In this special edition, mammoth piece of Formula 1 analysis, W2W will reflect on events from a captivating and enthralling Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, whilst simultaneously casting an eye on the blockbuster finale that now awaits. In Jeddah, we witnessed an eventful race to say the least, with red flags and safety cars plentiful throughout. After 21 races this calendar year, we enter Dubai with the two title protagonists level on 369.5 points. It is the first time in over 40 years where this is the case, and it is the 30th time the final race will decide the destination of the title. With many talking points to discuss, let’s first look in depth at events in the penultimate race from this most recent weekend.
Lewis Levels up after controversial duel…
Well, this was a battle that will be remembered for the ages, that is for sure. Both Christian Horner and Totto Wolff (pictured above) had strong words for the events we saw in Jeddah. The race in Saudi Arabia will be remembered, arguably for some more negative reasons. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen repeatedly came together, much like we have seen in Formula 1 in all the great battles. The Dutchman was fortunate to capitalise on a safety car turned red flag, after both silver arrows had decided to use the opportunity to pit. After the first restart, Max used a move that could be described at best as optimistic or at worst reckless, depending on which side of the garage you were on, to keep hold of the lead on dubious circumstances.
The race only continued for another couple of corners before the red flag was brought out again, this time for a multi car incident involving, and eventually leading to the retirements of, Sergio Perez, Nikita Mazepin and George Russell. After Verstappen’s antics were deemed to be illegal, the driver was dropped behind both Lewis Hamilton and Estaban Ocon, who had somehow found himself leading the race for the third standing start of the day. This time, Max forced his way through the first corner in bullish fashion, to lead ahead of Ocon and then Hamilton. This is where the fun really started.
Further back, the Ferrari pair were running a solid race and Daniel Ricciardo looked a dead cert for at least a top five finish. Moreover, departing Antonio Giovinazzi kept his Alfa Romeo at a steady pace to achieve his best result for the season. On the other hand, Gasly, Tsunoda and Norris were comparatively having worse afternoons. The young Japanese driver in particular struggled for pace, not helped with contact with Sebastian Vettel which lead to a deserved penalty. The German himself then collided with Kimi Raikkonen later in the race, which eventually lead to the Aston Martin’s retirement in what was a dreadful weekend for the team.
Back up front, Max Verstappen was told by his team to give the place back to Lewis Hamilton, after an overtake attempt by the Brit forced Max to cut right across the curb and gain a clear advantage. In slowing to let the Brit by, there was a communication error and Hamilton hit the back on the Red Bull in what appeared to be an incident where both drivers have to take some responsibility. Red Bull themselves advised Verstappen to give the place back “strategically”. As soon as he did so again, (right before the DRS detection zone) Max then regained the lead less than 100 metres later, leading fans to question, whether that actually counts as “giving the place back”.
Some snide radio messages, complaints to the FIA and a five second penalty for Verstappen later, Lewis eventually regained the lead and prevented the Dutchman from repeating his earlier antics by forcing him very wide indeed. Once Lewis had got the job done though, it was plain sailing for the seven-time world champion, and despite getting an additional, retrospective ten second penalty, the ‘driver of the day’ Max Verstappen, held on to second. Valtteri Bottas pipped Estaban Ocon to the final place on the podium by a tenth of a second, only overtaking the Frenchman practically on the line. The Finn’s strong finish, coupled with Lewis’ win and fastest lap combination, effectively handed the constructor’s title to Mercedes for yet another year. It will take something miraculous for Red Bull to make up the difference now, especially considering the reliability of the silver arrows.
Regarding the Driver’s Championship, it all comes down to the final race, as has often felt inevitable. The Dutchman now only leads the standings on race wins, so a DNF for the pair will suit the younger of the drivers. And it isn’t like we haven’t seen that kind of thing before in Formula 1. That being said, the FIA has indicated (and to an extent, warned) that any incident could lead to points penalties, which sets us up a grandstand finish, with more than just the front two to consider ahead of the final race of the season.
Leave him alone, he knows what he’s doing…
A new world champion could be crowned on Sunday, but we are certainly losing a former world champion this weekend as Kimi Raikkonen bids farewell to the sport for the final time. The “Iceman” retires after more races and laps than anyone else in Formula 1 history and this unique character will be sorely missed from the grid next season. He’s not the only Alfa Romeo driver moving onto pastures new either, with teammates Antonio Giovinazzi already lining up his next racing seat elsewhere beyond this current campaign. You could say that we are losing God and Jesus in one, foul, swoop.
The man who replaces them, Valtteri Bottas, races his final race for Mercedes after winning constructors championships every year since he joined, although the individual honour always alluded him. The man who replaces him alongside Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, bids an emotional farewell to Williams, a team he has called home, since making his debut in the sport.
There is also the battles that remain on between constructors for those places in the standings. Ferrari seem to have risen their game to surpass McLaren, but certain results could reverse this. Moreover, can Haas get a point to prevent remaining pointless for the duration of the year? Most likely not. Alpine probably have 5th sorted ahead of Alpha Tauri and as mentioned previously in this article, Mercedes should have enough to beat Red Bull to the title, although in the world of Formula 1, you ultimately never know.
The big question that will be answered is the destination of the 2021 Drivers Championship. Will it be a record breaking eighth World championship for Lewis Hamilton, or can Max Verstappen steer his way to a maiden championship win in a year which, for the most part, he has dominated?
Wheel2Wheel Reports will say that Max Verstappen will be the one who is victorious, by the narrowest of margins. The race wins advantage could be key, but I fully expect Max to win this race with Lewis just behind. Anything could happen regarding mechanical reliability issues or even punctures, but I feel Red Bull will do anything to see their prodigal boy stand on top of the world. There is no question that Lewis Hamilton, arguably more than anyone else, has the experience to deliver the result he needs and come out of the Middle East a history maker. Nevertheless, W2W is backing the young Dutchman to be the one who, ultimately, will come out of this season-long duel, on top.
I have often found myself as a neutral fan this year. At different points I have wanted both drivers to win the title. More recently, especially since events in Saudi, I have favoured Lewis Hamilton winning his eighth, and potentially last, world title. Although if Verstappen were to claim the prize this weekend, you’d be hard pressed to find a spectator who could think that he doesn’t deserve it. He was unlucky in Britain, Azerbaijan and Hungary. If it weren’t for other drivers, he could have seen the title up already. Speaking of other drivers, it wouldn’t shock me if Bottas and/or Perez play an integral part in the outcome of Sunday’s decider. One of these two teammates, if the two contenders do bump into each other, could even end up victorious. I will go for Valtteri to see how his stint with Mercedes in style claiming what could be his last win in the sport, despite a sub-optimal result in qualifying.
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 