 million.[115] However, the budget cap did not include marketing budget, drivers' salaries, and the salaries of the team's top three executives. In addition, under a later agreement among the teams regarding the introduction of sprint qualifying races, each team received an additional $500,000 for the three sprint qualifying races on top of the current budget cap, and further flexibility on budget cap in case the cars got damaged during the sprint qualifying races.[116] There were also additional restrictions dictating how prize money can be spent.[117] The cap only applied to expenditure related to car performance, which remained in place until 2026.[115] In the event that a team broke the financial regulations, the team can be penalised. It was originally planned a range of punishments for exceeding their annual budget, which include being deducted championship points, having reduced testing time, a race ban, or—for the most severe cases—disqualification from the championship.[115] However, Toto Wolff later revealed that the intended sporting penalties such as points deductions and reduced testing for budget cap breaches would not be handed out, having been voted down by three teams including Red Bull and Ferrari.[118]

Technical regulations

Teams were limited in what components could be modified for the 2021 season, with this requirement introduced to ease financial pressures on teams brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.[119][120] The teams were allowed to apply for special dispensation to make changes, most notably in the case of McLaren, who were given permission to modify their car to accommodate the switch from Renault to Mercedes engines.[121] This prompted the FIA to introduce a token system whereby teams were given a series of tokens which could be exchanged for the introduction of specific component upgrades.[122][123]

Some aerodynamic rule changes were enacted by the FIA.[124] The floor of the cars were 'clipped' in order to reduce downforce for 2021. In 2020, the floor was permitted to run in a straight line from an area adjacent to the cockpit back to a point ahead of the rear tyre. However, from 2021 that point ahead of the tyre was moved 100 millimetres (3.9 in) inboard, making the floor edge a diagonal line when viewed from above. This change was expected to reduce downforce levels by 5%.[125][124] Further, some slots on the edge of the floor were removed, brake duct winglets were narrowed by 40 millimetres (1.6 in) and diffuser fences were narrowed by 50 millimetres (2.0 in). These three changes have reduced downforce levels by a further 5%, meaning the 2021 regulations have seen a total 10% reduction in downforce. However, the teams increased downforce by 4–5% over the winter, so the overall downforce reduction was approximately 5%.[126]

The "dual-axis steering" (DAS) system developed by Mercedes in 2020 was banned, starting from 2021.[127] The DAS system allowed the driver to adjust the toe of the front wheels to optimise mechanical grip by pulling or pushing on the steering wheel.[128] The FIA introduced newly revised wing load tests mid-season at the French Grand Prix to clamp down on potentially excessively flexing rear wings. This comes after Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team had claimed, at the Spanish Grand Prix, that the rear wing of the Red Bull RB16B flexed significantly at high speed and load, allowing greater top speeds. Under 2021 Formula One regulations wings must be immobile and rigidly attached to the bodywork.[129]

From the Belgian Grand Prix onwards a new technical directive was enforced surrounding pit stop equipment after concerns teams were flouting the article 12.8.4 of Formula One technical regulations that state that pit equipment may only be filled with compressed air or nitrogen and that sensors on this equipment must 'act passively' to achieve quicker pit stop times and potentially meaning cars could be released in an unsafe condition. To help enforce this new tolerance parameters will be introduced of 0.15 seconds from when the tyres have been fitted and tightened to the dropping of the jack and 0.2 seconds from the dropping of the jack to a car being released by the pit crew.[130] The change was originally supposed to come in for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but was postponed.[131] In a further clarification the FIA will have the means of ensuring the new tolerance limits are adhered to by using an intelligent wheel gun.[132]

Sporting regulations

It was originally proposed that teams would be required to allow a driver who had competed in fewer than two Grands Prix to replace one of their race drivers in a Friday practice session over the course of the season. Whilst these rules were intended to give a chance to more non-Formula One drivers to test a Formula One car, the wording of this rule meant that teams satisfy the requirement if one of their regular drivers was in their rookie season.[133][134] Such rules were instead implemented for the 2022 season.[135][136]

Following the Mercedes tyre error during the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, where George Russell was given front tyres allocated to Valtteri Bottas during a pit stop, the FIA had adjusted the rules on tyre usage; drivers using mixed compound sets or using sets allocated to another driver on their cars were permitted to complete two laps before the driver must pit to correct the error before facing a penalty. Under the previous rules, drivers could be disqualified as soon as such error had occurred.[137] The race time limit for red-flagged races was also reduced from four hours to three hours.[138] From the 2021 United States Grand Prix, lap times set under double waved yellow flags were automatically deleted.[139]

Race weekend changes

For the 2021 season, the schedule of a race weekend was revised. Under the pre-existing regulations, a race weekend spanned four days, with the Thursday before the race being reserved for media and promotional events and scrutineering; however, under the new regulations all of Thursday's events were moved to the Friday morning, with the times between activities on that day being reduced. Cars were under parc fermé conditions following the end of free practice three instead of qualifying, further restricting teams and drivers from making major changes to setups ahead of the race.[140] The length of the two Friday practice sessions were cut from 90 minutes (as had been the case since the 2007 season) to 60 minutes.[141][142] The 2021 W Series for female drivers was added to the list of support racing series alongside Formula 2, Formula 3, and Porsche Supercup. The 2021 W Series season started at the Red Bull Ring, where it was a support event for the Styrian Grand Prix in late June.[143] It ended in late October at the Mexico City Grand Prix.[144] Formula 2 and Formula 3 supported Formula One on alternate weekends, rather than the same ones as a cost saving measure.[145]

There was a trial of sprint qualifying at the British,[146] Italian,[147] and São Paulo Grands Prix.[148] Qualifying for these sprints took place on Friday afternoon in place of the normal second practice session and the sprints ran over the least number of laps to exceed 100 km (62 mi), approximately one third of a normal race distance. The result of the sprint race determined the starting grid for the main race. Three points were awarded to the winner of the sprint race, two points to the runner-up, and one point to the third-placed finisher;[149] sprint races were set to be expanded for the 2022 season.[150] The British Grand Prix timetable for 16–18 July revealed that there would be no running for Formula One cars until 14:30 local time on Friday with the normal Qualifying starting at 18:00. Normally, the second practice session would have been at around 14:00, with no running in the evening. A second practice session is due to start at 12:00 on Saturday, before the Sprint Qualifying at 16:30. The main race is due to start at 15:00 on Sunday. At events with Sprint Qualifying, the parc fermé was now brought forward to Friday after normal Qualifying, which saw drivers only allowed to use the softest available tyre with the usual requirement for the top 10 to start on the tyres they used for their best lap in Q2 removed for events including Sprint Qualifying in their schedule. There is also no requirement to make a pit stop during Sprint Qualifying, and all 20 drivers at events where Sprint Qualifying takes place were given free tyre choice ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix.[151][152] Teams were given a $500,000 overall grant by the FIA to cover the cost of the scheduled three sprint races.[153]

Season summary

Pre-season

Winter testing switched from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, with three days of running beginning on 12 March.[154] Formula One declined an offer from Bahrain to provide COVID-19 vaccines for all personnel attending pre-season testing and the season's opening Grand Prix.[155] However, several teams and drivers opted to accept the Bahrain government's offer.[156]

Opening rounds

Max Verstappen took pole position on the opening round in Bahrain.[157] On the formation lap, Sergio Pérez stalled at the last turn and was relegated to start in the pit lane, leaving his 11th place spot vacant.[158] On the first lap, Nikita Mazepin spun at turn 3, crashing into the barrier and calling out the safety car.[159] AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly collided with Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren the lap after the safety car ended,[160] while Mick Schumacher spun off behind the pack.[161] Lewis Hamilton got past Verstappen on lap 40, but on lap 53 Verstappen overtook Hamilton at turn 4, before being ordered to give the place back because he exceeded track limits.[162] In the end, Hamilton won from Verstappen, and Valtteri Bottas completed the podium. Lando Norris finished in fourth and Pérez, after starting from last, recovered to fifth.[163]

At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Hamilton took pole from Pérez and Verstappen.[164] Verstappen went into the lead at turn 1 on lap 1, after it started raining on race day. Mazepin and Nicholas Latifi crashed at the exit of turn 13, bringing out the safety car.[165] Under the safety car, Schumacher lost control of his car and spun into the pit exit, losing his front wing.[166] On lap 31, at turn 7, Hamilton made a mistake, hitting the wall and damaging his front wing. After approximately a minute in the gravel, he rejoined.[167] The moment he did, his teammate Bottas and George Russell had a crash at over 320 km/h (200 mph) on the start-finish straight, bringing out the red flag.[168] After the race restarted, Norris overtook Charles Leclerc for second, but the former was overtaken by Hamilton, resulting in a podium of Verstappen, Hamilton and Norris.[169]

Bottas took pole at the Portuguese Grand Prix.[170] He kept his lead from Hamilton and Verstappen. On lap 2, Kimi Räikkönen made contact with his teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi, and was forced into retirement, while Giovinazzi could continue.[171] Hamilton eventually overtook Bottas and won with Verstappen in second and Bottas in third. Pérez and Norris came fourth and fifth, respectively.[172] Verstappen took the fastest lap on the last lap but was soon deleted, due to track limits, meaning Bottas was given the fastest lap point.[173]

