The 2021 Formula 1 world championship is set to be decided in the season finale at Yas Marina Circuit this coming Sunday.
For the first time since the 2016 season, the Formula 1 world championship battle is set to come down to the season finale this Sunday, December 12 at Yas Marina Circuit.
And for the first time since the 1974 season — and just the second time in Formula 1 history — the two title rivals are tied in points heading into the season finale.
Following three straight victories, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has tied Red Bull’s Max Verstappen atop the driver standings with 369.5 points.
The scenario of the title rivals tying in points has been floated quite often over the last few months given how hotly contested this year’s championship battle has been.
Sure enough, there is exactly zero separation between the pair heading into round 22 of 22 on the 2021 calendar.
However, there are only two ways in which the official tiebreaker can actually matter.
Right now, Verstappen leads Hamilton 9-8 in wins.
But there are two things to consider here. The only way Hamilton can tie Verstappen in wins is by winning the season finale, and with the two level on points as it is, this would result in Hamilton winning the championship anyway.
The second thing is that even if the two drivers do end up tied 9-9 in wins, Verstappen would be classified as the winner of the tiebreaker with more runner-up finishes. He currently leads Hamilton 8-7 in that category, and if Hamilton wins the season finale, he obviously can’t add to his second place finish tally.
So believe it or not, Verstappen has technically already clinched the tiebreaker.
This means that there are only two ways in which the tiebreaker could truly end up mattering.
- If neither one of the two drivers scores any points in Sunday’s race (11th place or worse for bot), Verstappen would win the world championship on the tiebreaker.
- If Hamilton finishes in ninth place and Verstappen finishes in 10th with the fastest lap, both drivers would score two points and Verstappen would win the world championship on the tiebreaker.
Now, how likely are either of those two scenarios? Anything is possible…
The 2021 Formula 1 season is scheduled to come to an end in this Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. This race is set to be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning at 7:55 a.m. ET, so be sure to start your free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss any of the action!