Formula One - 2021 season and beyond...
Merisse Baker explores the exciting world of Formula One racing, this year and beyond.
Formula One is a sport that many have heard of but people are often confused by the excitement it brings to millions of people around the world. Driving in ‘circles’ seems pointless to some, but if you dig deeper into the history and stories around the sport, you’ll see why it has so many fans! If you’re not familiar with how it works, the concept is this: ten teams each build two of the fastest, technologically advanced cars they possibly can, and race them around 23 different race tracks each year. This is completed within rules set by the motorsport governing body, the FIA, all with the intention of one thing: winning the drivers and constructors’ championships. |
This elite motorsport category is back for a full season of races in 2021, after a year disrupted by Covid-19 and national lockdowns. The first race was held in Bahrain back in March, where the two championship contenders emerged of Lewis Hamilton, the reigning world champion, and Max Verstappen, the up-and-coming superstar. Races in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Monaco have since followed, with two big stories revealing themselves: an intense fight is brewing between the top teams of Mercedes and Red Bull, and the future of British drivers appears bright.
Mercedes have dominated the sport for the past seven years, yielding both the drivers and constructors’ championships every season. They were fought hard in 2017-18 by a quick Ferrari in the hands of experienced world champion Sebastian Vettel, but no challenge so far has been successful enough to overthrow them at the top of the sport. However, this season has seen a different story, with Mercedes appearing as the team playing catch-up to Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been battling hard at the front, sharing the wins this season 3-2 in Lewis’ favour. But the drivers who will determine the outcome of this championship will be their teammates, who need to step up their games to ensure their team scores the most points. Valterri Bottas has been Lewis’ teammate at Mercedes since 2017 and has proved himself worthy of that seat. Red Bull have seen a number of drivers in their second seat over the past few years, but this year the responsibility falls on Sergio Perez, an incredibly talented and experienced driver who claimed his first ever win in the sport just last year. How these drivers fare in the remaining 18 races of the season will be crucial to the championship; either team could claim the title!
Aside from this intense battle at the front, many young drivers have been emerging in Formula One, proving themselves as possible future world champions. So far this season we have seen McLaren’s Lando Norris step up his game against his new, race winning teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. He has extracted the most from his 2021 car, managing to consistently qualify and finish at the high end of the top 10. His standout performances were in Italy and Monaco, where he held off drivers to finish third on the podium, thereby cementing his place as a driver to watch this season. In addition to this, it has recently been announced that he has extended his contract with the McLaren team, which suggests that the team have full confidence in him to win for them in the near future. Another driver that has been impressive during his short time in the sport so far has been George Russell, who races for Williams. Although he has mainly been racing near the back of the grid, his performances in qualifying and the races have been outstanding; this is considering the car he is in. Toto Wolff, the CEO and Team Principal of Mercedes, has supported George throughout his junior and F1 careers as he spotted his fast pace and talent for racing early on. The possibility for George to step up into the Mercedes next year is becoming increasingly more likely, as doubts over Valterri’s position in the team have started to appear. These two young British drivers are looking very strong in Formula One currently, so who knows what the future may bring for them? Perhaps future world champions? They’ll have plenty of competition from the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who are desperate to overthrow Lewis Hamilton at the top of the sport.
This season is set to be an amazing one, and you’d be foolish to miss out! If you’re already a fan or if this has sparked an interest for you, head over to @sector1podcast on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts, where I, and a group of motorsport fans, discuss all things F1. We cover race recaps, the basics of F1 and some history of the sport. If you’re interested in any other motorsport categories, we have also branched out into other series such as MotoGP, WEC and Formula E.
Merisse Baker, Y12
Mercedes have dominated the sport for the past seven years, yielding both the drivers and constructors’ championships every season. They were fought hard in 2017-18 by a quick Ferrari in the hands of experienced world champion Sebastian Vettel, but no challenge so far has been successful enough to overthrow them at the top of the sport. However, this season has seen a different story, with Mercedes appearing as the team playing catch-up to Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been battling hard at the front, sharing the wins this season 3-2 in Lewis’ favour. But the drivers who will determine the outcome of this championship will be their teammates, who need to step up their games to ensure their team scores the most points. Valterri Bottas has been Lewis’ teammate at Mercedes since 2017 and has proved himself worthy of that seat. Red Bull have seen a number of drivers in their second seat over the past few years, but this year the responsibility falls on Sergio Perez, an incredibly talented and experienced driver who claimed his first ever win in the sport just last year. How these drivers fare in the remaining 18 races of the season will be crucial to the championship; either team could claim the title!
Aside from this intense battle at the front, many young drivers have been emerging in Formula One, proving themselves as possible future world champions. So far this season we have seen McLaren’s Lando Norris step up his game against his new, race winning teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. He has extracted the most from his 2021 car, managing to consistently qualify and finish at the high end of the top 10. His standout performances were in Italy and Monaco, where he held off drivers to finish third on the podium, thereby cementing his place as a driver to watch this season. In addition to this, it has recently been announced that he has extended his contract with the McLaren team, which suggests that the team have full confidence in him to win for them in the near future. Another driver that has been impressive during his short time in the sport so far has been George Russell, who races for Williams. Although he has mainly been racing near the back of the grid, his performances in qualifying and the races have been outstanding; this is considering the car he is in. Toto Wolff, the CEO and Team Principal of Mercedes, has supported George throughout his junior and F1 careers as he spotted his fast pace and talent for racing early on. The possibility for George to step up into the Mercedes next year is becoming increasingly more likely, as doubts over Valterri’s position in the team have started to appear. These two young British drivers are looking very strong in Formula One currently, so who knows what the future may bring for them? Perhaps future world champions? They’ll have plenty of competition from the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who are desperate to overthrow Lewis Hamilton at the top of the sport.
This season is set to be an amazing one, and you’d be foolish to miss out! If you’re already a fan or if this has sparked an interest for you, head over to @sector1podcast on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts, where I, and a group of motorsport fans, discuss all things F1. We cover race recaps, the basics of F1 and some history of the sport. If you’re interested in any other motorsport categories, we have also branched out into other series such as MotoGP, WEC and Formula E.
Merisse Baker, Y12