A year to remember!
As 2021 comes to an end, I thought it was a good idea to look back on all the great moments we have had this year. Obviously, I will just be chronicling the moments in the sports that I follow, so series such as World Superbikes, Rally Cross and others will not be featured here, so if I miss some out, I do apologise.
Marc Marquez back on top
He may not have fought for the title; however, you cannot deny that for Marc to come back from the injuries he sustained, and the long rehabilitation process he had to endure, was remarkable, even for someone like him. It was clear at the start of the year just how tough it would be for him, and so it took until his stomping ground of Sachsenring, for him to get back to winning ways. The race itself wasn’t a thriller, but seeing him fight off the challengers from behind, showed great resilience, and suggests he isn’t done yet in the sport.
Hypercar Era Begins
It may have flown under the radar slightly, but the new rules which are set to fire Endurance racing back into a golden age have begun. The understated beginning, is because initially only Toyota was running Hypercar entries, fighting off the old LMP1 car, run by Alpine. For Portimao however, Glickenhaus joined the party, and have shown glimpses of pace since then, it still wasn’t a thrilling season in WEC, yet an historic one in terms of the future of the sport.
Historic moment for diversity in NASCAR
For a sport born in the deep south, and with plenty of controversial stories in its past, I felt the most important moment of the NASCAR season, had to be Talladega in October. Yes, we saw drama between Elliot and Harvick, and some other great races, but it wasn’t on a scale that this was, as Bubba Wallace became the first African American driver since 1963 to win a top level NASCAR race. It was made even more poignant, in that he did it at the track where a year before, the whole of NASCAR stood beside him in solidarity for Black Lives Matter.
Monaco E-Prix
Turns out it is possible to have a stunning race around the principality, as we saw passes in many unusual places around the iconic track when Formula E rocked up, for the first time on the full layout. It was a three way fight between Da Costa, Frijns, and Evans, which Antonio eventually won, after making a daring around the outside move on Evans. I hope Formula E comes back every year to Monaco on the full circuit, as the straights are long by Formula E standards, so we get great racing. It also proves that F1 cars are too wide and long.
Blinder by Binder
In a trying year for KTM, Brad did his best to maximise what he had under him. As a result of their lack of pace, in Austria, Binder found himself in a position with nothing to lose, as the rain started to fall with only a few laps to go. He took the gamble to stay on dry tyres, on an increasingly damp track, and used all the skill he had to not only stay on the track, but have enough pace to not be passed by those who changed to wet tyres. He did it to perfection, and if KTM can give him a good bike, watch out for him in 2022.
No go for Evans
Formula E was set for another thrilling season finale, with plenty of drivers in contention. In fact, the amount of them still mathematically in with a shout with 3 races to go was shocking, and if anything, it says more about the problems the sport is having. Nevertheless, after qualifying for the finale, Evans had put himself in prime position for the title, starting in 3rd, ahead of all his title rivals. When it came to the start however, his Jaguar developed an error, and would not move. The stationary Evans was then collected by Mortara who couldn’t see him, which took out another main title rival. The only other real contender was the rookie of Dennis, who was in a position to put De Vries under pressure for the title, until his rear brakes locked when re-gen braking, handing the title to the Dutchman. It was a subdued end to another crazy season, and will still hurt for the 3 drivers who lost it through no fault of their own.
Domination by Van Gisbergen
After the departure of McLaughlin to IndyCar, it was wondered who would take his place as the standard bearer at the front of the grid. Talk pre-season, was that it would be either Waters or Van Gisbergen, or possibly De Pasquale. Within a few races we had a clear answer, as Shayne destroyed everyone to start the season, taking the first 6 wins out of the year, and was consistent all through the season, leading him to win the title before the series went to Bathurst for the 1000. It was a stunning year to watch from him, although, if Waters can get on top of his set ups issues, and De Pasquale can keep up his end of season form, Shayne won’t have it easy in 2022.
A 4th in the 4 time winners club
The Indy 500 is always a special race, and after the underwhelming feeling of the race in 2020, having fans back at the speedway was something special indeed. The fans got their money’s worth too, as they witnessed history, with Helio Castroneves winning it again, and joining a very select club indeed. He thoroughly deserved it, after many years of coming so close in 2014 & 17, and it shows that experience is key in a race like that, as he fought off the young charger, and eventual champion of the series, Palou. Alex should be commended as well, for how he raced the 500, as for only his 2nd time at that race, he performed superbly, and nearly beat Helio.
A monumental season of F1
Yes, there is the grey cloud of the FIA hanging over the season, and it will likely always be there. However, we cannot just think of this season in that way, as some of the races this year were simply stunning. Think of the superb strategy of Red Bull at France, or Mercedes in Bahrain, Hamilton’s come back in Brazil, Alonso in Hungary and Qatar, Ricciardo at Monza, Norris at so many races this year, Leclerc at Silverstone, Vettel at Baku, same with Perez, or Tsunoda in the finale. All those being said, there were really only two truly awe-inspiring moments that in my opinion define the season.
The most obvious is the final lap of the season, as whilst it should never of happened the way it did, at the end of the day it did happen, and gave us a grandstand, winner takes all finish, and it wasn’t a slam dunk for Max to win. I still can’t believe it happened! Even bigger though I think, was the first lap at Silverstone, it was the moment in the season where the fight became personal, between the two teams and drivers, and was what sparked the rivalry and drama which was to follow. That battle almost felt bigger than the title fight, it was about getting inside the other driver’s head, to show who is the top dog in the sport, and neither would relinquish, which led to the end result. It was similar to Spain 2016, yet the outcome was more controversial, because as they weren’t in the same team, it wouldn’t be sorted behind closed doors.
Looking back at 2021, it has been an excellent year of racing, with plenty of great races, which couldn’t all the featured here. Some series where drama was expected, we ended up with a mediocre ending to the campaign, whereas others may have given us a little too much drama. I must commend how all series were able to almost put together a ‘normal’ season in the current circumstances, and hope that 2022 can be even more successful for them!
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 