Hamilton took his 100th pole position in Spain.[174] On lap 1, Verstappen overtook him at the first turn. Five laps later, Yuki Tsunoda pulled over at the reprofiled turn 10, marking his first Formula One retirement.[175] Hamilton took the lead after Verstappen pitted on lap 23, but Verstappen took it back on lap 28. However, a slow stop and a decision to stay out until lap 59 let Hamilton into the lead until the checkered flag, Verstappen ended up second with Bottas in third place from Leclerc and Pérez.[176]

Leclerc took pole at the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing in the final minutes.[177] The crash caused a driveshaft failure,[178] meaning he was unable to start the race.[179] Verstappen started at the front and led from Bottas and Carlos Sainz Jr. On lap 30, Bottas was forced into retirement after his front-right tyre would not come off during a routine pitstop.[180] Verstappen took the victory, as well as the championship lead for the first time in his career; Red Bull came away from this race with a one-point lead in the Constructors' Championship. Behind Verstappen, Sainz took his first podium for Ferrari, and Norris took his second podium of the season in third place.[181]

Leclerc took pole again in Azerbaijan, this time he was able to start the race.[182] He led for one lap before Hamilton got past on lap 2 at turn 1. Hamilton was held up in his pitstop to allow Gasly to pass him in the pitlane, handing Verstappen the net race lead. On lap 30, Lance Stroll crashed out due to a tyre failure and brought out the safety car.[183] With Verstappen comfortably leading with six laps to go, he suffered a tyre failure, causing him to crash on the pit straight, bringing out the safety car and then the red flag on lap 46 and 48, respectively.[184] The race was restarted with two laps of racing left. Hamilton went up the inside of Pérez at the restart, but forgot to adjust his brake bias and missed the corner.[185] Pérez won for the second time in his career and took his first win for Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel took Aston Martin's first podium in Formula One, while Gasly took his third career podium.[186]

In France, Verstappen got his second pole of the season,[187] only to go wide at the first turn and lose the lead to Hamilton in the first lap. After regaining first with an undercut in his first pit stop, Verstappen found himself under heavy pressure from both Mercedes drivers. Verstappen relinquished his lead to pit a second time, one of two drivers to do so, returning to the track 18 seconds behind Hamilton. The speed advantage allowed him to make up the lost time, overtaking Bottas on lap 44 and Hamilton on the penultimate lap, for his third win of the year and his thirteenth win overall.[188][189] Hamilton, now 12 points behind in the Drivers' Championship, did secure second, and with an overtake on lap 49, Pérez managed to take third place, pushing Bottas to fourth.[190] It was the first race of the season where the race winner also took pole position and the fastest lap, and the first race of the season with no retirements.[191] Red Bull extended their lead over Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship to 37 points after the race.[192]

Mid-season rounds

Max Verstappen took his third season pole at the Styrian Grand Prix, the first of two back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring.[193] On the first lap, three cars collided at the third turn, forcing Pierre Gasly out of the race.[194] Verstappen won from Lewis Hamilton, meaning Verstappen extended his title lead to 18 points. Valtteri Bottas came third, taking his first podium since Spain.[195] Verstappen took pole at the Austrian Grand Prix, the last race of the first triple header.[196] On the first lap, Esteban Ocon retired with broken suspension.[197] Lando Norris received a penalty after being judged to have forced Sergio Pérez off track.[198] Pérez later received two penalties for doing the same to Charles Leclerc.[199] Verstappen won the race from Bottas and Norris. Hamilton finished fourth,[200] after picking up damage to the underside of his car,[201] meaning that Verstappen was able to extend his championship lead to 32 points.[202]

Hamilton was fastest in qualifying to start in first place for the first ever sprint in the British Grand Prix.[203] In the sprint, Verstappen made a better start than Hamilton and overtook him before the first corner, leading every lap and winning the sprint with Hamilton second and Bottas third, thus Verstappen started on pole for the Grand Prix itself.[204] On lap five of the sprint, Pérez spun, dropping him to the back of the field, and later retiring,[205] forcing him to start from the pits for the race.[206] On the first lap of the Grand Prix, Verstappen and Hamilton collided at approximately 290 kilometres per hour (180 mph) at Copse corner.[207] Hamilton made contact with Verstappen's right rear wheel, causing the tyre to come off and Verstappen travelled into the barrier, causing the race to be stopped temporarily. Hamilton was penalised for the contact with a ten-second penalty, which he served during his pit stop.[208] Leclerc led most of the Grand Prix, but finished second after Hamilton overtook Norris, Bottas, and Leclerc in the late stages to win the race.[209] Hamilton reduced his gap to Verstappen from 33 points to eight points.[210]

Hamilton was again fastest in qualifying to take pole in the Hungarian Grand Prix.[211] Rainy conditions at the start of the race led to Bottas misjudging his braking and sliding into the back of Norris; this escalated into multiple collisions which eventually eliminated five drivers: Bottas, Norris (who only retired on lap 3), Pérez, Lance Stroll and Leclerc.[212] Due to the large amount of debris on the track, the race was red-flagged; at this stage, Hamilton led from Ocon and Sebastian Vettel, with championship leader Verstappen, having acquired damage on the opening lap, in 13th. Hamilton was the only driver who did not choose to pit for slick tyres at the end of the formation lap, leaving him the only driver on the grid for the restart;[213] this saw him drop to last when he pitted on the next lap. In the pits, Kimi Räikkönen was released into Nikita Mazepin's path, putting Mazepin out of the race.[214] The newly promoted Ocon held his lead until the end to take his first Formula 1 victory, finishing ahead of Vettel, and Hamilton, who had battled his way back up the classification, and Carlos Sainz Jr.[215] Vettel was later disqualified for a fuel sample issue, promoting Hamilton to second and Sainz to third.[216] Hamilton's recovery drive saw him retake the championship lead over Verstappen by eight points, while Mercedes also regained their advantage over Red Bull in the Constructors' standings by twelve points. Meanwhile, Nicholas Latifi and George Russell were classified seventh and eighth, taking Williams's first points since 2019.[217]

Verstappen took pole from Russell and Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix in a wet qualifying session.[218] The race was heavily affected by rain, which initially saw the start delayed by 25 minutes. After two formation laps behind the safety car, the race start was suspended and red-flagged due to poor conditions and lack of visibility.[219] A nearly three-hour delay followed before the race was resumed. After a further three laps, the race was red-flagged again.[220] It was not restarted,[221] becoming the shortest race in Formula 1 history and the sixth to award half-points as less than 75% of the race was completed.[222] Verstappen won by default, with Russell in second and Hamilton in third place. It was Russell's first podium in Formula 1.[223] As a result, Hamilton's lead in the championship was cut to three points from Verstappen.[224]

Daniel Ricciardo's victory at the Italian Grand Prix was the first Grand Prix victory for McLaren since 2012, and with Lando Norris their first 1–2 finish since 2010.

Verstappen would again take pole at the first Dutch Grand Prix to take place since 1985 at Zandvoort.[225] He held his lead from Hamilton to take the win at his home race,[226] taking over the lead of the championship by three points. Bottas came third, overtaking Norris, who finished tenth,[227] in the standings for third place.[228] Bottas won sprint qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix, but was forced to start from the back of the grid after exceeding the quota of one on his power units' components. Verstappen started at the front with the McLarens second and third. Daniel Ricciardo took the lead on lap 1. A slow stop for Verstappen meant that he ended up alongside Hamilton after the latter made his pitstop. Hamilton and Verstappen collided, ending their races prematurely. Ricciardo led to the end to take his first victory since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and McLaren's first victory since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. His teammate Norris finished a career-best second place, whilst Bottas came third from the back of the grid after a penalty was applied to Pérez.[229] After the race, Verstappen was penalised by the stewards for being predominantly at fault for the collision with Hamilton; he was given a 3-place grid-penalty for the next race and two penalty points on his super licence.[230]

Verstappen was required to start from the back at the Russian Grand Prix for exceeding his quota of a number of his power unit components. Norris took his first career pole position, from Sainz (his best qualifying result), and Russell.[231] The running order changed substantially as heavy rain began to fall in the closing laps. Hamilton took his 100th Formula One victory as well as the championship lead, ahead of Verstappen and Sainz.[232]

Closing rounds

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in qualifying in Turkey, but was dropped down the grid because of a penalty due to a power unit component change.[233] Valtteri Bottas was promoted to pole position and won the race, his first of 2021. He was followed by Max Verstappen, who re-took the championship lead, and Sergio Pérez, who took his first podium since France.[234] Verstappen continued his momentum in the United States Grand Prix, taking pole position. Despite Hamilton taking the lead in turn 1, Verstappen was able to win the race with Hamilton in second place, in front of Pérez. The result increased Verstappen's lead to 12 points as Hamilton collected an extra Championship point by setting the fastest lap.[235] Bottas took pole in Mexico City, but was spun around at the first corner by Daniel Ricciardo. Another incident behind involving Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher took both drivers out of the race, calling out the safety car.[236] Verstappen took his second win in a row, increasing his lead from Hamilton in second, and Pérez took the final spot on the podium in his home race.[237]

