It was a wild and crazy year for F1 this year and as a result there are so many tasty moments from 2021. So here are the F1 2021 highlights.

So, so much happened in this years Formula One season that this list would be ridiculously long if I were to include every single highlight. Actually, it’s still quite long regardless of my efforts at culling. That just goes to show how good this season really was. So without further ado, here are the F1 2021 highlights in chronological order. 

Russell and Bottas Crash at Emilia Romagna

I wish I could say that these two collided due to Valtteri Bottas knowing that George Russell would be replacing him at Mercedes next year, but that is not the case. Instead, they just seemed to collide and get very angry at each other. I don’t even think we ever saw such a reaction from Verstappen or Hamilton when they collided. 

I do enjoy Bottas flipping off Russell. Just never pictured him doing that and for that reason alone, I’m almost glad this happened. 

Content warning for crude language in the video above. 

Heartbreak For Charles Leclerc at Monaco

It was absolutely devastating to see Charles Leclerc do so well during qualifying at his home track in Monaco. He earned pole position and the pace of the Ferraris was spectacular. This could’ve, no, should’ve been their first win of the season. But unfortunately, Leclerc lost control and collided with the wall, damaging his gearbox. He couldn’t start the race on Sunday despite earning pole. Pour one out for my boy. 

Lance Stroll Interrupts in Monaco

One of many memes to be born from this season. Original broadcast here for context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvpVJMDZVF8 

Lance Stroll just keeps interrupting everything.

The 'Magic Button' Incident

There was venom in the air this year when some fans realised they could face another year of domination from Lewis Hamilton. So it was with great joy that they saw Hamilton lock up and completely ruin his chances of victory in Baku. 

It turned out that Hamilton had left the ‘magic’ button on, causing his brakes to malfunction. Mercedes and Hamilton certainly learnt from this as they never repeated this mistake for the rest of the season. 

Leclerc's Charge & Verstappen's Crushing Victory in Styria

It certainly was an interesting day in Styria. It was the first race where Verstappenn showed how completely dominant he was at the time. Once he got away, there was no one catching him and he proved it with a win almost 40s ahead of P2. 

It wasn’t interesting to watch Verstappen this race as he was so far ahead, but Charles Leclerc gave us a spectacle instead. His recovery charge was bloody breathtaking and was easily of of his best moments of 2021. I can’t host the video on this site because F1 are very weird about video sharing so here’s a link to Leclerc’s charge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5RKIaOpcso&t=6s 

Verstappen's Crash at Silverstone

The race that featured, at the time, the most controversial moment of the season. Fans still haven’t settled whose fault it was. On top of that was the controversy surrounding Hamilton’s meagre 10s penalty for what was a terrible crash. And then to make things spicier, once Hamilton had won, he paraded around waving a British flag and carrying on for a good while.

Many thought at the time that this might be in bad taste since Hamilton had sent his rival to the hospital in order to win (albeit, only for preliminary checks). Others said that he was simply celebrating a well-earned victory at his home track. Granted, he did still win despite his penalty, much to Leclerc’s chagrin. 

The Entire Hungarian Grand Prix

My word, what didn’t happen in Hungary?

For starters, that chaotic opening lap that saw five cars retire right into turn 1. It was like ten pin bowling out there! It wasn’t even really anyone’s fault in particular, though many would argue that it was Bottas’ fault given his lock up and that might be fair. Here’s the link for that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DuTjXo67ac

Once the race was restarted afterwards, we got that weird moment with Hamilton being the only driver starting on the grid rather than the pits. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GfseCOTOHM 

Then you got to the real meat and potatoes of this race. All the weird stuff was done and we got some great racing. Especially from Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, whose multi-lap duel was one for the books. Two World Champions going at it? You can’t ask for much more. It was pure, good racing and a delight to watch. The best part was that it wasn’t even for first! Alonso was defending his teammate Esteban Ocon so that he could win his first Grand Prix in F1. Do yourself a favour and revisit the battle here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12lU7KQNFq8 

Esteban Ocon won and we got to see Sebastian Vettel on the podium again. You see now why I included the entire race?

The Rain in Belgium

This might not be a highlight per se, but it was certainly one of the most memorable events of the 2021 F1 season. It somehow got everyone talking and there was no race to even talk about. It has one accolade attached to it too, the shortest race in F1 history. 

The Ridiculously Amazing Crowd At Zandvoort

It was just a joy to see everyone back on track after the horror year that was 2020. The crowd at the Dutch Grand Prix seriously made you feel like you were missing out. 

Daniel Ricciardo Winning at Monza

It was such a rough time for Daniel Ricciardo this year at McLaren. It’s been said 100 times, and it will likely be said 100 more, he struggled to work with the car and it looked like this season was a write off for him. Thankfully, that turned out not to be true after a stellar race in Monza. Ricciardo didn’t win because of something weird that happened, he won on pure merit – he led the entire race!

Lando's Bad Decision in Russia

He was going to win the Russian Grand Prix. He was going to do it. But the heavens opened up and released a downpour. Unfortunately, Lando thought he could weather the storm but to no avail. 

Here’s the whole fiasco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkyhWfloqFI 

Hamilton vs Perez in Turkey

This is just solid defensive driving from Perez and you just love to see it. It isn’t the last time these two go at it either. 

Here is the brilliant duel between the two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBsnDIFbbb4 

McLaren vs Ferrari at Austin

Now this was a bit of fun. It was nice to see Ferrari and McLaren being focused on as if they were the ones going for the championship. Very reminiscent of the old days. 

Perez's Dad in Mexico

You gotta love it. It’s like Papa Perez was in the race himself the way he was going on about it. A sweet, wholesome moment in the 2021 season. 

Hamilton From Last to First in Brazil

This was just simply impressive. Hamilton had to start last due to that whole rear wing fiasco but made up 15 places in sprint qualifying, and then went on to win the whole race. That’s what world champions are made of. No matter if you are a fan of Lewis or not, you have to be at least a little bit impressed by this feat. You can see for yourself just how much this man wanted to get to the front: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPGnz-_G-Go 

Alonso's Return to the Podium in Qatar

That tweet really sums it up though, eh? I am a new fan to F1 and I didn’t know who Alonso was before this season. I must say, he forced me to know his name and I am not even upset about it. Here’s hoping for a good year for him in 2022. 

The Whole Mess That Was the Saudi Arabian GP

Shall we list the moments? 

  • A ridiculously tight and dangerous track
  • Many accidents occurred as a result
  • On the second restart, Ocon managed to slip into the top positions somehow
  • Christian Horner argued with Masi and negotiated track position – very spicy wonder if that will come up later?
  • The cheering Toto meme was born
  • Max’s “brake-test” on Lewis 
  • Max’s sneaky DRS zone position handover and immediate overtake

This race was a damn mess and not really in a fun way. There were too many restarts, too many accidents, it just felt like a ticking time bomb. And many of the drivers on the grid agreed. 

Oh God, Abu Dhabi...

The drama. 

Is this a highlight? Or is this just a talking point? For many this was a race that saw a new and deserving World Champion in F1 appear. For others, it was a race that saw F1 lose the last shred of integrity it had. 

Opinions will be divided for years to come over what occurred in Abu Dhabi. 

We did get a good moment with Perez and Hamilton though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7cAfXFnAwA 

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