The 2021 F1 season was contested over 22 Grand Prix weekends, starting in March and concluding in December, with races subject to the COVID-19 regulations set by local governments and the Formula One Group.
This season was distinctive as it was the first time since 2008 that the Drivers’ Champion did not drive for the Constructors’ Championship team. It also marked the final season for the 2007 World Champion, Kimi Räikkönen.
Season
Driving for Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen secured his first F1 Drivers’ Championship with ten wins throughout the season. He made history as the first Dutch driver, the first Honda-powered champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991, the first for Red Bull since Sebastian Vettel in 2013, and the first non-Mercedes champion in the turbo-hybrid era to clinch the World Championship.
Lewis Hamilton, defending four back-to-back championships (2017-2020) and seven-time overall champion, finished as the runner-up in the Mercedes. Mercedes continued their dominance, winning the Constructors’ Championship for the eighth consecutive year.
The season was exhilarating for fans. It featured an intense battle between Verstappen and Hamilton that would play out season-long with controversial on-track moments, including race-ending accidents between the pair at the British, Hungarian, and Italian Grand Prix. This led to the championship changing hands between the two drivers several times.
Entering the final race in Abu Dhabi, equal on points, Hamilton and Verstappen’s season concluded dramatically. The handling of a safety car period, where the rulebook was not followed, in the final laps led to controversy, culminating in Verstappen passing Hamilton after a late restart to win the race and, ultimately, the Drivers’ Championship.
Mercedes’ initial protest was rejected, and they ultimately chose not to appeal further. The incident prompted significant revisions in race control, including replacing Michael Masi as race director for the 2022 season and establishing a virtual race control room to support the director.
2021 F1 Entries drivers and teams
| Constructor | Driver No. | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | 1-13, 15-22 |
| 88 | Robert Kubica | 13-14 | |
| 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | All | |
| AlphaTauri-Honda | 10 | Pierre Gasly | All |
| 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | All | |
| Alpine-Renault | 14 | Fernando Alonso | All |
| 31 | Esteban Ocon | All | |
| Aston Martin-Mercedes | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | All |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | All | |
| Ferrari | 16 | Charles Leclerc | All |
| 55 | Carlos Sainz | All | |
| Haas-Ferrari | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | All |
| 47 | Mick Schumacher | All | |
| McLaren-Mercedes | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | All |
| 4 | Lando Norris | All | |
| Mercedes | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | All |
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | All | |
| Red Bull Racing-Honda | 33 | Max Verstappen | All |
| 11 | Sergio Pérez | All | |
| Williams-Mercedes | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | All |
| 63 | George Russell | All |
2021 Formula 1 Race Calendar
The 2021 racing calendar included 22 Grand Prix weekends. The British, Italian and São Paulo weekends also included the Sprint format.
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Race date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 28-Mar |
| 2 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 18-Apr |
| 3 | Portuguese Grand Prix | Algarve International Circuit | 02-May |
| 4 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 09-May |
| 5 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | 23-May |
| 6 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit | 06-Jun |
| 7 | French Grand Prix | Circuit Paul Ricard | 20-Jun |
| 8 | Styrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 27-Jun |
| 9 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 04-Jul |
| 10 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 18-Jul |
| 11 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 01-Aug |
| 12 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 29-Aug |
| 13 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | 05-Sep |
| 14 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 12-Sep |
| 15 | Russian Grand Prix | Sochi Autodrom | 26-Sep |
| 16 | Turkish Grand Prix | Istanbul Park | 10-Oct |
| 17 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of The Americas | 24-Oct |
| 18 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | 07-Nov |
| 19 | São Paulo Grand Prix | Autodromo José Carlos Pace | 14-Nov |
| 20 | Qatar Grand Prix | Lusail International Circuit | 21-Nov |
| 21 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Corniche Circuit | 05-Dec |
| 22 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit | 12-Dec |
2021 Formula 1 Race Results
2021 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda | 395.5 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 387.5 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Mercedes | 226 |
| 4 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Red Bull Racing Honda | 190 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Ferrari | 164.5 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mercedes | 160 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 159 |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | McLaren Mercedes | 115 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | AlphaTauri Honda | 110 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Alpine Renault | 81 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Alpine Renault | 74 |
| 12 | Sebastian Vettel | GER | Aston Martin Mercedes | 43 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Mercedes | 34 |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | AlphaTauri Honda | 32 |
| 15 | George Russell | GBR | Williams Mercedes | 16 |
| 16 | Kimi Räikkönen | FIN | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 10 |
| 17 | Nicholas Latifi | CAN | Williams Mercedes | 7 |
| 18 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ITA | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 3 |
| 19 | Mick Schumacher | GER | Haas Ferrari | 0 |
| 20 | Robert Kubica | POL | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 0 |
| 21 | Nikita Mazepin | RAF | Haas Ferrari | 0 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 613.5 |
| 2 | Red Bull Racing Honda | 585.5 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 323.5 |
| 4 | McLaren Mercedes | 275 |
| 5 | Alpine Renault | 155 |
| 6 | AlphaTauri Honda | 142 |
| 7 | Aston Martin Mercedes | 77 |
| 8 | Williams Mercedes | 23 |
| 9 | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 13 |
| 10 | Haas Ferrari | 0 |