Hamilton was fastest in qualifying in Brazil, but was disqualified the following day for a technical infringement. Bottas won the qualifying sprint, giving him pole position for the Grand Prix. By finishing second in the sprint, Verstappen increased his championship lead over Hamilton by two points, and Carlos Sainz Jr., who finished third, increased Ferrari's championship lead over McLaren. Hamilton finished fifth in the sprint from last on the grid, but a five-place grid drop due to taking a new engine relegated him to tenth on the grid for the Grand Prix. On race day, both Verstappen and Pérez were able to overtake Bottas on the first lap. Meanwhile, Lando Norris and Sainz were involved in a separate incident, with Norris getting a puncture. On lap 48, Hamilton caught up to Verstappen and attempted an overtake, but failed and resulted in both of them going off track. Hamilton tried again on lap 59 and got past. He won the race from Verstappen, decreasing Verstappen's championship lead from 21 points to 14 points,[238] while Bottas completed the podium.[239]

Hamilton took pole position in Qatar, while a penalty for failing to respect double waived yellow flags during qualifying forced Verstappen to start from seventh.[240] Hamilton took the win, leading every lap of the race. Verstappen quickly recovered to second place but was unable to threaten Hamilton's race lead despite setting the fastest lap on the last lap of the race. Fernando Alonso used a one-stop strategy to finish third, less than three seconds ahead of Peréz in fourth, it was Alonso's first podium since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix. Bottas and Nicholas Latifi retired from the race after they and multiple others suffered punctures on track. The result reduced Verstappen's lead in the Driver's Championship to eight points while Mercedes's lead in the Constructors' Championship was reduced to five points.[241][242]

Hamilton took pole position again in the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ahead of Bottas and Verstappen, who crashed at the last corner of his final qualifying lap.[243] The race played host to several incidents which saw the retirements of Schumacher, Pérez, George Russell, Nikita Mazepin, and Sebastian Vettel, with Hamilton, Verstappen, Tsunoda, and Kimi Räikkönen also being involved in collisions during the race. Hamilton won the race from Verstappen, while Bottas overtook Esteban Ocon at the final corner to take third place.[244] The results left Hamilton and Verstappen on equal points in the Drivers' Championship going into the final round in Abu Dhabi, while Mercedes extended their lead in the Constructors Championship to 28 points.[245]

In his 19th year competing in F1 Kimi Räikkönen, driving for Alfa Romeo, retired after the season.

Season finale and controversy

Max Verstappen (right) and Lewis Hamilton (left) together finished either 1st or 2nd at 14 Grand Prix races across the 2021 season, including the United States Grand Prix (pictured).

Verstappen took the pole position in Abu Dhabi ahead of Hamilton and Norris.[246] During the race, Hamilton had a better start and took the lead into the first turn. At turn six Verstappen attempted to pass, forcing Hamilton to evade by going off the track. Emerging from the corner still in the lead, Hamilton was instructed to give up the advantage he had gained. The pair settled in their positions until the first round of pit stops, with Hamilton gradually extending his lead. He later lost much of his advantage when Pérez, Verstappen's teammate with Red Bull, and who had yet to make a pit stop, made it difficult for Hamilton to pass him, though Verstappen was unable to capitalise. Later, a virtual safety car period allowed Verstappen to change his tyres without losing track position, which was an attempt to catch Hamilton with fresher tyres. With seven laps remaining, the safety car was brought out for a crash involving Latifi, and Red Bull used the opportunity to give Verstappen a fresh set of soft tyres, while Hamilton, still on his now-quite-old hard compound tyres, was not pitted. Race director Michael Masi took the decision to allow only the five lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves before restarting the race with only one lap remaining.[247] Upon the restart, Verstappen quickly passed Hamilton and held him off for the remainder of the lap to win the race and the championship.[248][249]

Mercedes lodged two separate protests against the race's result.[250][251] Both protests were dismissed,[252][253][n] and Mercedes announced their intention to appeal the dismissal of the protest regarding the handling of the restart following the safety car period.[256]

A statement from the FIA acknowledged the controversy,[257] and that it was "tarnishing the image of the championship and the due celebration".[258] The statement was made after a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, which was scheduled for 15 December 2021,[259] and was described as "extending an olive branch to Mercedes".[257] On 16 December 2021,[260] Mercedes announced that it had withdrawn its challenge to the race result.[261][o] In addition, Hamilton boycotted the end of season FIA prize-giving ceremony, held on 16 December 2021, and at the time there were questions whether he would continue in F1.[264] Hamilton was investigated for breaching the Sporting Regulations which state the top three drivers in the championship must attend the FIA Gala. Newly elected FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem stating in the immediate championship aftermath that there would be "no forgiveness" for Hamilton's failure to attend the event.[265]

Post-season events

Following an FIA investigation and inquiry, Michael Masi was removed from his role as race director, being replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, with Herbie Blash appointed as a permanent senior advisor alongside Wittich and Freitas.[7][8]

On 10 March 2022 the FIA World Motor Sport Council report on the events of the final race of the season was announced, and that the "Race Director called the safety car back into the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap as required by the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations", however also noted that the "results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the FIA Formula One World Championship are valid, final and cannot now be changed".[266][267] Hamilton himself revealed that he had been fined for failing to attend the FIA Prize Giving Gala asking for the governing body to donate the proceeds to underprivileged children who want to get involved in motorsport.[268]

Financial breaches

In October 2022, the FIA published their review of the teams' budgets for 2021. Red Bull Racing had committed a minor financial breach (defined as less than 5% over budget) of £1,864,000. Additionally, both Aston Martin and Red Bull were found to have made procedural breaches.[269] Red Bull were punished with a US$7,000,000 and a 10% reduction in wind tunnel testing time for period of one year,[270] while Aston Martin were fined US$450,000.[271] Opinion on the outcome amongst F1 team personnel was divided, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner "begrudgingly" accepting what he deemed to be a "draconian" punishment, stating that the loss of wind tunnel time could cost them between 0.25 and 0.5 seconds a lap in performance.[272] Alpine's Otmar Szafnauer and Mercedes' Toto Wolff felt the FIA's decision was fair, with the latter stating that the "reputational damage" incurred by Red Bull would be enough to deter teams from breaching the cost cap in future. McLaren's Andreas Seidl, was less satisfied, saying that "the penalty doesn't fit the breach" and hoping for "stricter" penalties for future circumventions of the rules.[273]

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Round Grand Prix[p] Pole position[q] Fastest lap Winning driver Winning constructor Report
1 Bahrain Bahrain Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen Finland Valtteri Bottas United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
2 Italy Emilia Romagna Grand Prix United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
3 Portugal Portuguese Grand Prix FIN Valtteri Bottas Finland Valtteri Bottas United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
4 Spain Spanish Grand Prix United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Netherlands Max Verstappen United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
5 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Charles Leclerc[r] United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
6 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Grand Prix Monaco Charles Leclerc Netherlands Max Verstappen Mexico Sergio Pérez Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
7 France French Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen Netherlands Max Verstappen Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
8 Austria Styrian Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
9 Austria Austrian Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen Netherlands Max Verstappen Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
10 United Kingdom British Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen Mexico Sergio Pérez United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
11 Hungary Hungarian Grand Prix United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton France Pierre Gasly France Esteban Ocon France Alpine-Renault Report
12 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen None recognised[275] Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
13 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
14 Italy Italian Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen[s] Australia Daniel Ricciardo Australia Daniel Ricciardo United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes Report
15 Russia Russian Grand Prix United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
16 Turkey Turkish Grand Prix Finland Valtteri Bottas[t] Finland Valtteri Bottas Finland Valtteri Bottas Germany Mercedes Report
17 United States United States Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
18 Mexico Mexico City Grand Prix Finland Valtteri Bottas Finland Valtteri Bottas Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
19 Brazil São Paulo Grand Prix Finland Valtteri Bottas Mexico Sergio Pérez United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
20 Qatar Qatar Grand Prix United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Netherlands Max Verstappen United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
21 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian Grand Prix United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes Report
22 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Netherlands Max Verstappen Netherlands Max Verstappen Netherlands Max Verstappen Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda Report
Source:[279]

Scoring system

Points towards both titles were awarded to the top ten classified finishers at each event.[1] In addition, one point was awarded to the driver who achieved the fastest lap time of the race and to the relevant constructor, provided the driver was in the top ten positions of the final race classification.[1] At those events where a sprint qualifying session took place, points for both titles were awarded to the top three finishers in the final sprint qualifying session classification.[1]

In the case of a tie on points a countback system was used where the driver with the most first places is ranked higher. If the number of first places was identical then the number of second places was considered, and so on. If this procedure failed to produce a result, the FIA nominated the winner according to such criteria as it thinks fit. The points were awarded for every race using the following system:[280]

