Lewis Hamilton goes into the final seven races of the year with a two-point advantage over Max Verstappen in the championship.
But the lead has changed hands between the two drivers four times already this year, and is likely to do so again before the season is over.Mercedes were expected to make gains on Red Bull over the past two races at Monza and Sochi, two of their strongest venues in recent years. Hamilton duly enjoyed a five-point swing in his favour over those two races.
But that must be considerably less than he was hoping for. Had it not been for a collision between the pair at Monza and a late rain shower at Sochi, he could be in a significantly stronger position.
Red Bull must be especially pleased Verstappen was able to bank a fresh engine at Sochi yet come home second. Meanwhile Mercedes are facing up to the likelihood of having to fit a new power unit to Hamilton’s car at some point over the final rounds, and the consequent points sacrifice that will involve.
The final three races hold the promise of an unpredictable end to the season, as two of the circuits are new to F1 and the last is being extensively modified.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, said he’s “stopped trying to anticipate [which is] historically a strong race for us or not because with the new regulations everything has changed so much.
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“Definitely we knew that that Monza and Sochi would be coming more towards us. The reality is we are where we are and this is the points gap. I doubt that any of the two teams will make massive swings up or down it’s just about really continuing to do the best possible job.”
He doubts any of the remaining tracks will suit either team as well as the last two did Mercedes. “I don’t think there’s any circuits that stand out as strongly as Russia and Monza,” said Horner.
“But for sure Mercedes will be strong. They won in Turkey last year, they’ll be strong there. But then we start getting Austin, we should be there or thereabouts, Brazil, Mexico, we’ve always been strong.”
In past seasons the upcoming tracks in the Americas have been particularly strong venues for Red Bull and especially Verstappen. But if Hamilton can remain in touch over those races, the final three rounds look much harder to predict.
“We don’t know anything about Qatar, we don’t know anything about Jeddah,” said Horner. “And then Abu Dhabi. So you can say it’s 50-50 in what’s left on the table [as to] which favours slightly one more team than the other.”
Turkish Grand Prix
Istanbul Park
Last winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (2020)
It was almost impossible to judge form at last year’s race in Turkey as the recently re-laid track badly lacked grip. Then rain arrived, further mixing up the field.
Hamilton kept his footing in a race run in treacherous conditions to win and clinch the title. But Verstappen was quickest in both Friday sessions and looked on course to end Mercedes’ run of pole positions until Racing Point unexpectedly annexed the front row.
Red Bull may therefore be more competitive than Horner indicated. Pirelli’s decision to bring softer tyres than last year should also play into their hands, as they’ve tended to prefer these compounds.
United States Grand Prix
Circuit of the Americas
Last winner: Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes (2019)
Red Bull haven’t won at the Circuit of the Americas since 2013 but the sinuous opening sector looks made for the RB16B. Verstappen was less than a tenth of a second away from pole position in 2019.
Mexico City Grand Prix
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Last winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (2019)
Arguably Verstappen should arrive in Mexico looking for his fourth win in a row at the track. He triumphed in 2017 and 2018, and would have had pole position in 2019 but for a penalty for failing to respond to yellow flags.
Even Horner admitted this has been one of their stronger venues, so this could be a race of damage limitation for Mercedes. Keep an eye on the McLarens, too, as their superior straight-line performance could make them a threat on the long straights in Mexico City.
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Sao Paulo Grand Prix
Interlagos
Last winner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull (2019)
Whichever team holds the upper hand here will reap an added bonus as the Brazilian round will be the final sprint qualifying event of the year. That means an extra three points are up for grabs on Saturday.
Verstappen won on F1’s last visit to the circuit and was on course to do the same in 2018 before he tripped over Esteban Ocon. He put in a virtuoso drive during the rain-hit 2016 race, though Hamilton took that win.
