Many things have changed in Formula 1 over the last few years. After the sport was purchased by Liberty Media, the new owners have been making a conscious effort to make F1 more interactive and to provide an overall better experience.
A deal with Netflix to create a docuseries called Drive to Survive has helped to get new demographics interested in watching F1. A contract with Amazon Web Services has helped to improve the on-screen graphics for television viewers, giving them a better understanding of what’s happening on track, while collaborations with US celebrities and the NBA have helped to introduce more Americans to the Formula 1 circus.
This helped the 2021 US Grand Prix to attract around 400,000 fans to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, the biggest ever attendance the sport has seen. Interest in betting has also risen in the United States, especially since states like New Jersey legalized sportsbooks in 2018.
The market for sports betting is incredibly cramped as companies battle it out for supremacy as fiercely as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are this season, leading to a plethora of offers and bonuses being offered. To help customers get their heads around all the different options, sites like OLBG have produced guides that explain sportsbook promos for NJ customers and those in other states. In the run-up to the title showdown in December, these guides will be in high demand.
Meanwhile, new circuits have been added to the calendar, sprint qualifying has been introduced (and could be tweaked further), drivers can now earn an extra point for fastest lap, and the sport has even created an esports championship.
Yet, throughout all of this change, one thing has remained constant. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have completely dominated Formula 1 for the best part of the last decade, ever since the V6 hybrid engine rules came into force in 2014.
2021 is the first time since the all-Mercedes Hamilton-Rosberg title showdown in 2016 that Lewis Hamilton has faced a real challenge on the path to the World Drivers’ Championship.
The 24-year old Dutch title contender, Max Verstappen, has so far gathered more points than the Brit, despite a number of spectacular DNFs throughout the year.
The pressure is piling on both drivers after Verstappen won last time out in Mexico as the pair now face four races in five weeks and each hopes that they can finish the season on top of the points table.
While Verstappen, 12 years the junior of his title rival, is hoping to secure his first world championship, Hamilton could indeed be battling for his last…
Hamilton’s Rise to the Top
At 36, Lewis Hamilton is a veteran of motorsport. He’s been racing for almost all of his life and he first joined the Formula 1 grid in 2007 when he was signed by McLaren.
He almost won his first title in his rookie season, but was pipped by Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen but he returned the following year to beat Räikkönen’s teammate, Felipe Massa, to the championship after pulling off an overtake in the final corner, on the final lap, in the final race of the season at Interlagos in Brazil.
After that, a major rule change saw McLaren slide down the pecking order and Hamilton struggled to mount a title challenge for several years. This post title period was dominated by Red Bull and its German driver Sebastian Vettel, who won four back-to-back titles from 2010 to 2014.
Another rule change, moving to proper hybrid drive trains, in 2014 saw Vettel’s four year run come to an end; Red Bull slid down the field, and Hamilton and Mercedes stepped up to take their place.
End of an Era
Things are changing again in 2022 as Formula 1 has developed a radical set of new rules that it intends to improve overtaking on the track.
While it is theoretically possible that Mercedes could continue their dominance under the new set of rules, history would suggest that this won’t be the case.
In 2005, rules that prevented tyre changes in the race ended Ferrari and Michael Schumacher’s five-season run of dominance. Then the advantage of the Italian team and McLaren was taken away by the 2009 changes to car design. The same happened in 2014 when Vettel’s era ended and Hamilton’s began.
At 36, Hamilton is in the twilight of his career. Only Räikkönen and Alonso are older than him and few drivers ever continue beyond their late 30s in the modern era of Formula 1. After his first title in 2008, Hamilton had to wait six years and go through two major rule changes before he had another opportunity to challenge for a championship.
So, could 2021 be the seven time champion’s final shot at motorsport’s ultimate prize, and the pressure of knowing that could cause the Brit to crack..?