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th  FL
Race 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 1
Sprint qualifying[p] 3 2 1
Source:[280]

World Drivers' Championship standings

Pos. Driver BHR
Bahrain
EMI
Italy
POR
Portugal
ESP
Spain
MON
Monaco
AZE
Azerbaijan
FRA
France
STY
Austria
AUT
Austria
GBR
United Kingdom
HUN
Hungary
BEL
Belgium
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
RUS
Russia
TUR
Turkey
USA
United States
MXC
Mexico
SAP
Brazil
QAT
Qatar
SAU
Saudi Arabia
ABU
United Arab Emirates
Points
1 Netherlands Max Verstappen 2P 1 2 2F 1 18†F 1PF 1P 1PF Ret1 P 9 1P 1P Ret2 P 2 2 1P 1 22 2F 2 1PF 395.5
2 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 1 2PF 1 1P 7F 15 2 2F 4 12 2P 3 2F Ret 1 5 2F 2 1 1P 1PF 2 387.5
3 Finland Valtteri Bottas 3F Ret 3PF 3 Ret 12 4 3 2 33 Ret 12 3 31 5 1PF 6 15PF 31 P Ret 3 6 226
4 Mexico Sergio Pérez 5 11 4 5 4 1 3 4 6 16F Ret 19 8 5 9 3 3 3 4F 4 Ret 15† 190
5 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. 8 5 11 7 2 8 11 6 5 6 3 10 7 6 3 8 7 6 63 7 8 3 164.5
6 United Kingdom Lando Norris 4 3 5 8 3 5 5 5 3 4 Ret 14 10 2 7PF 7 8 10 10 9 10 7 160
7 Monaco Charles Leclerc 6 4 6 4 DNSP 4P 16 7 8 2 Ret 8 5 4 15 4 4 5 5 8 7 10 159
8 Australia Daniel Ricciardo 7 6 9 6 12 9 6 13 7 5 11 4 11 1F 3 4 13 5 12 Ret 12 5 12 115
9 France Pierre Gasly 17† 7 10 10 6 3 7 Ret 9 11 5F 6 4 Ret 13 6 Ret 4 7 11 6 5 110
10 Spain Fernando Alonso Ret 10 8 17 13 6 8 9 10 7 4 11 6 8 6 16 Ret 9 9 3 13 8 81
11 France Esteban Ocon 13 9 7 9 9 Ret 14 14 Ret 9 1 7 9 10 14 10 Ret 13 8 5 4 9 74
12 Germany Sebastian Vettel 15 15† 13 13 5 2 9 12 17† Ret DSQ 5 13 12 12 18 10 7 11 10 Ret 11 43
13 Canada Lance Stroll 10 8 14 11 8 Ret 10 8 13 8 Ret 20 12 7 11 9 12 14 Ret 6 11 13 34
14 Japan Yuki Tsunoda 9 12 15 Ret 16 7 13 10 12 10 6 15 Ret DNS 17 14 9 Ret 15 13 14 4 32
15 United Kingdom George Russell 14 Ret 16 14 14 17† 12 Ret 11 12 8 2 17† 9 10 15 14 16 13 17 Ret Ret 16
16 Finland Kimi Räikkönen 11 13 Ret 12 11 10 17 11 15 15 10 18 WD 8 12 13 8 12 14 15 Ret 10
17 Canada Nicholas Latifi 18† Ret 18 16 15 16 18 17 16 14 7 9 16 11 19† 17 15 17 16 Ret 12 Ret 7
18 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi 12 14 12 15 10 11 15 15 14 13 13 13 14 13 16 11 11 11 14 15 9 Ret 3
19 Germany Mick Schumacher 16 16 17 18 18 13 19 16 18 18 12 16 18 15 Ret 19 16 Ret 18 16 Ret 14 0
20 Poland Robert Kubica 15 14 0
21 Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin Ret 17 19 19 17 14 20 18 19 17 Ret 17 Ret Ret 18 20 17 18 17 18 Ret WD 0
Pos. Driver BHR
Bahrain
EMI
Italy
POR
Portugal
ESP
Spain
MON
Monaco
AZE
Azerbaijan
FRA
France
STY
Austria
AUT
Austria
GBR
United Kingdom
HUN
Hungary
BEL
Belgium
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
RUS
Russia
TUR
Turkey
USA
United States
MXC
Mexico
SAP
Brazil
QAT
Qatar
SAU
Saudi Arabia
ABU
United Arab Emirates
Points
Source:[281][failed verification]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Other points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Annotation Meaning
Superscript
number
Points-scoring position
in sprint qualifying
P Pole position
F Fastest lap

Notes:

  • † – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
  • ‡ – Half points were awarded at the Belgian Grand Prix as less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed. Fastest laps were not recognised in the final classification.

World Constructors' Championship standings

Pos. Constructor BHR
Bahrain
EMI
Italy
POR
Portugal
ESP
Spain
MON
Monaco
AZE
Azerbaijan
FRA
France
STY
Austria
AUT
Austria
GBR
United Kingdom
HUN
Hungary
BEL
Belgium
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
RUS
Russia
TUR
Turkey
USA
United States
MXC
Mexico
SAP
Brazil
QAT
Qatar
SAU
Saudi Arabia
ABU
United Arab Emirates
Points
1 Germany Mercedes 1 2PF 1 1P 7F 12 2 2F 2 12 2P 3 2F 31 1 1PF 2F 2 1 1P 1PF 2 613.5
3F Ret 3PF 3 Ret 15 4 3 4 33 Ret 12 3 Ret 5 5 6 15PF 31 P Ret 3 6
2 Austria Red Bull Racing-Honda 2P 1 2 2F 1 1 1PF 1P 1PF 16F 9 1P 1P 5 2 2 1P 1 22 2F 2 1PF 585.5
5 11 4 5 4 18†F 3 4 6 Ret1 P Ret 19 8 Ret2 P 9 3 3 3 4F 4 Ret 15†
3 Italy Ferrari 6 4 6 4 2 4P 11 6 5 2 3 8 5 4 3 4 4 5 5 7 7 3 323.5
8 5 11 7 DNSP 8 16 7 8 6 Ret 10 7 6 15 8 7 6 63 8 8 10
4 United Kingdom McLaren-Mercedes 4 3 5 6 3 5 5 5 3 4 11 4 10 1F 3 4 7 5 10 10 9 5 7 275
7 6 9 8 12 9 6 13 7 5 Ret 14 11 2 7PF 13 8 12 Ret 12 10 12
5 France Alpine-Renault 13 9 7 9 9 6 8 9 10 7 1 7 6 8 6 10 Ret 9 8 3 4 8 155
Ret 10 8 17 13 Ret 14 14 Ret 9 4 11 9 10 14 16 Ret 13 9 5 13 9
6 Italy AlphaTauri-Honda 9 7 10 10 6 3 7 10 9 10 5F 6 4 Ret 13 6 9 4 7 11 6 4 142
17† 12 15 Ret 16 7 13 Ret 12 11 6 15 Ret DNS 17 14 Ret Ret 15 13 14 5
7 United Kingdom Aston Martin-Mercedes 10 8 13 11 5 2 9 8 13 8 Ret 5 12 7 11 9 10 7 11 6 11 11 77
15 15† 14 13 8 Ret 10 12 17† Ret DSQ 20 13 12 12 18 12 14 Ret 10 Ret 13
8 United Kingdom Williams-Mercedes 14 Ret 16 14 14 16 12 17 11 12 7 2 16 9 10 15 14 16 13 17 12 Ret 23
18† Ret 18 16 15 17† 18 Ret 16 14 8 9 17† 11 19† 17 15 17 16 Ret Ret Ret
9 Switzerland Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 11 13 12 12 10 10 15 11 14 13 10 13 14 13 8 11 11 8 12 14 9 Ret 13
12 14 Ret 15 11 11 17 15 15 15 13 18 15 14 16 12 13 11 14 15 15 Ret
10 United States Haas-Ferrari 16 16 17 18 17 13 19 16 18 17 12 16 18 15 18 19 16 18 17 16 Ret 14 0
Ret 17 19 19 18 14 20 18 19 18 Ret 17 Ret Ret Ret 20 17 Ret 18 18 Ret WD
Pos. Constructor BHR
Bahrain
EMI
Italy
POR
Portugal
ESP
Spain
MON
Monaco
AZE
Azerbaijan
FRA
France
STY
Austria
AUT
Austria
GBR
United Kingdom
HUN
Hungary
BEL
Belgium
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
RUS
Russia
TUR
Turkey
USA
United States
MXC
Mexico
SAP
Brazil
QAT
Qatar
SAU
Saudi Arabia
ABU
United Arab Emirates
Points
Source:[281]
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Other points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Annotation Meaning
Superscript
number
Points-scoring position
in sprint qualifying
P Pole position
F Fastest lap

Notes:

  • † – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
  • ‡ – Half points were awarded at the Belgian Grand Prix as less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed. Fastest laps were not recognised in the final classification.
  • Rows are not related to the drivers: within each team, individual Grand Prix standings are sorted purely based on the final classification in the race (not by total points scored in the event, which includes points awarded for fastest lap and sprint qualifying).