Qatar Grand Prix
Losail International Circuit
Last winner: N/A
It’s anyone’s guess who will be the team to beat in Qatar. Verstappen’s team mate Sergio Perez has at least driven there before, but it was over a decade ago and he remembers little of the event.
Pirelli’s decision to bring the hardest tyres in its range could be good news for Mercedes, who have tended to perform better on the harder rubber.
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Last winner: N/A
Even more of an unknown than Qatar. Besides being very fast, run-off looks limited in places, so errors could be costly. It already looks like a venue which could produce a surprise twist in the 2021 championship tale.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina Circuit
Last winner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull (2020)
Until last year Yas Marina had been a stronghold for Mercedes in the V6 hybrid turbo era. However last year Verstappen put one over Bottas and Hamilton – the latter still ailing after a bout of Covid-19 – to win.
The track’s many slow chicanes had made it a poor venue for racing, but it’s had a badly-needed makeover this year. If the championship is still up for grabs, Yas Marina could finally serve up a scrap to remember.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
2021 F1 season
- Verdict on error in GT race suggests Mercedes would have lost 2021 Abu Dhabi GP appeal
- Title ‘stolen’ from Mercedes made us ‘underdogs people cheer for’ – Wolff
- Red Bull Racing spent £230m during Verstappen’s title-winning 2021 campaign
- ‘I can’t box?’: Hamilton and Verstappen’s 2021 Abu Dhabi GP radio transcript
- Abu Dhabi’s legacy one year on: How the controversial 2021 finale changed F1
sumedh
1st October 2021, 13:16
I highly doubt Sao Paolo and Mexico will happen. These are highly densely populated cities and tracks in the middle of them.
Are any other sporting events going on in Sao Paolo and Mexico?
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
1st October 2021, 13:59
Really, you think there’s a risk of a race being cancelled this late?
Jere (@jerejj)
1st October 2021, 14:16
@freelittlebirds Possible if things go wrong, which is why I’m skeptical about Sao Paulo especially.
The scenario I’ve thought of is if an entire team faced force majeure withdrawal because of getting infected while in Sao Paulo, something that would subsequently affect the Qatar round unless postponed by seven days.
Red Pill (@redpill)
1st October 2021, 23:31
@freelittlebirds Yes, currently 100%
Both countries are currently on the UK travel Red List, which is no bueno señor and means no way F1 teams are going to those countries until those two countries are removed from the Red List. As @jerejj stated, the force majeure clause will be exercised if Brazil or Mexico are on the Red List, their hands are tied.
F1/Liberty must just be hanging by a nails edge of their pinky that the Red List will change prior to having to make the thumbs up call for logistics or not which is coming up very soon.
SpaFrancorchamps (@spafrancorchamps)
2nd October 2021, 8:48
This pandemic is long over now. UK should re-open the country fully.
Jere (@jerejj)
2nd October 2021, 11:11
@redpill The freight deadline has already passed, but otherwise, I agree with you.
Daniel
2nd October 2021, 16:43
Closed football matches have been held in Brazil for many months, and the stadiums are starting to reopen to spectators in October. Even music concerts are slowly coming back. Vaccination rates in Brazil are high, more than 70% of the population with at least one shot (higher than the U.S, Germany and Israel) and more than 40% fully vaccinated (and up 0,5% per day), so in November it’ll be close to, perhaps better, then UK’s vaccination rates.
Mexico is in much worse shape, so it’s strange that Brazil is still on the red list, also because cases and deaths are on the lowest level since mid 2020, and most of the country have reopened.
Kotrba
1st October 2021, 14:01
Just a thought… Is Mercedes gambling on Mexico & Brasil (two relatively PU stressing circuits due to long straights and/or high altitude) not taking place & thus on managing the rest of season with just three PUs on Hamilton´s car?
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
1st October 2021, 14:27
Yeah, I was pretty sure Brazil wasn’t going to happen. I know Britain is on the Brazilian ‘red list’, hence the Premier League based players getting the Brazilian Department of Health to invade the pitch against Argentina. That’s four players (who did lie to avoid quarantine) whom I assume pose less of a risk than the hundreds that come with F1. Does F1 have special dispensation?
