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Mercedes and the Red Bull’s rivalry goes beyond the season-long battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2021. Although the fight between the two squads over the course of 22 races produced great entertainment, it became one of the most toxic battles in the history of the sport.
The roots of this rivalry can be traced back to 2014 when Mercedes ended Red Bull’s dominant reign of the V8 era. Having won four titles in the drivers and constructors' championships between 2010-2013, the Milton Keynes outfit was eventually defeated by new engine rules for 2014.
The dawn of the V6 era heralded the domination of Mercedes power over Red Bull’s aerodynamic wizardry.
Roots of the Mercedes Vs Red Bull war
Unable to displace Mercedes from the top spot with a good engine, the verbal sparring match between Christian Horner and Toto Wolff began early in the V6 era. Since the Silver Arrows had refused to supply the four-time world champions with their engine, the latter had to stick with Renault, who had not mastered the V6 hybrid technology.
Watch Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko being interviewed about engines by Martin Brundle in 2014 in the video below:
When the relationship between Red Bull and its engine supplier Renault soured in 2018, there was an option for the Silver Arrows to supply them. However, Mercedes-Benz already had four teams to supply on the grid and a fifth looked unlikely. More importantly, the underlying reluctance to supply an arch rival resulted in verbal wars off-track. Eventually, Red Bull decided to go with Honda, first with their sister team AlphaTauri and then for themselves.
By the time Red Bull had gained their confidence with the Honda engines, the corporate branch of the Japanese manufacturer decided to end its F1 operations by the end of 2021. However, with an engine freeze in the regulations, the Milton Keynes outfit bought the engine IP from Honda and decided to produce their own powerplant under the badge of Red Bull Powertrains for 2022 and beyond.
Mercedes criticism over Max Verstappen's entry into the sport
In 2015, Max Verstappen’s entry into the sport at the age of 17 sparked a debate over his age and raw driving style. It gave Wolff ammunition to attack Horner about his controversial protege. In 2016, when Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were fighting for the title in the season finale, the Austrian team boss is speculated to have called Jos Verstappen prior to the race to ask his son to stay clear from the battle at the front.
Over the years, Verstappen did become a driver that made world champions nervous when he showed up in their rear-view mirrors. However, by the 2020 season, he had claimed the first victory for the Japanese engine supplier since their return to F1, and given his team the confidence to be serious contenders for 2021.
Off-track Protests over Mercedes' DAS in 2020
Watch Mercedes' DAS from 2020 explained in the video below:
In 2020, Mercedes introduced DAS (dual axis steering) on their car, which made them dominate the season for a sixth consecutive time, without a proper contest from a rival team. Red Bull’s protest against DAS resulted in the intelligent and innovative technology being banned for the 2021 season.
The Mercedes and Red Bull fight becomes a reality in 2021
The on-track battle between Mercedes and Red Bull
With Honda wanting to leave F1 on a high and Red Bull ready to dethrone Mercedes, the 2021 season set the stage for an exciting battle. New chassis regulations and an unreliable engine gave the Milton Keynes squad an edge from the 2021 pre-season test itself.
Hamilton's clash with Verstappen at Silverstone resulted in the Dutchman having a 51G impact with the barriers. The incident led to a "gloves off" policy between the two drivers, who had begun the season with a mutual understanding of avoiding any on-track clashes or edgy wheel-to-wheel battles.
A war of words between the two principals followed the crash, leading to an off-track verbal sparring match almost every weekend until the season finale. The next major incident between the two was at Monza, where the pair collided, resulting in a DNF for both. By Brazil, the on-and-off track rivalries had reached a flashpoint.
The off-track battle between Mercedes and Red Bull
Watch the sparring match between Toto Wolff and Christian Horner ahead of the Qatar GP in the video below:
The off-track protests even went to the extent of Mercedes wanting Red Bull’s title protagonist to be penalized for touching the rear wing at Parc Ferme in Brazil. The Dutchman was fined 50,000 Euros after qualifying, however, he went unpenalized for some borderline edgy driving on Lap 48 of the race.
Red Bull had the edge until Brazil, with Verstappen leading with 19 points. However, Hamilton’s wins in Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia tied the two at 369.5 points each ahead of the final race. Horner and Wolff’s final team principals’ conference was peaceful with an undercurrent of "may the best man win." However, the final driver’s press conference of 2021 witnessed Hamilton and Verstappen reluctant to share space with each other.
The two feisty team principals, coupled with two combative championship protagonists, further added to the heat of the final race. While both Horner and Wolff deafened Racing Director Michael Masi’s ears over the radio throughout the race, the final controversial decision made by Race Control was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
An anti-climactic ending to one of the fiercest inter-team battles and a historic season
Although Mercedes protested the final result, their title rivals were unhappy with the atmosphere that tainted Verstappen’s maiden title. The protests were turned down by stewards and Mercedes dropped the idea to appeal it further in the International Court of Appeals (ICA).
Currently, the Silver Arrows still await a detailed analysis from the FIA investigations over the events in Abu Dhabi. It is speculated that Hamilton's future racing plans may be contingent on the actions taken by the FIA post the inquiry.
Without a doubt, this intense rivalry between the two camps will carry forward into the 2022 season. There has only been one previous occasion where the two championship contenders tied on points for the final race. That was in 1974 between Clay Reggazoni and Emerson Fittipaldi. The most recent off-track clashes between equally-matched teams was the fierce McLaren vs Ferrari battle in 2007. The 2021 season was unique because it combined the best of on-track and off-track battles into a Hollywood-style entertainment package.