Notes

  1. ^ Räikkönen was entered into the Dutch Grand Prix, but later withdrew after testing positive for coronavirus.
  2. ^ Ferrari entered round 1 as "Scuderia Mission Winnow Ferrari", rounds 2–6, 15, 17–22 as "Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow", and rounds 7–14, 16 as "Scuderia Ferrari".[25]
  3. ^ Mazepin is Russian, but he competed as a neutral competitor using the designation RAF (Russian Automobile Federation), as the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships. The ban was implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency in response to state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes.[31]
  4. ^ Mazepin was entered into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but later withdrew after testing positive for coronavirus.
  5. ^ The French Grand Prix was originally due to take place on 27 June, but was rescheduled due to the postponement of the Turkish Grand Prix.
  6. ^ The Turkish Grand Prix was originally due to take place on 13 June in place of the cancelled Canadian Grand Prix. It was first postponed and then re-added to the calendar in place of the cancelled Singapore Grand Prix, before being rescheduled due to the reduction of the number of Grands Prix into the calendar.
  7. ^ The Mexico City Grand Prix was originally due to take place on 31 October, but was rescheduled due to the reduction of the number of Grands Prix into the calendar.
  8. ^ The São Paulo Grand Prix was originally due to take place on 14 November, but was initially rescheduled to 7 November due to the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix, which was later cancelled. It was later rescheduled due to the reduction of the number of Grands Prix into the calendar.
  9. ^ The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was originally due to take place on 28 November, but was rescheduled due to the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix, which was later cancelled.
  10. ^ The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was originally due to take place on 5 December, but was rescheduled due to the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix, which was later cancelled.
  11. ^ The Australian Grand Prix was originally due to take place on 21 March, but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later replaced by the Qatar Grand Prix.
  12. ^ a b The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a day-to-night race.
  13. ^ Teams had originally agreed to a budget cap of $175 million per year,[112] but this figure was revised to $145 million in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[110][111]
  14. ^ Mercedes protested the result of the race on two counts: (i) for Verstappen overtaking under the safety car contrary to Article 48.8 of the Formula One sporting regulations, and (ii) that they believed the race director did not follow the correct procedure under Article 48.12 by only allowing the cars between Verstappen and Hamilton to unlap themselves before the restart at the end of lap 57, despite initially rejecting requests from Red Bull to do so. The first count was dismissed as the stewards ruled that Verstappen being momentarily ahead of Hamilton's during the safety car restart procedure did not constitute an overtake.[254] As for the second count, the stewards ruled that although Article 48.12 was not applied in full, Red Bull's argument that Article 48.13 and Article 15.3 overrode that rule was correct, and that deleting the last lap would "effectively [shorten] the race retrospectively" and was inappropriate.[255]
  15. ^ Before renouncing their appeal, commentary from a lawyer in The Guardian suggested that Mercedes would be in a strong position to mount legal action, although they noted the conflict between Mercedes wishing to stress sporting integrity versus the increasing commercialisation of the sport.[262] Another lawyer later confirmed this view that Mercedes has a "good legal basis" for their protest.[263]
  16. ^ a b The British, Italian and São Paulo Grands Prix featured the sprint qualifying format.
  17. ^ Pole position for the British, Italian and São Paulo Grands Prix was determined by the result of the sprint qualifying format.
  18. ^ Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in qualifying, but did not start the race. Pole position was left vacant on the grid. Max Verstappen, in the second slot, was the first driver on the grid. Leclerc is still considered to have held pole position.[274]
  19. ^ Valtteri Bottas finished first in sprint qualifying, but was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements. Max Verstappen was promoted to pole position in his place.[276]
  20. ^ Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in qualifying, but received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of internal combustion engines.[277] Valtteri Bottas was promoted to pole position in his place.[278]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "2021 Formula One Sporting Regulations, www.fia.com, as archived at web.archive.org" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Abu Dhabi GP Facts & Stats: A first Dutch champion – and with a record 18 season podiums". formula1. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Honda Wins F1 Championship in Its Final Season". nippon.com. 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Brilliant Verstappen claims maiden title after victory in Abu Dhabi season finale following late Safety Car drama". Formula1. 12 December 2021. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  5. ^ "'A deserved title decided by a questionable call'". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  6. ^ Noble, Jonathan (16 December 2021). "Mercedes F1 team withdraw Abu Dhabi GP appeal". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b "FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem opens the way for a new step forward in Formula 1 refereeing". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Michael Masi removed from role as Formula One race director". the Guardian. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  9. ^ "European & World Champions". 8w.forix.com. 12 December 2021. Archived from the original on 30 April 2003. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  10. ^ Benson, Andrew. "Kimi Raikkonen: Former world champion to retire from Formula 1". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. ^ Coch, Mat (26 November 2018). "Pirelli to remain F1 tyre supplier until 2023". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Pirelli to remain F1 tyre provider until 2024". Racingnews365.com. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  13. ^ "2020 Formula One Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 28 April 2020. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  14. ^ "2021 F1 drivers and teams". RaceFans. Collantine Media Ltd. 6 January 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  15. ^ Franco Nugnes (19 January 2021). "Alfa Romeo: si chiamerà C41 la monoposto 2021" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Alfa Romeo Racing C41". Alfa Romeo Racing. Sauber Group. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  17. ^ "AlphaTauri name date to reveal 2021 F1 car – the AT02". Formula1. 4 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  18. ^ "AT02 Fire Up: 8D Audio". 16 February 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Renault to rebrand as Alpine F1 Team in 2021". Formula1. 6 September 2020. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  20. ^ Smith, Luke (14 January 2021). "Alpine to launch A521 F1 car next month after livery tease". Autosport.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  21. ^ Alpine F1 Team [@AlpineF1Team] (2 March 2021). "Alpine A521 Renault E-TECH 20B @OconEsteban @alo_oficial #A521Launch Blue heart in the comments if you're in love!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 March 2021 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Adam Cooper (7 January 2021). "Aston Martin set to drop pink livery as it reveals title sponsor". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Aston Martin reveal name of 2021 F1 challenger ahead of next week's launch". Formula1. 24 February 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  24. ^ "The AMR21". Aston Martin Formula One Team. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  25. ^ a b c Official entry lists:
  26. ^ "Ferrari reveals SF21 name, launch plan ahead of 2021 F1 test". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  27. ^ "SF21, the New Ferrari Single-Seater – Ferrari.com". Ferrari.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Uralkali Announced as Haas F1 Team Title Partner". Haas F1 Team. 4 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Haas become final team to reveal 2021 launch date". Formula1. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  30. ^ "VF-21". Haas F1 Team. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  31. ^ Luke Smith (5 February 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling extends to F1". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  32. ^ Rencken, Dieter; Collantine, Keith (3 November 2020). ""No nasty surprises" designing Mercedes installation for McLaren MCL35M – Key". RaceFans.net. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  33. ^ "McLaren MCL35M Technical Specification". McLaren. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  34. ^ Noble, Jonathan (2 February 2021). "Mercedes announces launch date for 2021 F1 car". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Mercedes W12: ecco la scheda tecnica". motorsport.com (in Italian). 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  36. ^ Rencken, Dieter; Collantine, Keith (14 October 2020). "Red Bull will address current car problems in RB16B – Horner". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  37. ^ "Meet The RA621H". Honda.Racing. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  38. ^ Smith, Luke. "Williams reveals launch date for 2021 FW43B Formula 1 car". Autosport. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  39. ^ Luca Manacorda (5 March 2021). "La scheda tecnica della Williams FW43B". MotorBox (in Italian). Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  40. ^ "2021 FIA Formula One World Championship – Entry List". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 March 2015. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  41. ^ "CONFIRMED: All 10 teams reach new Formula 1 Concorde Agreement". Formula1. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  42. ^ Takle, Abhishek (28 September 2019). "McLaren to return to Mercedes engines from 2021". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  43. ^ "Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc". London Stock Exchange. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  44. ^ Smith, Luke (12 May 2020). "Ferrari announces Sebastian Vettel split". Autosport. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  45. ^ Coch, Mat (14 May 2020). "Ferrari confirms Sainz as Vettel's replacement". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  46. ^ "Australian Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo to join McLaren after spell with Renault". ABC News. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  47. ^ "Fernando Alonso to make sensational return to F1 with Renault in 2021". Formula1. Formula One Administration. 8 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  48. ^ "Vettel to make sensational Racing Point switch in 2021 as they re-brand as Aston Martin". Formula1. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  49. ^ Galloway, James (10 September 2020). "Sebastian Vettel joining Aston Martin for F1 2021 replacing Sergio Perez". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  50. ^ "Perez signs three-year contract extension with Racing Point". Formula1. 30 August 2019. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  51. ^ "Perez to partner Verstappen at Red Bull in 2021, as Albon becomes reserve driver". F1. Formula One World Championship. 