Or will they run on to the track to arrest Lewis and Max? They could probably catch a Haas, with a bit of luck.
I’d be disappointed if it doesn’t go ahead. Interlagos is so often a highlight in the calendar.
lubhz (@lubhz)
1st October 2021, 18:34
@jerejj @freelittlebirds @bernasaurus indeed there’s a logistics problem here! The covid restrictions in Brazil are that anyone travelling to Brazil who have been in the UK in the 14 days before the trip must quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
Interlagos is a double header right after Hermanos Rodriguez so F1 will race in Mexico on the 7th Nov, and Brazil on the 14th. But even if all personnel travel directly from Mexico to São Paulo they will need to be outside the UK since 1st Nov. The race before that is COTA on the 24th Oct, creating a gap making this logistic complicated.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
1st October 2021, 19:14
@lubhz @jerejj @bernasaurus that’s good news for Verstappen as he’s not British!
I guess the next question is “how fast can Helmut change 4 tires?”
Jere (@jerejj)
1st October 2021, 19:28
@freelittlebirds Although his team is England-based.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
1st October 2021, 22:27
@freelittlebirds He only has one good eye, so presumably his depth perception isn’t great and those guns look heavy and he’s about 70.
I think he’d tell you he could do it alone in under 2 seconds, and when he didn’t, he’d sack someone else.
Red Pill (@redpill)
1st October 2021, 23:58
@lubhz Very true but it’s not just that, it gets complicated as UK companies (most F1 teams & FOM) have medical travel insurance policies for all of their employees to cover medical expenses while abroad, as I understand it countries on the Red List are not covered under the normal travel medical insurances making them either not covered or new expensive temp. policies will need to be written up. The costs & logistics would be extreme to clear the way for UK teams to race in those red list countries.
There’s quite a few other contingencies also have to figured out. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some Plan B’s enacted by FOM.
@freelittlebirds If he goes, he’ll have to bring a ton of RB stickers with him and rent a local player car to drive since he normally drives a UK F1 based car. But if I remember correctly, Honda’s are not that easy to find in Brazil rentals but there’s plenty of Renaults, Fiat and Toyota’s for him to drive but they have a lot of lug nuts for Helmut to change. @bernasaurus
Jere (@jerejj)
1st October 2021, 19:34
@bernasaurus @lubhz
Thanks for the info I had been unaware of before.
faulty (@faulty)
2nd October 2021, 1:44
Is this an example of British ignorance-arrogance?
The MX promoter has already started their “fast processing” of ticket holders, that’s a notice of 37-days. Event attendees have to provide proof of full-vaccination status (either from our national or from foreign authorities), and because of volume they have set up a web site to process it.
They are working very hard with their event partners (Liberty, FIA and Mexico City mayor’s office) to not lose any revenue from the reduced attendance. I know this sounds like PR talk, but I believe OCESA have won the Best GP of the Year Award for the last 5 years.
I would think they know how to run things, even if the brexited UK government doesn’t.
Jere (@jerejj)
2nd October 2021, 11:15
@faulty Attendance isn’t really an issue, but what happens outside track boundaries considering the circuit (like Interlagos) locates within a densely populated city. The bubble thing could be challenging.
Kerry Maxwell (@kerrymaxwell)
2nd October 2021, 5:14
In addition to those likely cancellations, after looking at a video of the current state of the Jeddah Street circuit, I would bet money that race will not take place as planned. https://twitter.com/Formula2Insider/status/1442826385031057410?s=20
Jere (@jerejj)
2nd October 2021, 11:16
@kerrymaxwell, I’m sure everything will get ready in time, although in hindsight, maximizing things for an early-2022 debut would’ve been better than a somewhat hurried late-2021 inaugural event.
