So the final race of the 2021 season wrapped up in Abu Dhabi and I was able to watch it live! It was pretty uneventful for much of the race, but drama occurred in the last few laps which led my heart racing (pun intended) quite quickly. For context, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were tied on points heading to the last race. Whoever finished ahead would be crowned the champion. The former has seven titles while the latter has yet to win one. Long story short, there were some questionable calls, but it was through no fault from both drivers, and Verstappen came out on top to win the championship! If you're curious, here are the
race highlights. With millions watching, there's bound to be many different opinions, but I ain't going deeper into it because it'll get into toxic negative territory where people put each other down, and we're on a thread of what makes us happy. We should be more understanding and not villainize others on who they support.
Anyway, when I saw Verstappen make the overtake on the last lap and eventually win the race, it felt so surreal because Hamilton and Mercedes (the team that he drives for) have been dominating the sport for nearly a decade now. Since my emotions were REALLY high at that moment I called my mom which ended up shouting and thought that something bad happened to me lol.
Sorry, mom. As a person who got sick of Hamilton constantly winning and looking back at it hours after the race finished, I honestly feel bad that he lost out in the end, and through no fault of his own either. Because throughout the season, his close competition with Verstappen really showcased how he's a great driver in just about every way. In fact, there have been some races where he was so quick to overtake many drivers on the track that it low-key made me applaud him for his performances. Hamilton took the loss like a champ too, as he congratulated the new champion and did not snap into anger. If anything, he dealt with it much better than his team did apparently.
Miscellaneous thoughts: Verstappen's car was powered by a Honda engine and it so happened to be their last year in Formula. So him winning the championship is a nice send-off for them before leaving the sport. And another driver I haven't mentioned until now is Kimi Raikkonen. This year also happens to be his last year in Formula 1 because he will be retiring from the sport. He will be deeply missed because of not only the memes that were made about him, but his silent, yet chill personality is what made him so likable and just simply doing what he loves to do. It's so refreshing compared to others who have a more arrogant personality. I'm glad to have witnessed his last race win live back in 2018 at the USA Grand Prix, which so happened to be the first year watching the sport.
Overall, the last race has bittersweet moments for a few. But for the 2021 Formula 1 season as a whole, I'll definitely remember it for the rest of my life. Sure, there were a few boring races, but a huge majority delivered in terms of twists and action. I'm very glad to have watched most of the races live, not knowing for certain who will finish in what position, with the championship heading all the way down to the final race. Huge props to both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton for giving millions of fans and viewers around the world a season worth watching. And if you, the one reading this post, somehow read all of this, I'd like to say thank you for putting up with my passion for watching and talking about Formula 1 throughout the year.