18 December 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  52. ^ Coch, Mat (19 December 2020). "Perez replaces Albon at Red Bull for 2021 F1 season". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  53. ^ "Grosjean and Magnussen announce they are to leave Haas at the end of 2020". Formula1. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  54. ^ "Mick Schumacher to race for Haas in 2021 as famous surname returns to F1 grid". F1. Formula One World Championship. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  55. ^ "Haas sign F2 racer Nikita Mazepin for 2021 on multi-year deal". Formula1. Formula One World Championship. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  56. ^ "FIA Formula 2 Championship 2020 standings". Driver Database. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  57. ^ "Kvyat joins Alpine as reserve F1 driver". motorsport.com. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  58. ^ "Tsunoda to make F1 racing debut with AlphaTauri in 2021, in place of Kvyat". Formula1. 16 December 2020. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  59. ^ "Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN – Dutch GP team statement". sauber-group.com. Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN. 4 September 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  60. ^ "Robert Kubica to compete in the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix". sauber-group.com. Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN. 4 September 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  61. ^ "Raikkonen ruled out of Italian Grand Prix, with Kubica set to deputise again for Alfa Romeo". Formula1. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  62. ^ Richards, Giles (12 August 2021). "F1's off-track drama heats up as Covid threatens to scupper busy schedule". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  63. ^ "Sprint Qualifying to debut at three Grands Prix in 2021 following unanimous agreement from teams". Formula1.com. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  64. ^ "F1 schedule 2021: Formula 1 announces provisional 23-race calendar for 2021". Formula1. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  65. ^ "FIA Announces World Motor Sport Council Decisions". FIA. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  66. ^ a b c d "F1 Schedule 2021 – Bahrain to host season opener as Australia moves later in calendar and Imola returns". Formula1. 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  67. ^ "Formula 1 intends to fill vacant slot on 2021 F1 calendar with race in Portugal". Formula1. 11 February 2021. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  68. ^ a b Andrew Benson (10 February 2021). "Portuguese Grand Prix: Formula 1 secures confirmation Portugal can host race on 2 May". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  69. ^ "Formula 1 confirms Portuguese Grand Prix will take place on May 2 calendar slot". Formula1. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  70. ^ a b c d "2021 F1 calendar reshuffled, as Turkey drops off and extra Austria race added". Formula1. 14 May 2021. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  71. ^ "F1 Schedule 2021". Formula1. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  72. ^ a b "Formula 1 announces revised 22-race calendar for 2021". Formula1. 28 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  73. ^ a b c "Qatar to join F1 calendar in 2021, as country signs additional 10-year deal from 2023". Formula1. 30 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  74. ^ a b "Singapore Grand Prix called off for 2021". Formula1. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  75. ^ "Australian Grand Prix off in 2021". Formula1. 6 July 2021. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  76. ^ a b "Formula 1 confirms 2021 Japanese Grand Prix has been cancelled". Formula 1.com. 18 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  77. ^ Coch, Mat (10 May 2019). "Two new events expected for 2020 F1 calendar". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  78. ^ "2021 F1 rules: The Key Changes Explained". Formula1. Formula One Administration. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  79. ^ "Dutch Grand Prix to return at Zandvoort from 2020". Formula1. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  80. ^ Jaeggi, Erwin; Mitchell, Scott (8 February 2019). "Why the chance of a revived F1 Dutch Grand Prix is so realistic". Autosport. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  81. ^ Mitchell, Scott (14 May 2019). "Dutch Grand Prix seals return to Formula 1 calendar for 2020". Autosport. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  82. ^ Coch, Mat (28 May 2020). "Organisers confirm cancellation of Dutch Grand Prix". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  83. ^ "Turkish Grand Prix to rejoin 2021 Formula 1 calendar". Formula1. 25 June 2021. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  84. ^ Cooper, Adam (30 September 2021). "F1 confirms Qatar GP on 2021 calendar as part of long-term deal". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021. There will be no Grand Prix in 2022 as the country will focus on hosting the FIFA World Cup that will start exactly a year after the first Formula One race. The event will then return in 2023, originally planned to be moved to a new purpose-built circuit in the planning stages, before being retained in Lusail.
  85. ^ a b "F1 announces 24-race calendar for 2023". Formula1.com. 20 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  86. ^ "F1 adds Saudi Arabian Grand Prix night race to 2021 calendar". Formula1. Formula One Administration. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  87. ^ Smith, Luke (27 October 2020). "F1 set for 23-race calendar in 2021 featuring new Saudi Arabia race". Autosport. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  88. ^ Noble, Jonathan (17 January 2020). "New Saudi Arabia circuit in Qiddiya could host F1 race from 2023". Autosport. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  89. ^ "Cancellation of the 2020 Vinfast Vietnam Grand Prix". Vietnam Grand Prix. 16 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  90. ^ Andrew Benson (9 November 2020). "Vietnamese Grand Prix dropped from 2021 F1 schedule". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  91. ^ "Azerbaijan signs 10-year-contract for holding Formula-1". Trend. 8 February 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  92. ^ "Monaco announces date for 2021 Grand Prix". GrandPrix247. 19 May 2020. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  93. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew. "Singapore Grand Prix to stay on Formula 1 calendar to at least 2021". Autosport. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  94. ^ "Monaco announce cancellation of 2020 F1 race due to coronavirus". Formula1. Formula One World Championship Ltd. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  95. ^ "F1 confirm 2020 Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix have been cancelled". Formula1. 12 June 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  96. ^ Rencken, Dieter (25 April 2018). "How Ecclestone's parting shot to Liberty added to their F1 calendar woes". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  97. ^ Richards, Giles (23 June 2018). "Losing F1 'a huge mistake' says man behind French Grand Prix's revival". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  98. ^ "Organisers confirm 2020 French Grand Prix will not go ahead". Formula1. 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  99. ^ "Sao Paulo's Interlagos Circuit to host Brazilian Grand Prix until 2025". Formula One. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  100. ^ "F1 confirms first 8 races of revised 2020 calendar, starting with Austria double header". Formula1. Formula One World Championship Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  101. ^ "Agreement in principle reached to host the first-ever Miami Grand Prix". Formula1. 19 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  102. ^ Coch, Mat (16 October 2019). "Formula 1 signs agreement with promoter for second USGP". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  103. ^ Jonathan Noble (12 November 2020). "Sao Paulo agrees deal with F1 to host Brazilian GP until 2025". Autosport. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  104. ^ "2021 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix cancelled". Grand Prix.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  105. ^ Morgan, Cassandra; Fowler, Michael (6 July 2021). "Australian Grand Prix cancelled again due to COVID-19". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021. He pointed to low vaccination rates, national cabinet's decision to halve international arrival caps for returning Australians and Formula One requiring a decision on the event by the end of the week as the crucial factors.
  106. ^ "Turkey to replace Canada on 2021 F1 race calendar". Formula1. 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  107. ^ "Turkish Grand Prix to rejoin 2021 Formula 1 calendar". Formula1. 25 June 2021. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  108. ^ Cooper, Adam (19 March 2020). "F1 teams pushing to postpone '21 cars amid coronavirus uncertainty". Autosport. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  109. ^ Herrero, Daniel (20 March 2020). "Formula 1's new regulations delayed until 2022". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  110. ^ a b "F1 teams agree to reduce 2021 budget cap". speedcafe.com. 6 April 2020. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020.
  111. ^ a b c "F1 plans immediate reduction in new budget cap, reveals Brawn". Formula1. 4 May 2020. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  112. ^ a b Cooper, Adam. "Formula 1 cost cap figure from 2021 season set to be $175million". Autosport. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  113. ^ "Formula One risks losing teams due to the coronavirus crisis, says McLaren principal Andreas Seidl". ABC News. 16 April 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  114. ^ Smith, Luke (16 April 2020). "Seidl: F1 will survive COVID-19 crisis, but not all teams certain to". Autosport. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  115. ^ a b c "2021 F1 financial rules and regulations: What is the cost cap and how will it be enforced?". Formula1. 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  116. ^ "F1 sprint race plan set for green light as teams agree finances". us.motorsport.com. 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  117. ^ Coch, Mat (19 June 2019). "F1 boss confident cost cap can be policed". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  118. ^ "Three teams voted against budget cap penalties". Planet-f1.com. Planet-F1. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  119. ^ "2021 Formula One Technical Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 June 2020. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  120. ^ Cooper, Adam (21 June 2020). "FIA reveals tweaks to 2020 Formula 1 parts freeze rules". Autosport. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  121. ^ "McLaren allowed to change chassis for new engine". speedcafe.com. 26 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020.