Red Pill (@redpill)
2nd October 2021, 11:22
@kerrymaxwell Very good point and I think you’re spot on. Looking at that video and seeing the percentage of completion is pretty low with only 60 days left to FP1. While their driving around I’m only seeing shell and core under construction partially done, mostly just core with shell far from ready, high amount of rebar and exposed core, open trenches for electrical. Zero signs of any track safety prep and track looks like it may need repaving after heavy use during construction.
If they do get it ready and pull off a race without a hitch, then I’ll be extremely impressed and they’ll deserve a standing ovation.
GreenFlag
1st October 2021, 13:38
The Chinese have a saying – Predicting is hard, especially about the future. That’s why we hold the races, to see who wins.
petebaldwin (@)
1st October 2021, 14:03
I think in a straight fight, Verstappen and Red Bull have too much for Hamilton and Mercedes but when you factor in DNFs and the fact that we don’t actually know how many races are going to take place for the remainder of the year, it’s not so clear. With the pressure ramping up and both drivers seeming happy to punt each other off, I think there will be a lot of twists to come.
Alex
2nd October 2021, 2:14
Agreed. With the luck Hamiltons been having this year all the Red Bull favoured circuits will be cancelled.
bosyber (@bosyber)
2nd October 2021, 13:05
Monza certainly wasn’t luck for Hamilton, and last race he didn’t have all that much luck either.
Mayrton
4th October 2021, 8:25
Actually he did. Max had it too, thats why attention was diverted. But Lewis started 4th, remember.. I fully agree there is no chance for Max if Lewis’ luck continues. Not a chance.
Tom
1st October 2021, 14:24
Looking at the remaining races I’ll be amazed if Max doesn’t win this easily.
Turkey – Last year Verstappen was comfortably quickest throughout practice and only lost pole due to track conditions. In an expected dry race, the RedBull should dominate here.
USA – Verstappen was extremely close to pole in a year where Mercedes had a real pace advantage throughout the season. Two years later and the current RedBull has shown an advantage on typical “Mercedes circuits”. Another RedBull domination here.
Mexico – Slam dunk RedBull track. Domination from Max over the last few years even when the RedBull had been up to a second slower than Mercedes at other circuits.
Brazil – As above, another dominant track for RedBull in recent years. Weather could play a huge part in this, but it’s not like the RedBull or Max are exactly bad in the rain.
Qatar & Saudi Arabia – No data on these tracks, but after a possible 4 wins in a row, Max could have a 30+ point lead by this point.
Abu Dhabi – Last year RedBull seemed to have a nice advantage. Sure, you could argue that Hamilton wasn’t feeling his best, but Max probably had the pace to challenge even an inform Hamilton.
Add into the above that Max has already taken his engine penalty then there’s no chance Hamilton is winning the Championship.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
1st October 2021, 14:31
Though i’d certainly make Max favourite, I wouldn’t say Lewis has ‘no chance’, he has won a couple of these before, you could say he has a knack for it.
DonSalsa
1st October 2021, 19:59
Maybe on paper yes. F1 and the teams rely on and use a lot of data but still, a race is partly an art. Meaning all sorts of factors outside the science and data come to play including ‘luck’.
So never be so sure with these things until they actually happen. Who could have predicted that after 15 rounds, there would only be just 2 points separating the 2 title contenders? So who knows what’s going to happen in the remaining 7 rounds?
We can only hope that the driver / team we support make it at the end!
Bob (@mp4-bob)
2nd October 2021, 12:08
I’m holding on to McLaren making a small surprise comeback. If Hamilton and Max keep crashing (and I think at least 1 more is inevitable), Bottas and Lando will start to catch up. If there are 4 more DNFs from them which causes those 2 to end up at the front, then suddenly Bottas and Lando will be right up there with them.
