2021 Formula One World Championship — 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship
Max Verstappen won the 2021 Formula One Drivers' Championship in a controversial final-lap overtake, ending Mercedes' run of sole dominance in the turbo-hybrid era.
Key Facts
- Championship running
- 72nd Formula One World Championship
- Grands Prix contested
- 22
- Verstappen race wins
- 10
- Mercedes constructors' titles
- 8 consecutive seasons
- First Dutch F1 champion
- Max Verstappen
- First Honda champion since
- Ayrton Senna, 1991
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 2021 season featured a close title battle between Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), with both drivers entering the final Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on points after trading the championship lead multiple times and being involved in on-track collisions across the season.
Verstappen won the Drivers' Championship on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following a controversial late safety car restart, overtaking Hamilton to claim his maiden title. Mercedes protested the result but did not appeal after their protest was denied. Mercedes retained the Constructors' Championship for an eighth consecutive season.
The controversy over race director Michael Masi's handling of the safety car period led to his removal and structural changes to race control, including implementation of a virtual race control room. Verstappen became the first Dutch, first Honda-powered since 1991, and first non-Mercedes driver in the turbo-hybrid era to win the championship.
Result
at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (season finale)