  122. ^ Carvalho, Ronan (16 June 2020). "Ross Brawn opens up on the major compromise the FIA made for McLaren". EssentiallySports. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  123. ^ "Six key questions about F1's new token system answered". The Race. 2 June 2020. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  124. ^ a b Hughes, Mark; Piola, Giorgio (2 June 2020). "What does the 2021 aero rules change mean for the cars – and which teams will it hurt most?". Formula1. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  125. ^ "The key performance area being closed off as F1 trims 2021 downforce levels". Formula1. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  126. ^ "FIA outline proposed downforce changes for 2021". Formula1. 29 August 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  127. ^ Benson, Andrew (31 March 2020). "Formula 1: Mercedes revolutionary 'DAS' steering remains banned for 2021". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  128. ^ "Mercedes confident 'dual-axis steering' system for 2020 within F1 rules". BBC Sport. 20 February 2020. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  129. ^ Benson, Andrew. "Formula 1 clamps down on flexible rear wings after Lewis Hamilton's Red Bull claim". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  130. ^ "FIA intervene with new rule to slow down pit stops". www.planetf1.com. Planet F1. 25 June 2021. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  131. ^ "New F1 pitstop rules changed and delayed". The Race. 18 July 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  132. ^ Woodhouse, Jamie (25 June 2021). "FIA intervene to slow down pit stops with new ruling". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  133. ^ Mitchell, Scott (1 November 2019). "F1 teams obliged to run rookies in two FP1 sessions in 2021". Autosport. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  134. ^ "2021 F1 rules: New regulations to offer more opportunities for young drivers". Formula1. 1 November 2019. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  135. ^ Collantine, Keith; Rencken, Dieter (11 September 2021). "F1 teams will have to run rookies in practice sessions next year". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  136. ^ Medland, Chris (28 September 2021). "All F1 teams to run rookie drivers twice in 2022". Racer. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  137. ^ Smith, Luke (17 December 2020). "FIA adjusts F1 tyre rule after Russell's Sakhir GP incident". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  138. ^ "Maximum race time reduced to 3 hours". pitpass.com. 17 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  139. ^ "Drivers to have lap times set under double waved yellows deleted from US Grand Prix". Formula1. 21 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  140. ^ Mitchell, Scott (31 October 2019). "How F1's new three-day race weekend format from 2021 will work". Autosport. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  141. ^ "2021 F1 Grand Prix start times confirmed – including a return to races starting on the hour". Formula1. 29 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  142. ^ James Galloway (29 January 2021). "F1 reverts to on-the-hour start times for 2021, while Friday Practice time cut". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  143. ^ White, Megan (17 May 2021). "W Series confirms calendar change as five-day Anglesey test begins". autosport.com. Autosport. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  144. ^ "W Series at British Grand Prix weekend". BBC Sport. 8 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  145. ^ Walsh, Fergal (1 December 2020). "New three-race weekend format for F2 and F3 revealed". Motorsport Week. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  146. ^ "Silverstone host first Sprint Qualifying at the 2021 Formula 1 British Grand Prix". www.silverstone.co.uk. 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  147. ^ "Session times confirmed for Italian GP – including F1 Sprint at Monza". Formula1. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  148. ^ Woodhouse, Jamie (25 August 2021). "Official: Brazil final sprint qualifying venue for 2021". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  149. ^ "Sprint Qualifying to debut at three Grands Prix in 2021 following unanimous agreement from teams". Formula1. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  150. ^ Collantine, Keith (14 October 2021). "F1 will have more sprint qualifying rounds in 2022 but can it fix its contradictions?". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  151. ^ "British Grand Prix 2021 – F1 Race". Formula1. Archived from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  152. ^ "Everything you need to know about F1's new Sprint Qualifying format – including how it works". Formula1. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  153. ^ Noble, Jonathan (7 April 2021). "F1 sprint race plan set for green light after team agree financial deal". www.autosport.com. Autosport. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  154. ^ "DIARY DATES: The 2021 F1 calendar, pre-season testing details and F1 car launch schedule". Formula1. 20 January 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  155. ^ Benson, Andrew (28 February 2021). "Formula 1 declines Bahrain Covid-19 vaccination offer". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  156. ^ Smith, Luke (12 March 2021). "F1: Perez and Sainz accept Bahrain offer of COVID-19 vaccine". www.motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  157. ^ "F1 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix – Full Qualifying Results". Crash. 27 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  158. ^ Wilde, Jon (11 April 2021). "'Control-alt-delete' saved Sergio Perez's race in Bahrain". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  159. ^ "2021 Bahrain Grand Prix: Mazepin spins and crashes on Lap 1". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  160. ^ "2021 Bahrain Grand Prix: Gasly loses front wing in Ricciardo clash". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  161. ^ "Bahrain GP: Mick Schumacher Explains His Spin on Haas F1 Debut". EssentiallySports. 31 March 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  162. ^ "F1's track limits confusion explained after Bahrain GP". ESPN.com. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  163. ^ "FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2021 – RACE RESULT". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  164. ^ Andrew Lewin (17 April 2021). "2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Qualifying results". F1i.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  165. ^ GPfans.com (19 April 2021). "Mazepin blames "stressed" Latifi for Williams wall shunt". GPfans. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  166. ^ "2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Schumacher destroys front wing in Safety Car spin". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  167. ^ "Lewis Hamilton says 'impatience' led to Emilia Romagna GP mistake and explains how he fought back to second". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  168. ^ Herbert, Danny (19 April 2021). "Russell and Bottas crash analysis". DriveTribe. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  169. ^ "FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO DEL MADE IN ITALY E DELL'EMILIA ROMAGNA 2021 – RACE RESULT". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  170. ^ "F1 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix – Qualifying Results". Crash. 1 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  171. ^ Woodhouse, Jamie (2 May 2021). "Kimi Raikkonen takes blame for Antonio Giovinazzi collision". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  172. ^ "F1 Results – 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix". BBC Sport-GB. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  173. ^ ""Odd" track limits error costs Verstappen Portugal F1 fastest lap point". www.autosport.com. 2 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  174. ^ "Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix qualifying: Lewis Hamilton on pole and full starting grid". Marca. 8 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  175. ^ Wilde, Jon (9 May 2021). "Yuki Tsunoda hopes 'gearbox, not engine' caused DNF". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  176. ^ "Formula 1 2021 Spanish GP Results". www.motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  177. ^ "Charles Leclerc Crashes And Still Takes Pole For Ferrari In Mad Monaco Qualifying". WTF1. 22 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  178. ^ "Ferrari investigation finds that Leclerc qualifying crash WAS to blame for issue that forced Monaco DNS". Formula1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  179. ^ "WATCH: Heartbreak for polesitter Leclerc as he is ruled out of the Monaco GP before the start". Formula1. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  180. ^ Technology, Motorsport (28 May 2021). "What really happened with the botched Bottas Monaco pit stop?". Motorsport Technology. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  181. ^ "F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2021 Live Coverage & Results I PlanetF1". live.planetf1.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  182. ^ "F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Qualifying results". RacingNews365. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  183. ^ "Stroll uninjured after dramatic high speed tyre failure". RacingNews365. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  184. ^ "F1: Verstappen's tyre failed in Baku because of 'running conditions'". Top Gear. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  185. ^ "AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX: LEWIS HAMILTON 'DESTROYED' AFTER 'MAGIC' BUTTON MISTAKE COSTS HIM RACE". www.eurosport.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  186. ^ "FORMULA 1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2021 – RACE RESULT". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  187. ^ "Formula 1 qualifying results: Starting grid for 2021 French Grand Prix". www.sportingnews.com. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  188. ^ "FRENCH GP – Max Verstappen chases down Sir Lewis Hamilton for victory in a race of strategy – Formula One Vault". Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  189. ^ "Verstappen defeats Hamilton with last-gasp French GP pass". The Race. 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  190. ^ "FORMULA 1 EMIRATES GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2021 – RACE RESULT". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  191. ^ "2021 French GP 10th race in F1 history without retirements". Italy24 News Sports. 21 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  192. ^ "F1 World Championship standings after 2021 French GP". RacingNews365. 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  193. ^ "Styrian GP Qualifying: Max Verstappen claims another pole with Lewis Hamilton to start second". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  194. ^ "Gasly surprised clash with Leclerc in Styrian GP wasn't investigated". Autosport.com. July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  195. ^ "2021 Styrian Grand Prix race report & highlights: Verstappen eases to Styrian Grand Prix victory over Hamilton". Formula1. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  196. ^ "Austrian Grand Prix 2021: Qualifying". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  197. ^ "2021 Austrian Grand Prix: Ocon retires after clash with Giovinazzi and Schumacher". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  198. ^ Woodhouse, Jamie (4 July 2021). "Lando Norris unhappy with penalty for 'stupid' Sergio Perez move". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  199. ^ "Perez 'not comfortable with myself' over Leclerc clashes". The Race. 4 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  200. ^ "2021 Austrian Grand Prix F1 race result". RaceFans. 4 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  201. ^ "Mercedes reveals extent of Hamilton's Austria damage". The Race. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  202. ^ Pugmire, Jerome (4 July 2021). "Max Verstappen continues F1 dominance with win at Austrian GP". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022 – via CBC.
