Crazy Stats GP USA 2021

From a statistical standpoint, the 2021 Formula 1 season is a stark external case. It’s extremely rare for two drivers from two different teams to go head-to-head for the world title so late in the season. That was the case as recently as 2012, when Sebastian Vettel was only allowed to cheer in the last race in Sao Paulo after Fernando Alonso stood in his way all year.

Max Verstappen should have carried the title in his pocket long ago. Red Bull’s spearhead celebrated his eighth win this year in Austin – three times more than rival Lewis Hamilton. Even with column positions (9:3) and lead periods (504:154), the ratio seems clear at first glance. But in the world championship standings, only the top duo entered the last five grand prix, separated by 12 points.

If you believe the stats, things are looking good for Verstappen despite the narrow progress. Of the drivers who have held the podium at least eight times in a season, only one has ever won the title. This fate overtook current opponent Lewis Hamilton of all people, who narrowly lost in the team’s internal Mercedes duel against Nico Rosberg in the 2016 season despite ten wins at the end.

Botas as good as going out

Of course, the inflation of races falsifies the statistics to some extent. The longer the season, the lower the value of an individual win. But also in relative terms, the dominance of the two exceptional talents this season is very impressive. Hamilton and Verstappen together won more than three-quarters of all races. In more than half of the general practitioners, both ranked first and second. “It’s a high standard among the drivers – the highest that Formula 1 has ever seen,” said Rosberg, who now works as a television expert at Sky.

With the exception of Valtteri Bottas, no other driver has a sporting chance of winning the title. And if Verstappen increases his lead over Bottas by at least five more points in Mexico, the Finn will also officially be eliminated from the championship race – even if he takes all the remaining fastest race laps, all races win first in the Brazilian GP. .

In the show, we’ve collected more interesting characters about the Austin Grand Prix. Here you can find out, for example, when Red Bull managed to put both drivers on the podium twice in a row, when safety car driver Bernd Maylander was last out of work three times in a row and who was the last Honda driver 30 years ago. He won a race on American soil.