Hamilton v Verstappen - The key moments from a thrilling season
By Oli Dickson-Jefford
It was perhaps the most enthralling sporting contest of 2021, fuelled by drama, controversy and incredible racing.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton contested a thrilling title battle this Formula One season, with the championship winner not decided until the very final lap of the season.
Though the thrilling- and hugely controversial- finale is what will be remembered the most when all is said and done, it’s been a season of thrills and spills and dramatic momentum swings.
In a season that went down to the very wire, just what were the key moments between the two?
Bahrain- Race 1
Eyebrows were first raised on the opening weekend of the season when Verstappen took pole in Bahrain.
And that continued during the race, with the two protagonists battling it out throughout the first 40 laps before the Brit was able to take the lead.
Verstappen closed down Hamilton and overtook him with three laps to go, though was forced to hand the lead back for exceeding track limits and was unable to recover with the seven-time champion claiming victory.
It was advantage Hamilton after the opening race, but the stage for an epic battle was set.
Monaco- Race 5
Monaco is one of the most difficult tracks to overtake on, meaning a strong performance in qualifying is key.
Verstappen was able to qualify in second place, behind home favourite, though Hamilton struggled and found himself starting sixth on the grid.
However, with Leclerc unable to start due to damage obtained in qualifying, Verstappen found himself as de facto pole and the Dutchman cruised to a straightforward victory with very little trouble.
Meanwhile, Hamilton languished down in seventh, unable to generate any race pace or find room to overtake any of those ahead of him.
For the very first time, Verstappen took the lead in this year’s standings.
Silverstone- Race 10
After a disastrous Azerbaijan Grand Prix for both, three straight victories for Verstappen saw the Red Bull star hold a 33-point lead heading into the British Grand Prix.
Momentum was with him and when he took pole in sprint qualifying over Hamilton, things were set up for an epic opening lap at Hamilton’s home race.
Hamilton got the marginally better start though the two were neck and neck until the ninth corner, when they collided and Verstappen skidded across the gravel and into the barrier at around 180mph.
He was immediately taken to hospital while on the race’s resumption Hamilton- handed a rather lenient 10 second penalty- pounced with two laps to go, overtaking Leclerc to seal victory.
The Brit decreased the gap between the two to eight points, and a second-placed finish in Hungary the following week saw him retake the lead after his rival could only finish ninth.
After the title race had swung back and forth for a few races, Verstappen held a narrow six-point lead heading into the US Grand Prix in Austin.
The Dutchman set a blistering lap in qualifying to take pole position though Hamilton was just a place behind him in second, and won at the Circuit of the Americas five times beforehand.
Hamilton took the lead in the opening corner, though struggled with his tyres and couldn’t not surge ahead, with Verstappen staying within a couple of seconds.
The Dutchman pitted first and was able to take the lead, and despite some late pressure from Hamilton it was Verstappen who held on to claim victory.
It was a stunning defensive and tactical display from the 24-year-old, who was starting to look like a champion in the making.
Sao Paulo- Race 19
When everything looked to be going against Hamilton, he produced one of the greatest performances of his career.
After being disqualified from the initial qualifying session, the seven-time champion surged from 20th to fifth in sprint qualifying- though would start the race in tenth following a five-place grid penalty for taking a new engine.
However, after 15 overtakes in the sprint qualifying, Hamilton stormed through the field once again and found himself behind race leader Verstappen.
And on lap 59 he edged his way past his rival, and ultimately won the race by ten-seconds in a simply stunning performance when everything seemed to be going against him.
That victory cut Verstappen’s lead to 14 points, setting up an intriguing final three races.
Saudi Arabia- Race 21
Consecutive victories in Brazil and Qatar meant momentum was with Hamilton heading into the penultimate race of the season.
And things continued to favour him with Verstappen all set to take pole position with a scorching lap until he overcooked a corner and hit a wall, forcing him to start from third behind Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
During the race, things almost hit breaking point between the two.
In a race that saw two red flags and multiple safety cars- virtual or otherwise, Verstappen was at one point forced to hand the lead back after going on the outside earlier on in the race.
In a moment of chaos he slowed down to let Hamilton past before the Brit drove into the back of him- both blaming the other.
Hamilton was eventually handed the lead and won the race, a fraught contest setting up a decider with both men level on points.
Abu Dhabi- Race 22
There were concerns that Verstappen would wipe out Hamilton to secure victory in this final race, though it proved to be a different kind of controversy that decided the title in his favour.
The Dutchman had secured pole position in qualifying though Hamilton took the lead in the opening straight and round the first corner, and built a substantial lead over his rival.
Superb defending from Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez saw the gap narrowed after both pitted, but the Brit continued to build a solid advantage and was moving closer to the title.
Then, with five laps to go, the safety car brought out following Nicholas Latifi’s crash, and confusion reigned over what the lapped cars between the two should do.
Eventually- against his original decision- race director Michael Masi allowed the four cars between the two to unlap themselves with just a lap to go and, on fresher tyres, Verstappen overtook his rival and claimed victory in both the race and championship.
It was a thrilling, controversial end to one of F1’s all-time great battles.
IMAGE CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES