“18 million replays on controversial Abu Dhabi GP finale” – F1 fans still divided over Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton championship battle

From the infamous Abu Dhabi GP to soul crashing first lap of Hungary, F1 highlights of the 2021 season ranked.

The 2021 Formula One season is fondly remembered for Max Verstappen’s fight with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton for the world championship.

Due to the pandemic season, few of the races were cancelled much to fans’ dismay. However, the fans were also delighted when Istanbul Park and Circuit Zandvoort made their return.

Post-acquisition by Liberty Media, F1 has a strong presence on social media. Below are the top 5 most viewed highlights as per the Formula One Youtube Channel:

1) Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 18 Million views

Perhaps the greatest finale in motorsport history where whoever won took the driver’s world championship. Max Verstappen qualified ahead of Lewis Hamilton in his pursuit of the first championship.

Hamilton led the race since the start but a Nicholas Latifi crash on lap 53 changed the standings. Verstappen pitted for the soft tires while the Briton stayed out. Race director Michael Masi announced that the safety car will be going back to the pit after a few cars un-lap the championship rivals.

Right after the green flag, Verstappen overtook Hamilton on turn 5 to win the championship. The racing highlight is Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff’s back and forth with Masi. He said: “No Michael [Masi], that was so not right!”

2) Azerbaijan Grand Prix – 13 Million Views

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the pole in a view to get Ferrari back in winning ways. However, Hamilton and Verstappen were back fighting for the win by the seventh lap.

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Formula One fans watch this particular race for two incidents by the World Championship rivals. Max Verstappen crashed out on lap 46 after his left tire punctured and his RB 16B crashed into the barriers.

After a 34-minute delay, the race restarted on lap 50 with a standing start. Hamilton should’ve won the race easily after his rival crashed out earlier. However, to everyone’s surprise, the Briton could not break causing him to lock up at high speed and forcing him onto the escape road. He finished at the fifteenth position with no points to take home.

3) Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – 9.2 Million Views

The rainy Imola track had a thrilling race for everyone to witness. Despite the pole position, Verstappen overtook Hamilton at the first corner to claim the victory.

However, it was not at all a smooth sailing race for Hamilton. He spun into the gravel on lap 31 and had to swiftly overtake seven cars to finish second.

The highlight of the race was when William’s George Russell crashed into Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas with a speed of over 320 km/hr. Bottas showed the middle finger to the fellow Mercedes junior driver when the latter confronted him after the crash.

4) Bahrain Grand Prix  – 9.2 Million Views

Max Verstappen was on pole going into the Bahrain Grand Prix while his teammate Sergio Perez started 11th. The race was action-packed with back and forth from the drivers battling for positions. McLaren’s Lando Norris battled Charles Leclerc for the fourth position while Sergio Perez climbed to the fifth position.

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Max Verstappen had to handle the first position back to Hamilton after illegally overtaking him at the start of lap 51. Both the drivers appreciated the battle throughout the weekend with Verstappen stating: “Really taking the fight to them [Mercedes].”

5) Hungarian Grand Prix – 9.1 Million Views

Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas locked in the podium top two after a strong qualifying session. The race is enjoyable because of the first lap carnage

Valtteri Bottas braked late causing him to crash into Lando Norris. The McLaren driver slid into championship contender Max Verstappen while Bottas took out Sergio Perez. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll attempted to avoid colliding with Charles Leclerc who then forced Daniel Ricciardo to spin as a result.