If the second half of the Formula 1 campaign matches up to the first, 2021 will go down in history as one of the great grand prix seasons. And that’s all thanks to the world championship battle that’s raging between Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and their respective teams.
‘Raging’ is the ideal word given the turn the season took with the infamous Copse Corner accident on the first lap of the British Grand Prix. The moment Hamilton’s attempt to take the lead resulted in Verstappen being fired heavily into the barrier gave 2021 an image that will be talked about for as long as F1 exists.
Seasons like this, with two rival drivers from different teams kicking lumps out of each other every race weekend, are rare. There’s every chance 2021 will go the distance, ticking one of the most key boxes for a truly legendary season: a final-race denouement. This has happened 18 times since 1980 – so under 50% of the time.
It’s been a long time since there has been a title fight quite like this. Despite vague challenges from Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel that dried up in 2017-2018, in the V6 turbo hybrid era only two seasons have gone down to the wire: 2014 and ’16.
Both of those were Mercedes in-house affairs, with Hamilton winning the first and Nico Rosberg the second, but despite plenty of friction they lacked the frisson of a two-team fight for the title.
The last instance of that happening was in 2012, when Red Bull driver Vettel beat Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso to the title.
It was a gripping season and Alonso’s campaign was one of the great losing title challenges, but the pair didn’t square off against each other on track as relentlessly as we’ve seen this year.
It was more a battle of points accumulation, a similar story in 2010 when four drivers went to the final in contention – a record – and Vettel prevailed.
For a championship fight that ticks most of the boxes you probably have to go back to the first decade of the 21st century.
The 2008 season stands out not only because of its astonishing denouement at Interlagos, but also a season-long battle between Hamilton and Felipe Massa that was full of controversy.
It ticks many of the boxes, but what that year lacks compared to today is that there were almost too many mistakes from both drivers. It made for a memorable and brilliant season, and at their best both were brilliant, but not one that delivered the relentlessly high standard of 2021.
So to pick out which championship 2021, if it continues on the same trajectory, will topple the criteria are clear. Ideally, we’re looking for two drivers at the top of their game, ideally on a relatively even keel, with a high standard throughout the season.
On that basis, 2007, with McLaren and Ferrari going at it and against the backdrop of the spy scandal, is close. But the circumstances of that season mean it’s too often remembered for the off-track drama than what happened on it – although Kimi Raikkonen coming back from 17 points down two races from the end to win the title (in an era when 10 points per race was the maximum score) was a magnificent achievement.
Equally, the Alonso vs Michael Schumacher battle of 2006 was a battle of two great drivers between two teams, but didn’t quite stay the course. Alonso effectively had it in the bag ahead of the Interlagos finale even though there were some great battles to savour.
The 2003 championship fight between Schumacher and Raikkonen in the evolution of the previous year’s McLaren MP4-17D is a fascinating case.
It came down to a battle of the more consistent Raikkonen against the more erratic Schumacher, but McLaren didn’t quite have the car to do the job. Given he didn’t quite have the machinery, all Raikkonen could do was keep the pressure on and be there if Schumacher and Ferrari dropped the ball, which they did almost, but not quite, enough to open the door. But it did go down to the wire.
So you’d probably have to go all the way back to 1998 for the last head-to-head that matches up to what we’re seeing this year.
McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen sealed the crown with victory in the Suzuka finale having taken a four-point lead into the last race – the classic winner-takes-all finale.
The rest of 2021 remains to be written. But regardless of who eventually prevails, if it continues in the same vein as the first 11 races of this year, it’s arguably going to be the greatest true head-to-head title battle since that 1998 epic.
It’s a matter of opinion what makes a truly great championship fight and some of those mentioned have been epics even if we’ve concluded they don’t match up to 1998 or 2021.
But if the Verstappen vs Hamilton head-to-head delivers another 12 races of what we’ve seen so far, with the initiative taken and lost, unexpected performance swings and plenty of moments when swords are crossed on track, it could be the best championship battle of the 21st century.
That’s not arguing that it will be the best performance over a season by either driver in that period, or that whoever wins will be the most deserving, simply that the pure sporting rivalry is one that every F1 fan dreams of. Other seasons may be even more storied off track, but this could well be the best.
Regardless of whether or not you support one of the drivers, that’s a reason to relish this astonishing season.
