How F1 2021's other new tracks will impact the Verstappen-Hamilton title fight

OPINION: For the first time since the mid-1980s, Formula 1 is closing out a season with two new races in a championship’s pivotal final three. Add in the changes at the Abu Dhabi finale and Mercedes and Red Bull suddenly have plenty of additional hurdles to cover before one finally triumphs in 2021’s thrilling title fight

Alex Kalinauckas Nov 17, 2021, 10:12 AM

Upd: Nov 17, 2021, 11:13 AM

This time one year ago, a virtuoso performance from Lewis Hamilton sealed his seventh Formula 1 world title. In 2021, his most recent stunning victory in last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix – surely only vying with Silverstone 2008 as his best ever so far – kept his title battle with Max Verstappen close.

Back in 2020, F1 was leaving Turkey ahead of a triple-header in the Middle East to close out its pandemic-altered schedule.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.