🇸🇦 F1 2021 - R21: Fight night takes centre stage

Think back to Azerbaijan, which feels like it could have been a different age, let alone a few months ago. Max Verstappen had a tyre blowout and Lewis Hamilton brake-magicked his way out of the points which left it to Sergio Perez to take his first win for Red Bull.

The signs of hope were there for the team in that they finally had a driver happy to be number two, but could conceivably win races if needed, something which they hadn’t had in the Verstappen era. They’ve had Daniil Kyvat (not a threat to win consistently), Daniel Ricciardo (a number one driver in waiting), Pierre Gasly (wasn’t ready at the time) and Alex Albon (see Gasly). In the Mexican, who did not come from Red Bull’s all-encompassing junior program, they had someone who could be the closer, and also be content to finish second to his team-mate.

You can look a bit further back, with McLaren, for example. There isn’t really a number one driver between Lando Norris and Ricciardo, nor is there really a hierarchy at Ferrari, but the reason to mention McLaren is that they’ve supplied the season’s only 1-2 in Italy, so there hasn’t really been a 100% reliable rear gunner for the title contenders, although both of them have had spectacular moments over the course of the 2021 season. And that’s where this blog focuses. Hamilton described his outgoing colleague Bottas as this:

But what does that mean? Since joining Mercedes in 2017, he hasn’t managed to finish higher than Hamilton more than eight times in a single season and that number has trended downward over his time at the team. It’s been enough for Hamilton to take world title after world title, and has set an intriguing bar for George Russell to follow when he joins in 2022.

Amazingly, in that time, Mercedes have only had one double DNF in that time - with the disastrous race in Austria 2018. Red Bull have only had two - both in that same year. Both Hamilton and Verstappen have also benefited from great reliability, so there haven’t been those mop-up opportunities for the number two driver to showcase their opportunities. 

In fact, their teams have also used Bottas and Perez in different ways with regards to the fastest lap at various points this season. In Zandvoort, Bottas was “persuaded” not to take the fastest lap after a late pitstop so Hamilton could also change his tyres and take the extra point. 

While at Silverstone, with Verstappen out of the race and Perez in line to take 1 or 2 points, Red Bull pitted the Mexican, dropping him out of the points. The reason to do so was for him to take the award for fastest lap, but not the point as he finished in 16th. But it did take the point away from Hamilton and Mercedes after he had launched his way around the track in pursuit of the victory. Mercedes have also used Bottas to try and hold off Verstappen at the start of the race, with Hamilton coming under fire for accusing his team-mate of “leaving the door open” before clarifying his comments.

Perez has been used in a similar way, with a battle in Turkey spanning several corners being a great example. In wet conditions, maybe you don’t fight someone overtaking you. Unless that someone is your colleague’s title rival. Former team-mates themselves, Hamilton and Perez battled brilliantly around Istanbul Park, with maximum effort and respect.

In amongst the chaos in Jeddah, there was maximum effort, but some of the respect seemed to have gone out the window as the understudies faded and the stars took centre stage under the lights. From Bottas allegedly slowing down to allow a Mercedes double stack, to Verstappen allegedly brake-testing his rival, to Hamilton allegedly forcing his rival off the track, there are more allegedly’s here than your average legal dossier. 

Bottas drag-raced Esteban Ocon right at the end in a battle that had more respect than his more illustrious colleague and showed that you can fight from behind for the whole race before making a move right at the end. Verstappen fell away, perhaps preserving his tyres, knowing he wouldn’t challenge Hamilton and pull away by the requisite five seconds. The time penalty also meant he couldn’t pit to take the fastest lap point, being unsafe to Ocon and ultimately Bottas. 

The final fight gives a (broadly) simple equation. It means (broadly) that whichever driver finishes higher, wins the title. One of the most intense championship battles gets decided at a track that’s familiar, but different. Changes have been made to the circuit to prevent it being as much of a procession, and as a result, the teams don’t have as much data as they would with a circuit they know well. 

One thing is for sure, Round 22 in Abu Dhabi is going to be the most anticipated race for a generation and don’t count out Bottas or Perez having a say in how this fight - and it absolutely is a fight - gets decided. 

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