The 2021 Formula One (F1) season is going down to the wire as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will lock horns at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With 369.5 points each, both the drivers are level on the table as the final race in UAE will decide who will have the champagne in the hand.
This will be the first time since 1974 that a Formula One season will be decided on the final day of the season. 47 years ago, Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil and Clay Regazzoni of Switzerland were involved in a tense race as the former Fittipaldi ran out winner. Ahead of the high profile clash, here is a look at the Formula One season in numbers.
* Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (GP) was the 20th time Hamilton-Verstappen-Bottas shared a podium which is a record in Formula 1. The trio of Hamilton-Vettel-Roseberg lies second with 14 podium finishes.
* Max Verstappen finished P2 in Saudi Arabia GP which was his 17th podium of the season which is the joint-most for any driver in a single season of F1. The others who have done it are Michael Schumacher (2002), Sebastian Vettel (2011) and Hamilton (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019). Verstappen will have an 18th shot at the podium on Sunday (December 12).
* Mercedes are on a record-breaking run as they have scored 242 points at the new venues in the turbo-hybrid era, a record for any team. Red Bull lies second with 104 points to their name. While driver Hamilton completed his 19th trio of pole position, fastest lap and win only Schumacher managed to do more with 22 trebles to his name.
* Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinnazi finished P9 which was his best result of this season and only the second points finish of the season. Carlos Sainz’s four points at Saudi Arabian GP now puts him at the top of the table in the drivers having most points in Formula 1 without winning a Grand Prix. He now has 521.5 such points, going past Nico Hulkenberg’s tally of 521 points.