And it’s not unlikely for McLaren to be the team to reap the rewards from this, these tracks should mostly all be strong ones for them, and with their current form on their better tracks, a McLaren driver is likely to be the one to benefit most from Lewis’ and Max’s crashes. Also, they’ve shown recently that they are really good in qualifying and at the start, that combined with arguably being the most difficult to overtake, they’ll be causing some trouble for both teams even on a normal day. If Lando can keep beating Daniel (perhaps with Daniel waving him by) he could pick up a lot of points, and with a lot of luck, flawless reliability, some more crashes for Lewis and Max and McLaren being on their A-game, he could be an outsider contender come to Abu Dhabi.
Needless to say, I’m a huge McLaren blinded by delusional hope at this particular scenario and it would require a lot of luck. Firstly, while I expect another crash, I don’t think there’d be 4. Then there’s the chance that we’d keep this current pace for every remaining race and if we do, that the others can’t get past us. And then there’s just the general luck you need for every race. So while it would be awesome for a shock Lando WDC (or even Bottas, same applies for him just swap the names), it’s incredibly unlikely, but man I sure hope it happens, just the shock from out of nowhere.
Johns
2nd October 2021, 16:13
Dont for get to factor in the fact that Hamilton would rather take out Ver than lose a race.
Nril
4th October 2021, 14:44
Strange people say this then totally ignore Monday.
Neil
4th October 2021, 14:45
Sorry, Monza
Bart
1st October 2021, 14:50
Pérez should have good memory of Losail as he won the sprint race there in GP2… As did Nico Hülkenberg who won the feature race held before that. It is 12 years ago, that’s true.
Common Monsoon (@commonmonsoon)
1st October 2021, 15:05
I had a horrible thought the other day; what if one of them tests positive and hands the title to their competitor by missing two or three races? I know one of the two protagonists has already had the virus once, so wouldn’t that reduce their risk of contracting it again? I really hope nothing spoils this championship fight and I wish I’d never thought of this scarily-plausible scenario.
Coventry Climax
1st October 2021, 15:17
How about trying to figure out the odds of that happening, as well as the odds that one of them breaks an arm whilst training, falls of the stairs somewhere, gets foodpoisoning or… whatever.
Don’t let it spoil your night’s sleep. There’s nothing to fear but fear itself.
John H (@john-h)
1st October 2021, 15:50
Well, we’ve had Kimi and Lewis last year having to sit out races. Kimi two races in fact. This isn’t about your opinion of Covid, it’s about whether it might affect the championship – for which yes there is a possibility. Certainly more than breaking an arm.
John H (@john-h)
1st October 2021, 15:51
Oh and Perez missing a race. Also Gasly just before the season starts. Stroll also missed a race.
Sure, just like broken arms.
pickbdos
1st October 2021, 16:30
If everyone in the paddock is vaccinated, couldn’t they just dispense with making drivers sit out races because of covid. It’s not like if covid is very dangerous to a vaccinated population that are in the majority young and healthy.
Coventry Climax
2nd October 2021, 1:09
@john-h, I know perfectly well what’s happened to whom (well, driver-wise that is) over the past months. The odds though, are less than they were a while ago. Sure it’s still possible. My reaction however, was to what I thought was an over-emotional post. Again, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, even if it does determine the outcome of the championship. Sh t happens, again and again. Nothing new.
Jeff
1st October 2021, 19:59
That would be just as bad as only leading the championship because of a freak tyre explosion. Or taking out your rival. Or your teammate taking out your rival.
Oh wait
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
1st October 2021, 20:35
Absolutely.
Coventry Climax
1st October 2021, 15:11
This is all assuming that these races will be without incidents, yet I’m rather doubtful about exactly that.
Could be Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas (again), Perez or even a sattelite driver making a wrong decision at the wrong moment, or having a ‘tactical’ go at the opponents car(s).
I would like to see the FIA introduce progressive penalties. Punting a car of in the first race of the season unless blatantly on purpose, should possibly not be penalised as heavily as when done in the last race of the season, and also with the amount of influence on the championship standings in mind, causing a collision with a backmarker might be punished less heavily than with the championship leader.
