There are only three races left to determine Formula One’s 2021 championships, and there’s controversy between the teams fighting it out to claim the sport’s top prizes.
Last week’s race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, added fuel to the fire. The Silver Arrows upgraded their engine by including more power, which enabled the team to outclass the Red Bulls completely. Then, during the race, Max Verstappen made a blocking move on Lewis Hamilton at turn four. Even though officials ruled the maneuver a legitimate part of racing, Verstappen’s move wasn’t received by Mercedes that way. That said, Lewis Hamilton, who had been assessed a penalty for the engine change and started Sunday’s race from the back of the grid, drove unabandoned to claim victory in Brazil.
What emerged in Brazil raises questions about what might happen this weekend at the unfamiliar venue in Qatar.
Having the two top teams and drivers go back and for all season long is a departure from what we’ve seen in Formula 1 racing over the past four years. The reason is that Mercedes hasn’t had serious competition until this year. Their closest rival, Red Bull, struggled with an engine from Renault. And with no improvement in sight, the team switched to Honda. Success followed, especially when chassis adjustments were made to complement the new engine. That’s when Red Bull’s talented drivers–Verstappen and Sergio Perez–began making a move on Mercedes, to the point that both the 2021 Driver’s and Constructor’s trophies are within Red Bull’s grasp. Now the rivals (true competitors at this point) are trading accusations of misdeeds.
Red Bull is challenging Mercedes’s F1 supremacy
Next year may bring more of the same. For Red Bull, 2022 will bring a differently designed car and a different relationship with Honda. The Japanese company will be withdrawing their works team to become an independent manufacturer fully controlled by Red Bull. Red Bull will also have a new factory next door to their Milton Keynes outfit with former Renault engine manager, Remi Taffin, heading that operation.
For Mercedes, the big change will come by way of having a new #2 driver. Hamilton’s fellow Briton, George Russell, will replace the dependable Valtteri Bottas, who heads off to Alfa Romeo. That change brings questions–complications, perhaps–regarding how the new team will work together and how the change might affect Hamilton’s ability to challenge for yet another driver’s championship.
First, though, there’s the 2021 season to complete, starting with this weekend’s race. And make no mistake about this: what transpires over the next three races is the stuff that keeps Formula 1 fans on the edge of their seats.
