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The 2021 F1 season is likely to go down in history as one of the most thrilling the sport has witnessed with each weekend filled with dramatic battles and controversy, and luck playing a massive role in the final results.
Red flags waved at six races, safety cars, engine problems, punctures and sheer misfortune, with incidents beyond the control of some drivers, having played a significant role in terms of race finishes and the final drivers' standings.
Irrespective of the end result, here are the unluckiest drivers of the 2021 F1 season:
#1 Charles Leclerc
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has undeniably had the maximum number of unfortunate instances throughout 2021 where factors out of his control resulted in disappointing outcomes for the Monégasque driver, starting with a DNS in his home country. Despite having qualified fastest at the Monaco Grand Prix, a problem with the left drive shaft meant the race was over before it even started for the 24-year-old.
However, the misfortune did not end there. Both Ferraris faced tire problems and consequently finished the French Grand Prix outside the points. Additionally, Leclerc has missed out on podium opportunities with 6 P4 finishes, ending the season at P7 in the driver's standings.
#2 Lando Norris
The 22-year-old McLaren driver started the 2021 F1 season on an absolute high with three podiums and his first pole position at the Russian Grand Prix. Although Norris went ahead to achieve his best result at Monza with P2, the second half witnessed a dramatic change in fortune for the Briton, as following the Italian Grand Prix the highest position he was able to secure was P7.
Things started to take a turn as Ferrari began to pick up in terms of pace and results, slowly closing the gap to P3 in the constructors' and the unfortunate slow puncture towards the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the tire failure in Qatar only made it more challenging for Lando Norris.
#3 Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen went on to become the first Dutch F1 world champion in 2021, however, the season came with its share of bad luck for the Red Bull driver. Despite three DNFs, Verstappen managed to remain in the fight to the point where the title lead switched hands on multiple occasions between him and Lewis Hamilton.
In the first half of the season, the Dutchman endured terrible misfortunes starting with a tire blowout at Baku, a DNF at Silverstone after getting hit by his title rival, to the DNF in Hungary where he lost the lead to Hamilton. Having said that, it was a streak of luck with the safety car in Abu Dhabi that allowed Verstappen to take his maiden championship at a point in time where the win was comfortably Lewis Hamilton's.
#4 Lewis Hamilton
Despite being the victim of arguably the greatest form of bad luck on the brink of an incredible victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where he lost his shot at a record-breaking eighth title on the final lap because of a safety car, the season overall has been rather kind to Hamilton. Although the Briton led the entire race at the Yas Marina Circuit, Nicolas Latifi's crash on lap 54 brought out a safety car, giving Verstappen the opportunity to pit and restart on much fresher tires, allowing him to grab his first championship under rather unusual circumstances.
However, races like those at Imola and Silverstone had instances where the Briton's good fortune with the red flag played a massive role in his battle against his Dutch rival.
#5 Valtteri Bottas
In his final year with Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas has struggled, but has undoubtedly left a mark on the British team, having played an imperative role in the team's eighth contructors' win. With a total of four DNFs, the Mercedes driver has had to fight hard to end the season ahead of Sergio Perez in the drivers' standings behind the two title contenders. The collision with George Russell at Emilia Romagna, the terribly long pit stop in Monaco, and the puncture in Qatar all added up to make this a difficult season for the Finn.
