Final review 2021 | Mercedes missed out on opportunities despite faster car

Mercedes: 6.9

Mercedes won the constructors' title and had the fastest car, especially in the second half of the season. Yet that was not enough to win the drivers' world title for Lewis Hamilton. That title went to Max Verstappen, and the German racing team has itself to thank for that.

The team simply missed too many opportunities throughout the season. Red Bull Racing surprised friend and foe by starting with a very competitive car in Bahrain, something Mercedes probably didn't see coming. At the same time, Mercedes didn't exactly have a problem-free start. The car was not yet at the desired level, but Hamilton also made some mistakes.

Those mistakes were mainly concentrated in the first half of the season, but later on in the season, it was Mercedes themselves that regularly missed opportunities. Especially strategically, the team had to lose out a couple of times to Red Bull Racing, who were constantly on top and therefore managed to win races even with a less fast car.

All GPblog team statistics can be found here!

Internal duel

The relationships within the Mercedes team have long been clear: Valtteri Bottas plays a supporting role as the second man alongside Hamilton and nothing has changed about that in 2021 either. This is clearly reflected in the duel between the teammates. Bottas only managed to outperform his teammate three times in the races.

In qualifying, he did so six times. In qualifying, the Finn managed to limit the damage, because on average he lost just over two tenths to Hamilton. Considering the relationship between the two, that difference is not too bad.

All figures of the internal duels can be found here!

Lewis Hamilton: 8.3

Hamilton's start to 2021 has not exactly been flawless. We're used to seeing the Brit disappear on the horizon from previous years, but the opposition he faced from Verstappen seemed to put him under more pressure than ever.

He made a number of costly mistakes, particularly in the first half of the season. He more or less eliminated himself in Imola, but the red flag situation that followed gave him the chance to make up for his lost time. In Baku, he could have taken full advantage of Verstappen's retirement, but there too he shot straight through.

In the second half of the season, he recovered and put in a significantly stronger performance, supported by the equally better performing Mercedes car. However, it proved not enough to defend his world title against Verstappen.

Valtteri Bottas: 5.8

Bottas has a reputation as the 'perfect wingman', as team boss Toto Wolff once called him, but in 2021 he was regularly missing at crucial moments. When he was there, there was generally little opposition to be expected. When his team needed him most, in the final race in Abu Dhabi, he was in the midfield.

This was in stark contrast to Sergio Perez, who defended his position with his life against Hamilton's attacks, doing enough in a single lap to make himself immortal in the eyes of his employers. In 2021, Bottas disappointed at several crucial moments and despite finishing third in the championship, it was mostly a colourless season for the Finn.

All GPblog driver figures can be found here!