The 2021 Formula 1 season was the first season in more than a decade in which no team scored in every single race on the schedule.
A long and dramatic 22-race 2021 Formula 1 season came to an end with December’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, and the world championship battle came down to the wire.
The 14th 1-2 finish for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton came after Verstappen passed Hamilton following a controversial restart with just one lap remaining in the season finale to win not only the race but his maiden world title.
But despite the dominance of these two drivers throughout the year, and the key supporting roles played by their teammates (Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, respectively) to get them to where they were, neither Red Bull nor Mercedes scored points in all 22 grands prix on the 2021 calendar.
And neither did any of the other eight teams on the grid, ending a 12-year streak that had begun in the 2009 season.
For the first time since the 2008 season, no team scored points in every single race on the schedule.
Now, you could technically make the argument that Red Bull continued this streak, considering the fact that they did not have any weekends in which they scored exactly zero points.
But during one such weekend, British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone, their only points came from the sprint qualifying race.
With sprint qualifying races having only been introduced in 2021 and only having been used for three races, we’re going to stick with the argument that Red Bull didn’t actually score in every single grand prix.
Here’s a list of the teams to score in every race in each season from 2009 to 2020.
- 2009: Brawn
- 2010: McLaren
- 2011: Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari
- 2012: Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus
- 2013: Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari
- 2014: Mercedes, Williams
- 2015: Mercedes
- 2016: Ferrari
- 2017: Mercedes, Red Bull
- 2018: Ferrari
- 2019: Mercedes, Red Bull
- 2020: Mercedes
It is also worth mentioning that the scoring system was changed after the 2009 season. From 2003 to 2009, only the top eight drivers, not the top 10, scored points in each race.
Had the modern scoring system been used before 2010, that streak technically would have been longer. Here is a list of the teams that would have scored in every race under the current format from 2003 to 2009.
NOTE: *=teams that actually scored in every race under the scoring format at the time
- 2003: N/A
- 2004: Ferrari*
- 2005: N/A (thanks, Michelin)
- 2006: N/A
- 2007: Ferrari*, BMW Sauber*, McLaren (without disqualification)
- 2008: BMW Sauber
- 2009: Brawn*
So under the current scoring format, it would have been a 14-year streak going back to 2007. Interestingly, the 2006 season saw just one of 11 teams not suffer a true double retirement (both cars not classified): ninth place finisher Toro Rosso.
As for the 2005 season, take away the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and McLaren and Toyota both make the list. McLaren would make it under both the scoring format at the time and the current scoring format, while Toyota would make it under only the latter.
Will the 2022 season see the return of at least one team scoring in all 23 races on the schedule? The season is scheduled to get underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday, March 20. Set to broadcast the race live beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET is ESPN, so be sure to begin your free trial of FuboTV now!