  203. ^ "2021 British Grand Prix F1 starting grid". RaceFans. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  204. ^ Fans, Scuderia (18 July 2021). "Final starting grid for 2021 British Grand Prix". Scuderia Fans. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  205. ^ "Perez blames "dirty air" for F1 sprint race spin". Autosport.com. 17 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  206. ^ Scott, Mark (18 July 2021). "Sergio Perez to start British Grand Prix from pit lane". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  207. ^ "Red Bull's Hamilton penalty request rejected". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  208. ^ "Stewards penalise Lewis Hamilton: Ten second penalty". GPblog.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  209. ^ Andrew Lewin (18 July 2021). "2021 British Grand Prix – Race results from Silverstone". F1i.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  210. ^ "F1 2021: Lewis Hamilton Roars Back To Win British GP After Max Verstappen Crash". Outlook India. 18 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  211. ^ "2021 Hungarian GP: Qualifying". 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  212. ^ "2021 Hungarian Grand Prix: Bottas sparks multiple crashes in dramatic race start". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  213. ^ "How Mercedes left Hamilton alone on Hungary's restart grid". RACER. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  214. ^ "WATCH: Recent Alfa Romeo F1 Blunder Has Raikkonen Raging With Anger". EssentiallySports. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  215. ^ "Grand Prix race results: Ocon wins wild Hungarian GP F1". Autosport.com. August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  216. ^ "Vettel disqualified from Hungarian GP". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  217. ^ "2021 Hungarian Grand Prix". Williamsf1.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  218. ^ "Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021 – Qualifying". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  219. ^ "Belgian GP delayed start due to adverse weather". FormulaSpy. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  220. ^ "Belgian GP under red flag following safety car start in heavy rain". Autosport.com. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  221. ^ "Belgian GP: Max Verstappen takes win as race red-flagged due to heavy rain, George Russell second". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  222. ^ "F1 to review half points rule after Belgian GP farce". ESPN.com. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  223. ^ "F1 Belgian Grand Prix 2021 Live Coverage & Results I PlanetF1". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  224. ^ "Formula 1 championship standings as Max Verstappen cuts Lewis Hamilton lead after Belgian GP". Sky Sports. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  225. ^ "What happened at the F1 Dutch Grand Prix?". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  226. ^ Ramsay, George (5 September 2021). "Max Verstappen wins Dutch Grand Prix to the delight of home fans". CNN. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  227. ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2021 – Race Result". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  228. ^ "F1 Standings – Verstappen wins Formula 1's Dutch Grand Prix". Marca. 5 September 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  229. ^ "2021 Italian Grand Prix race report and highlights: Ricciardo leads stunning McLaren 1–2 at Monza after Verstappen and Hamilton collide again". Formula1. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  230. ^ "Max Verstappen handed three-place grid drop for Sochi after crash with Hamilton at Monza". Formula1. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  231. ^ "Qualifying report & highlights from the 2021 Russian Grand Prix: Norris beats Sainz and Russell to claim sensational maiden pole in Sochi". Formula1. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  232. ^ "Hamilton wins 100th Formula One race with victory in Russian GP". Al Jazeera. 26 September 2021. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  233. ^ "Lewis Hamilton set for 2021 Turkish GP grid penalty after taking new Mercedes engine". Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  234. ^ Slater, Luke (10 October 2021). "Turkish GP 2021, F1 live: Valtteri Bottas wins as fifth-placed Lewis Hamilton loses title lead". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  235. ^ Lamonato, Michael (24 October 2021). "Verstappen holds off Hamilton for USGP win". Racer. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  236. ^ Beer, Matt (7 November 2021). "Verstappen dominates Mexican GP after bold first-corner move". The Race. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  237. ^ "Max Verstappen wins over Lewis Hamilton in Mexico City to extend F1 points lead". NBC Sports. Associated Press. 7 November 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  238. ^ "Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton: How title fight swung and was ultimately won in an epic 2021 F1 season". Sky Sports. 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  239. ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (14 November 2021). "Brazilian GP: Hamilton passes Verstappen to win from 10th on grid". Motrosport.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  240. ^ "Decision car 33" (PDF). FIA. 21 November 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 November 2021.
  241. ^ Benson, Andrew (21 November 2021). "Lewis Hamilton closes on Max Verstappen in title with Qatar Grand Prix win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  242. ^ Richards, Giles (21 November 2021). "Lewis Hamilton dominates F1 Qatar GP to cut Max Verstappen's title lead". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  243. ^ Kelly, Sean. "Saudi Arabia qualifying facts & stats: Hamilton nabs consecutive poles for the first time this season". Formula 1. Formula One World Championship Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  244. ^ "Hamilton beats Verstappen in controversy-filled first ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as title rivals draw equal on points". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  245. ^ Galloway, James (8 December 2021). "Abu Dhabi GP: Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton tied on F1 points and heading into title-deciding Sunset Showdown". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  246. ^ "Verstappen snatches pole from Hamilton in thrilling Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying". Formula 1. 11 December 2021. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  247. ^ Benson, Andrew (13 December 2021). "Formula 1: Where next for sport after Verstappen and Hamilton title drama?". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  248. ^ Harris, Daniel (13 December 2021). "Abu Dhabi GP: Max Verstappen wins F1 world title after last-lap drama – live!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  249. ^ Hughes, Mark; Mitchell, Scott; Straw, Edd (30 December 2021). "Answering the last unanswered questions from F1 2021". The Race. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  250. ^ "Summons – Car 44 – Mercedes Protest of Car 33 (Art 48.8)" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 December 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  251. ^ "Summons – Mercedes Protest (Art 48.12)" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 December 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  252. ^ "Verstappen's F1 world title stands after Mercedes protest rejected". BBC. 11 December 2021. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  253. ^ "Decision – Mercedes Protest Art. 48.8" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 December 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  254. ^ "Stewards dismiss Mercedes protest for Verstappen overtaking behind safety car". Autosport. 12 December 2021. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  255. ^ "Full FIA stewards' verdict on Mercedes protest over Abu Dhabi GP race restart". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. 12 December 2021. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  256. ^ Smith, Luke (12 December 2021). "Mercedes lodges intention to appeal dismissal of Abu Dhabi GP protest". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  257. ^ a b Benson, Andrew (15 December 2021). "Abu Dhabi GP 'tarnishing image' of F1". BBC. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  258. ^ "Statement of the FIA World Motor Sport Council 15.12.21". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 15 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  259. ^ Wilde, Jon (13 December 2021). "FIA release new statement on Abu Dhabi Grand Prix". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  260. ^ "Mercedes F1 team withdraws Abu Dhabi GP appeal". Motorsport.com. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022. Mercedes' statement: "Team Statement – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix". Twitter. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  261. ^ "F1 live news: Mercedes won't appeal Abu Dhabi result, will push for changes; Verstappen remains F1 champion; Hamilton's F1 future questioned". The Athletic. The New York Times Company. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  262. ^ Richards, Giles (13 December 2021). "Lewis Hamilton says FIA 'manipulated' last-lap showdown in radio message". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  263. ^ Collantine, Keith (14 December 2021). "Mercedes have 'good legal basis' for appeal over Abu Dhabi GP – lawyer". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  264. ^ Benson, Andrew (11 January 2022). "Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver to decide on F1 future after Abu Dhabi inquiry". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  265. ^ "New FIA president to investigate Hamilton gala breach". The Race. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  266. ^ "FIA ANNOUNCES WORLD MOTOR SPORT COUNCIL DECISIONS". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  267. ^ "2021 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Report to the World Motor Sport Council - 19 March 2022". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  268. ^ Sutill, Josh (18 March 2022). "Hamilton and FIA 'worked together' on fine he owe for Gala snun". The Race. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  269. ^ Benson, Andrew (10 October 2022). "Red Bull found guilty of breaking Formula 1's budget cap". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  270. ^ "Full FIA report of Red Bull F1 cost cap breach and penalty". Autosport. 28 October 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  271. ^ "Aston Martin enter Agreement over procedural breach of 2021 Cost Cap". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  272. ^ "Red Bull chief Christian Horner says team 'begrudgingly accept' 2021 F1 cost cap breach punishment". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  273. ^ "Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says breaching F1 cost cap not worth 'reputational damage' after Red Bull punished by FIA". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  274. ^ Smith, Luke (23 May 2021). "Leclerc fails to start Monaco GP with left driveshaft issue". Autosport. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  275. ^ Connelly, Garry; Holter, Felix; Warwick, Derek; Bacquelaine, Yves (29 August 2021). "2021 Belgian Grand Prix – Final Race Classification" (PDF). FIA.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  276. ^ "Verstappen set for pole position for Italian Grand Prix as penalty-hit Bottas wins Monza Sprint". Formula1. 11 September 2021. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  277. ^ "Hamilton set for Turkish GP grid penalty after taking new Mercedes engine". Formula1. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  278. ^ "Bottas claims pole for Turkish GP as fastest driver Hamilton takes grid penalty". Formula1. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  279. ^ "Formula One Results 2021". Motorsport Stats. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  280. ^ a b "2019 Formula One Sporting Regulations". fia.com. 12 March 2019. pp. 3–4, 41. Archived from the original on 13 March 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  281. ^ a b "2021 Classifications". FIA. 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.