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The F1 2021 season has arguably been one of the closest fought battles we've seen in a long time. The F1 season, in its entirety, had some of the best races we've seen in a while and gifted the F1 fans with some great action.
At the same time, however, there were a few moments that didn't go down well with the F1 fans and left a bad taste. In this piece, let's look at the top 5 such moments from the 2021 F1 season.
5 moments in F1 2021 that left fans with a sour taste
#1 The Silverstone crash aftermath
Max Verstappen's crash at the F1 British GP looked horrific from the outset. Verstappen was visibly shaken after the crash and had to be rushed to hospital. Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton's celebration of their win, apparently without a care in the world, was found by many fans to be in bad taste.
Adding to this, the aftermath of Red Bull's top brass attacking Hamilton's driving and the back and forth with Toto Wolff was just not what F1 needed at the time.
#2 The Hungarian GP first lap chaos
The Hungarian Grand Prix featured Valtteri Bottas steam-rolling half the grid out of the race, including himself, with a severe misjudgment in damp conditions. One of the many drivers he took out with him was F1 championship contender Max Verstappen. The Red Bull was severely damaged and it was a surprise for everyone to see how Max was still able to continue in the race.
Coming off the back of a British GP where Max lost 25 points, to the Hungarian GP where the Red Bull driver lost a podium, it did appear that the tide of the championship had turned in favor of Lewis Hamilton. The fact that the turn was not because of car performance but entirely bad luck didn't look good and even Toto Wolff wouldn't publicly talk about it after the race.
#3 The Toto Wolff- Christian Horner rivalry
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have had an intense rivalry going on throughout the season. While they might have had their flashing points as well, when both the drivers came to blows, that rivalry does not hold a candle to the kind seen between Toto Wolff and Christian Horner.
It was a rivalry that had been brewing in the past, but the 2021 season was the first time Horner had a car capable enough to fight for the title.
As a result, Horner went to war with Toto Wolff and fans of the sport saw the two leaders bicker, fight and moan at every stage of the season, with the last race of the season being the final nail in the coffin as Wolff refused to meet Horner at the end of the Abu Dhabi GP.
The 2021 season had these two fighting like little kids and it just didn't look good on TV (Netflix might disagree).
#4 The Saudi GP 'Brake-Test' allegations
The Saudi Arabian GP was probably the most eventful race of the season but sadly, it was not for the right reasons. Multiple red flags, contentious restarts, and then added to this, was the clash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
The race was marred by controversies with the biggest one surrounding Verstappen and his alleged brake-test of Lewis Hamilton, while giving way to the latter.
The resultant backlash and allegations surrounding Verstappen only made things worse as the 24-year-old headed into the biggest race of his career.
#5 The Abu Dhabi GP last-lap chaos
Last but not least, the culmination of the F1 championship in a way that many fans deemed farcical, in the Abu Dhabi GP, was just not what Formula 1 needed at the time. Race director Michael Masi became the star attraction of the race that gave Max Verstappen his first title in F1.
While there is no doubt that Verstappen deserved to win the title, a title won after such an epic battle, affected by doubtful procedure, has brought it into controversy.
The F1 2021 season may have spoilt fans of the sport with immense action on track, but maybe it could have been done without some of these not-so-flattering moments.