Oh, FIA, before you think it’s an idea, introduce it at the beginning of a season please, and not halfway through.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
1st October 2021, 15:56
The FIA won’t do this. The stewards are required to only consider the incident itself when apportioning blame and punishment. If you start adding in external factors, it muddies the water of what decisions get made and why.
Coventry Climax
2nd October 2021, 1:16
I did not honestly think the FIA would accept such an idea, but I nonetheless think there’s an unmistakeable element of justice in the idea. Also, the FIA has already proven they will not be held back by factors that muddy the water of decisions.
RP (@slotopen)
1st October 2021, 17:23
Verstappen has been driving better and Red Bull look a little stronger. The tracks are more favorable to Red Bull, and Verstappen has a fresh engine.
Things look good for Verstappen, but the season is nearly over. A few bad races, or a DNF could tip things in Hamilton’s favor.
Balue (@balue)
1st October 2021, 17:28
Since Silverstone, Mercedes have had the better car and I don’t see why that would suddenly change now. Add that Bottas is better at qualifying higher and giving Mercedes the strategic advantage, I would say it looks better for them. Even if it was to come down to luck, they would have that one too.
matt
1st October 2021, 18:39
The Merc definitely isn’t the better car…max has had too many incidents to show how fast that redbull really is…plus he had the new upgraded engine…so I expect redbull to be dominant for the rest of the season.
Balue (@balue)
1st October 2021, 20:25
I don’t know what incidents comment is about, but the Honda engine is not really more powerful as such, it’s mostly just a lighter battery. Even since it was introduced in Spa, they have been down in the speed traps. Mercedes’ upgrades were just that much bigger.
Bob (@mp4-bob)
2nd October 2021, 11:47
Wdym? I’ll explain each race and tell me where you disagree.
Hamilton only won in Silverstone due to the incident. Red Bull was quicker there and I’d argue that if they were closer in pace, Hamilton would never have made that move and the crash wouldn’t have happened. We saw in the Sprint Qualifying that he was a lot faster and if it wasn’t for the incident, he would’ve run away and that probably is what caused Hamilton to make that move.
Then we had Hungary where Mercedes was undeniably faster. I don’t think this needs any further explanation.
Belgium we can’t really say, there wasn’t any race and qualifying wasn’t in particularly representative conditions. I’d argue if the weather was fine, Lando probably would’ve gotten pole, and while it likely wasn’t going to be the fastest car, Russia and Italy have shown that there would’ve been a decent chance of Lando getting the win. Heck, Daniel might’ve qualified higher if it was dry since that would’ve moved the Williams back a bit too and he probably would’ve gotten whoever was in front down the straight.
Then we had the Netherlands, where the Red Bull was clearly faster and I don’t think this needs any further explanation.
Then Russia and Monza the Mercedes was faster. Russia was quite clear and the same with Monza, even if Red Bull were more impressive. These should’ve been easy wins, but some mistakes by Hamilton, Bottas starting at the back and the McLaren’s being surprisingly fast set Mercedes back a bit.
Also, you could argue since Spa is similar to Monza and Sochi, it’s more likely they were faster there, although that can be countered by saying from what we did see, the Red Bull looked quicker so I won’t get into this too much since we honestly don’t know.
So since Silverstone, Mercedes has been faster at 3 circuits, Red Bull at 2 with 1 circuit being an unknown. I’m going to say something controversial here, but the Red Bull really isn’t as dominant as people are saying, it’s like 2018 all over again. The Mercedes is pretty much just as fast as their competitor (Red Bull now, Ferrari in 2018). However, at each circuit, one car is clearly faster then the other, so it’s rare for both cars to be just as fast as the other at any given circuit, despite that being the case over the season. Over this season, Red Bull has been undeniably faster at 7 races, Mercedes at 5, 2 being debatable, and the last being Spa which we can’t say (nor should we count as a race in my opinion). Yeah, Red Bull has the advantage, but it isn’t like they are always faster. Although, the upcoming tracks look like they’ll move away from favouring Mercedes and start to favour Red Bull as this article claims.
