John N
In any sport, there are always athletes that stand out as potential future champions. Many of these exceptional players go on to win the championship in the seasons to come. If you are an F1 fan, you may have noticed this was one of the most dramatic and closely fought seasons in recent years. 20 drivers lined up to start 23 races across four continents for an all-out wheel to wheel racing that pushed their individual skills and team’s technical ability to the absolute limit. It was a season packed with close racing, crashes, smashes, controversies, two wins from the midfield, tight championship battles. A season that had standout up-and–coming stars like Lando Norris on the podium giving McLaren its first victory since 2012. In the end, it was Max Verstappen that won the championship, ending Mercedes’ dominance since 2014. In this article, we look at the top performers of last season and see what makes them one to watch out for next season.
Sainz Jr. Charles
Scoring points in 20 of the 22 races (only Hamilton and Norris achieved the same feat) with his second place in Monaco as the highest finish, Carlos finished fifth on the drivers championship rankings. Consistency was key for Sainz in 2021 and that brought him the reward of best-of-the-rest outside of Redbull and Mercedes. Considering the fact that he was a new Ferrari driver alongside his teammate Leclerc, Charles, it was indeed a tough job and the Spaniard adapted quickly to life in Maranello. There is no doubt now that Sainz is a serious competitor. If Ferrari continue their upward trajectory in 2022 he could be a contender.
Russell, George
It’s often difficult to judge the performance of drivers in backmarker teams, but Russell did a relatively good job with a series of standout performances. Despite having the limitation of driving the second slowest car in F1, Russell put Williams into Q2 at every race last season bar one. Stunning laps in Austria and Belgium saw him drag the car into Q3. That said, he’s another driver maturing, and looks ready to take big steps in his career next season. His arrival at Mercedes next should see him fight for the title assuming the car is competitive enough.
Leclerc, Charles
Leclerc’s season was one where he seemed on the brink of brilliance but never really reaped the rewards. He had genuine shots at winning two races; one in Monaco and the other in Silverstone. Though he failed to convert either race, he has looked remarkably consistent. He has astonishing speed, and if Ferrari can build him a car that matches his talent, Leclerc could quickly become a world champion.
Norris, Lando
Arguably the break-out star of 2021; the big coming-of-age story in Formula 1 this season. He’s been nothing but impressive on the grid this year. His early-season performances proved that he is a legitimate title contender and he did everything right but win a race on his way to sixth in the championship standings. He scored podiums in Imola, Monaco, Austria, Bahrain, and Great Britain. His long-term commitment to McLaren shows his faith that the team can provide a championship challenging car and he’s the man to push the team closer to a title push.
Hamilton, Lewis
Hamilton came into the 2021 season as one of the all-time great Formula 1 drivers. Having won seven world championships, the last race of the season saw him within one lap of claiming his eighth world title. In 2021, a resurgent Red Bull racing team with Max Verstappen challenged the silver arrows at every turn in every race. The mistakes at Imola, Silverstone, Baku and Hungary seemed uncharacteristic of him. He might have won the championship if those mistakes hadn’t happened. The loss will sting, but there is every reason to believe that Hamilton will want an eighth F1 world title and be eager to make 2022 his year.
Verstappen, Max
A deserving world champion, Max Verstappen was the most consistent driver last season. The Dutchman’ s aggressive and spectacular driving style offers no compromise when he is behind the wheels in a Formula 1 car. Throughout the course of last season Hamilton was always on the back-foot when racing wheel-to-wheel. He is arguably the fastest driver in F1, and now that he has his first world championship, he will want to do more. He will be title favourite in 2022, and if he carries over his form from last season, there might be no one to stop him.
