Ranking the top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2021

The 2021 Formula 1 season will be remembered for the titanic championship battle that was only decided on the very last lap, amid great controversy. In the final year of the outgoing regulations before a planned 2022 shakeup, Autosport ranks the 10 best performers across the 22-race campaign

Alex Kalinauckas Dec 20, 2021, 2:34 PM

Upd: Dec 21, 2021, 3:28 PM

The unforgettable 2021 Formula 1 season was packed full of drama right down to the final lap and beyond, as for the first time since 2018 Mercedes faced a sustained challenge from a rival team. Red Bull and Max Verstappen reached new heights to take on seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in a battle for the ages, but the year certainly wasn't short on subplots beyond the heavyweight duel for the crown.

With six drivers from four different teams - including two ending long droughts - gracing the top step of the podium and 13 taking away silverware, the final season of the high downforce regulations first introduced in 2017 was closely fought all the way down the field. That meant plenty of drivers had their chances to shine, making it a tough job to determine who would miss out in our annual top 10 ranking.

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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.