Also, saying Max has had far too many incidents this year you are making it out as if he’s predominantly to blame for these which he isn’t. Baku was purely unlucky and arguably more Pirelli’s fault than anyone else. Britain was due to either a mistake by Hamilton or a desperate move that wasn’t on, yes Max should’ve backed out of it and conceded the place but you can’t blame him for that, the blame predominantly falls on Hamilton there even though I’d argue it’s a racing incident. Hungary he had no control whatsoever and to blame him for that is absurd. Italy again was another racing incident, yes Max was more to blame than Lewis, but really the blame is due to that sausage curb, and neither would’ve likely DNFed if it wasn’t there. That’s all of the race-ending/ruining incidents he’s had this year. Only one is he the driver most at fault and that was a racing incident.
P. Petterson (@petterson)
1st October 2021, 20:17
Since no engine-upgrades are allowed I wonder where Mercedes gets the extra power from since Silverstone. If they are not caught cheating and keep this speed up I think Hamilton has the upper hand the coming races.
Mayrton
3rd October 2021, 9:39
The season and momentum went to Mercedes for sure. Flexiwings, tyre wall structure, pitstop regulation, bumping 3xRB car off track, Lewis continued mind games trying to damage the other’s reputation. They sure are throwing everything at it.
Zafka (@jjlehto)
1st October 2021, 17:54
Not sure if anyone saw this, but in the last 8 races, Mercedes have gained 219.5 points whilst only leading 19 laps, compared to 149.5 points from 216 laps led for Red Bull (@107PercentF1)… so I wouldn’t bet on anything until Max has a 26 points lead with one race to go.
Zafka (@jjlehto)
1st October 2021, 17:55
just as a curios fact – Alpine have led 67 laps…
Sumedh
1st October 2021, 18:32
Wow that’s a great stat. Just 19 laps in 8 races. I think Alpine, Ferrari, McLaren all have led more laps than Merc. Incredible statistic.
But are you counting sprint qualifying in this? Coz Bottas led 17 laps there.
minnis (@minnis)
1st October 2021, 19:43
I haven’t done the maths but I assume not, since they are qualifying and not races.
Jeff
1st October 2021, 20:01
Probably not cos that was qualifying not a race
DaveW (@dmw)
1st October 2021, 20:11
More than that Mercedes is like 300 laps behind in laps led. That’s several races lights to flag worth. If they win this thing it will be because they figure something out and just dominate. Or it will be one if those sort of flukey sports results like maybe a soccer match where a team dominates in time of possession but gives up one too many set pieces. I wonder what the record is for winning a wdc with fewest laps led. Is it Rosberg senior?
Illusive (@illusive)
1st October 2021, 18:29
I feel Max might need another engine.
playstation361
2nd October 2021, 0:05
The car has speed.
Mayrton
2nd October 2021, 11:11
Too close to call this one. I’d say the favorite is clearly Lewis, whereas with Max it would be nice, but not more than that. Lewis’ advantage on car and experience should make the difference. Let’s see. I’ve got the feeling this is however not going to be decided on track, but political with lots of controversy. Mercedes is already up it all year (flexiwings, tyre change, pitstop alterations, bumping off opponents).
DeanR (@deanr)
2nd October 2021, 12:22
Honestly, VER should be further ahead and almost out of sight in the standings. To be fair, he probably deserves to be out of sight but he isnt andthays making for a cracking championship battle. At this point I really couldn’t call who is going to win. Will VER keep it together to get over the line? This isnt a situation he has been in while car racing so it’s a question mark. He is coming up against one of the sports greats so it wont co.e easy. Looking fwd to the rest of the season